Photo by Vnina / courtesy of the Newport Folk FestivalHayley Williams and Jack Antonoff. Not only is Newport Folk Festival one of the most prestigious folk festivals in the country, but my favorite band since I was 13, The Lumineers, were performing. I’ve only been to Newport Folk Festival once and it was in 2022. Misty was followed by Newport favorite Brandi Carlile playing songs from her 2025 album Returning to Myself. Joan Baez — who played the inaugural Newport Folk Festival in 1959 — and Mavis Staples both joined Rateliff’s finale, and the entirety of the weekend’s remaining artists crowded onstage for a final tune.