Whether you have an ear for contemporary or classical, jazz or good ole’ folk, the sounds coming from Newport in the summer will surely be music to your ears. In addition of numerous live performance in Newport venues, four major music festivals come through the city each summer.

The city-by-the-sea’s summertime musical showcase kicks off at the Newport Yachting Center with the Sunset Music Festival each July, when festival-goers come out to tap their feet to a variety of popular artists all performing in the backdrop of the magnificent Newport Harbor sunsets! Each year’s lineup is an enticing mix of pop, rock, alternative, folk, and soul, featuring bands like Better Than Ezra, Cheap Trick, The Bacon Brothers, Blind Boys of Alabama, Ben Folds, and the long time Newport favorite, Livingston Taylor. Newport sunsets, great music, and a spectacular fireworks display on the Fourth of July- what a way to celebrate the summer! Learn more about the Sunset Music Festival online at www.sunsetmusicfestival.com.

The Newport Music Festival, also in Julys, brings a change of pace to Newport’s scene, when music lovers relax in the grandeur of breathtaking Gilded Age mansions and listen to fine performances featuring 19th century chamber music, vocal repertoire and the Romantic-era piano literature, creating one of the most unique and extraordinary festivals in the world. The festival will presents scores of concerts—three to five each day set in Newport’s famed mansions with American and international artists performing. For additional information and a complete concert schedule, please visit www.newportmusic.org.

Summertime is the best time to enjoy the sun and sea of Newport’s great outdoors, making Fort Adams State Park the perfect locale for two Newport traditions- the JVC Jazz Festival-Newport and the Apple & Eve Newport Folk Festival, both in August. More than 40,000 fans flock to this giant outdoor fort on the coast annually to listen to the sounds of some of the music industry’s greatest. The greatest is exactly who will be there this year with jazz festival headliners like k.d lang, India.Arie, the Terrence Blanchard Sextet, George Benson, Lizz Wright, and the Bad Plus, and with folk superstars like Lyle Lovett, Ani Difranco, Sam Bush, and Jackie Greene.

The Apple & Eve Newport Folk Festival also features a Talent Search, where hopeful folk musicians nationwide compete for the chance of a lifetime -- the opportunity to launch their careers with a performance on stage at the Newport Folk Festival. Learn more about the JVC Jazz Festival online at www.festivalproductions.net. To learn more about the Apple & Eve Newport Folk Festival and Talent Search, please visit www.newportfolk.com.

Nobody will want to miss all these exciting acts making a stop in Newport this summer, so get your tickets and plan your trip to the city-by-the-sea today! The summertime fun never stops in Newport! For a packed Calendar of festivals and special events, information on fantastic Newport getaway deals, and additional Newport information check out www.GoNewport.com. [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]