Newport’s 30th annual Winter Festival is set to rock Rhode Island from February 14-23, 2020. It promises plenty of frosty fun with over 150 events and experiences combining food, music, arts and entertainment for all ages. so ditch the winter woes and start planning your Newport getaway.
Grab a drink
Swing by Gurney’s Newport for a daily Ice Bar with invigorating cocktails. Fire pits will be lit to keep you toasty. Those with a festival bracelet will enjoy free cider.
Alternatively, swing by the hot drink contest for boozy hot chocolates and other local concoctions.
The Newport Burger Bender
If you’re hungry, you’re in luck because the Newport Burger Bender is a marquee event of the Winter Festival. This simple burger contest, which recognizes the bevy of culinary creativity throughout Newport, challenges local restaurants to compete for the lauded “Newport Burger Bender Best Burger” title, burger bragging rights and the coveted Burger Bender trophy.
Sample mouth-watering entries including a dry-aged beef burger topped with butter-poached lobster, roasted tomato and parmesan cheese from Forty 1 North.
The defending champion, La Forge Casino Restaurant, is looking to keep the crown with the “Winterburger” which includes a creative combination of short rib, baby arugula, cheddar and smoked bacon-cranberry jam.
If you’re still hungry, head to the Mac & Cheese or Chili competitions throughout the festival.
Get Here
Ride the Peter Pan bus to Providence from Port Authority or take Amtrak from Penn Station. Once in Providence, you can hop bus number 60 run by RIPTA from Kennedy Plaza towards Newport. Get off at the last stop at Newport Gateway Center at 23 America’s Cup Avenue. The ride from Providence takes just over an hour.
For more good reasons to visit, read our recent coverage of Newport and head to www.Discovernewport.org
Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributes travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She is fluent in Italian and Spanish and laughably adequate in French. Her background as an Early Childhood Educator gives her an added understanding of what it takes to travel with kids in tow. She firmly believes that the most important part of education takes place outside of the classroom, on the road, around the world. She never misses a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. Follow Allison at @gourmetrav.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram