Your Newport Summer, Small Person Edition
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It's mid July, which means Newport is currently operating at max capacity. The sidewalks are full, the parking is tricky, and every third person is wearing something with an anchor on it. We love it here anyway.
If you're navigating the next 6 weeks with small children, whether you live here or you're visiting, this is your list. We kept it honest. Everything below is something I'd actually do myself.
First, some news: we'll be at Folk Fest
Newport Folk Festival returns to Fort Adams July 24-26. If you've ever tried to get tickets, you know the drill: they go on sale months in advance and they're gone by the time you add them to your cart. Instant waitlist. You then spend the last weekend of July watching other people's Instagram stories and get major FOMO. I have personally never managed to get my hands on tickets. Not once.
So this year I took the only remaining path in. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Lorelei's for Littles will be at Folk Fest as a vendor!
If you're going, come find us. We'll be people watching and have a curated selection of our favorites and best sellers, the kind made to survive a music fest, a sibling, and a hand me down cycle after that. If you've ever wanted to buy kids clothes while listening to Hailey Williams or the Lumineers 40 feet away, this is your moment.
Parent intel worth knowing: kids 9 and under get in free (up to two per ticketed adult) through a dedicated family gate. Bring proof of age, bring sunscreen, and know that strollers and wagons ARE allowed if you have a child 10 or under with you. The fort has water refill stations and a family tent. Use them.
*Keep in mind the shop will be closed Friday & Sunday of Folk Fest.
Silhouettes by Chris at the shop, July 22
Two days before Folk Fest, we're hosting something quieter. Chris, a traditional silhouette artist, will be at the shop on July 22 cutting portraits by hand. It takes about ninety seconds per child, which is conveniently just under the average toddler attention span. These are the kind of keepsakes that end up framed in hallways for thirty years. Booking details here.
*As of this writing, 6 more slots were added after tickets sold out. Get them while you can! Don't end up disappointed like me with my Folk Fest tickets.
Newport Jazz Festival, July 31 to August 2
Folk Fest's older, slightly more relaxed sibling. Same fort, same views of the harbor, same free entry for kids 10 and under. If your child has never seen live jazz, we can confirm that kids love dancing to it. Passes sold out fast this year, so this one is for those of you who planned ahead in February. We will not be vending at Jazz Fest but the shop will be open all weekend.
Family Movie Nights at The Sailing Museum, Thursdays in July
Every Thursday evening in July, The Sailing Museum screens a family friendly movie. Bring a blanket, bring the kids in their PJs, spend nothing on a babysitter. This is the good kind of low effort evening. Check the schedule here.
Family Night Concert Series at Easton's Beach, select Tuesdays at 6pm
Live bands, magicians, and storytellers on the beach. Free (free parking too!), outside, and designed for children, which means nobody will glare at yours. Check the schedule before you go since it runs on select Tuesdays only.
Peter and the Wolf, August 15
Newport Classical is putting on a free outdoor children's concert at the Newport County YMCA on August 15 at 4PM. A full ensemble performing Peter and the Wolf, outside, for free. If your kid is going to have a formative classical music memory, this is a solid candidate.
Newport Polo, Saturdays all summer
Newport International Polo is celebrating its 150th season, with matches running into late September. Tailgating is the whole point. Kids can run around on the grass, you can sit in a chair like a person, and at halftime everyone walks onto the field to stomp divots. It's the rare event where children being loud is simply the ambiance. See all the ticketing options here.
A note on what to wear to all of this
We would be a bad children's boutique if we didn't mention that every event on this list involves sun, grass, sand, or some combination of the three. Our summer racks are full of pieces that handle all of it: organic cotton that breathes, GOTS certified fabrics that are gentle on sensitive skin, and construction that survives being sat on, spilled on, and worn three summers in a row.
Stop in at 35 Franklin Street before your next outing, or find us at Fort Adams the last weekend of July. We'll be the ones without a single anchor print in sight.