250th Juneteenth Living History Celebration at Fort Adams
RISHM’s 4th Annual Newport Juneteenth Event
– A Living History Celebration with a RI 250th Salute –
Will Take Place Saturday, June 20th, 2026, at Fort Adams State Park
[Newport, RI – May 26, 2026] – Rhode Island Slave History Medallions (RISHM) invites the public to attend a family-friendly celebration of our new national holiday, Juneteenth (aka “Freedom Day”), that will be held for the fourth consecutive year on Saturday, June 20th from 11 AM – 4 PM. This year it will include a Rhode Island 250th theme and be held at historic Fort Adams State Park Parade Grounds inside the fort and will be expanded to celebrate the history of Black and Indigenous people across the Ocean State. Free parking will be available.
As in previous years, the program will feature a reenactors’ parade and an honorary musket salute (11:30 am), which will be followed by city and state-level civic leader tributes – including a keynote address by Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore, and prepared comments by Sen. Jack Reed, U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo, State Rep. Marvin Abney, and Newport Mayor Charlie Holder, to name a few. The official on-stage program will then continue with presentations by historians and storytellers, live music and dance performances, youth activities, craft vendors, and thematic food trucks.
In honor of the 250th anniversary of American independence, this year Juneteenth guests can look forward to enjoying colonial music; a traditional Indigenous dancing and drumming performance by the Dove family of the Narragansett people, as well as a dynamic and symbolic performance by members of the Pokanoket Tribe; a djembe and drum circle performance by master African drummer Sidy Maiga; a gospel performance by RPM Voices of Rhode Island; regional historic regiment demonstrations, engaging activities for youth, and much more. The admission price per adult is $10, $5 for teens, and admission is free for children ages 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased at https://rishm.org/event/.