NEWPORT, R. I. (AP) — Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo…
NEWPORT, R. I. (AP) — Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo has announced an agreement that will keep a famous music festival in the state for a quarter century.
Raimondo, a Democrat, and Newport Festival Foundations Chairman George Wein announced Saturday that the organization and state have reached a license agreement to keep the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals in the city for 25 more years. The Department of Environmental Management was part of the agreement, which will include a museum with displays dedicated to the iconic music festivals. The festival group has a 40-year lease with the department for a building for that venture.
Over 10,000 people pack into Fort Adams for the two festivals.
Raimondo says the plan is to help sustain Rhode Island’s attraction as an “unforgettable, fun-sized destination.”
The first festival ran in 1969.
