Food competitions, concerts and more

Newport Winter Festival has returned, offering 10 days of events and activities designed to draw people out into Newport and Bristol Counties during the frigid off-season to enjoy the best the locale has to offer.

Beginning on Valentine’s Day and lasting through Feb. 23, the festival is an amalgamation of local events, business discounts and food competitions. More details on events, including ticket pricing, are available on the festival’s website.

A key component of Newport Winter Festival is its bracelet system, where participants can purchase a themed silicon bracelet and use it to obtain discounts at restaurants and businesses around Aquidneck Island. The $10 bracelets will be for sale starting Feb. 2 at the 14 locations listed on the festival website.

Among the businesses offering discounts for Winter Festival bracelets are Newport Helicopter Tours, Newport Equestrian Academy, Greenvale Vineyards, Newport Vineyards, Newport Mansions, Jane Pickens Theater, and Stoneacre Brasserie, although many of these discounts are tied into special Newport Winter Festival Events.

Festivals and Big Events

Included among the events that comprise Newport Winter Festival are a few more specific festivals, such as the 29th Annual Newport Vineyards WINEterfest Weekend and the 22nd Annual Newport Wedding Show, both of which are ticketed events offering discounts to those with Winter Festival bracelets. Newport Vineyard’s WINEterfest Weekend features grape stomping and stein hoisting competitions while the Newport Wedding Show offers signature trolley tours to local wedding destinations.

Similar large events held during Winter Fest are the Winter Fest Comedy Show, which will be hosted at Hotel Viking on Friday, Feb. 21, and the Ice Carving Demonstration to be held at Long Wharf Mall on Feb. 23, the last day of the festival.

Food Competitions

The competitions held during Newport Winter Festival are largely competitions between local chefs and businesses eager to showcase their recipes, but that doesn’t mean the average cook can’t participate. Last year, Newport Fire Department claimed first place at the 27th Annual Chili Cook-Off.

This year’s Chili Cook-Off will be held on Saturday, Feb. 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Newport Marriott, which is also slated to host Mac & Cheese Smackdown competition on Saturday, Feb. 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Both are ticketed events, with discounted prices for those sporting the Winter Festival wristbands.

In addition to single-day events, restaurants across Newport and Bristol Counties are offering up their best burgers for judgment all 10 days as a part of the annual Burger Bender, voting for which will begin on Feb. 15.

Those thirsting for a bit of booze to go with their burgers can indulge in the two alcoholic drink competitions of the year, such as the annual Hot Drink Competition, which will be hosted at Red Parrot on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 8:30 p.m. with free admission, although only guests aged 21-and-up can participate. Gas Lamp Grille is planning to host a similar Tropical Drink competition on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 9 p.m. and The Wharf Fish House is doing a Tiki cocktail version on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m.

Those eager for the thrill of competitions but not confident in their cookery or mixology skills can try their hands at a dumpling eating contest at Yagi Noodles from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23.

Music Events

Newport has a soft spot for live music, as it hosts two massive music festivals each year. Newport Winter Festival’s live music lineup reflects as much, with both weekends having at least one live music performance. Newport Marriott is kicking Newport Winter Festival off with a Fleetwood Mac tribute band on Friday and an Elton John tribute band on Saturday as well as the annual Rhode Island Wind Ensemble performance on Sunday, donations to which will benefit Newport’s Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. The following weekend, the hotel is hosting a Jimmy Buffett tribute band.

Jane Pickens Theater will host the WinterFest Concert on Thursday, Feb. 20, featuring New England artists Dan Burke And The Royal Treatment, Melo Green and Princess June.

Performances, Crafts and Children’s Entertainment

Music is not the only performing art getting its time in the sun during Newport Winter Festival. Newport Marriott is planning a variety of performers throughout all 10 days, including magicians, reptile and science-based entertainment demonstrations and a puppet band. Newport Harbor Island Resort is hosting similar programming.

Additionally, local businesses like Cutie Curls, Newport Seafoam Trading Company, and even the Sailing Museum, are hosting arts and crafts classes for adults and children alike, where participants can make slime, sea shell frames, soap and, in the case of the latter organization, miniature boats.

History Tours and Events

Newport is home to several organizations dedicated to historic preservation and education, and many are using Newport Winter Festival as an opportunity to offer new and interesting tours at discounted rates. The Museum of Newport History has several walking tours on offer, like the lantern-lit Colonial Newport tour, a tour based on George Washington’s movements through the city, the Golden to Gilded walking tour, which explores the city’s history as a summer colony, and the Rogues and Scoundrels Tour, which explores the pirates and jails of Aquidneck Island’s “Rogue’s Island” history. Of special note is the Rum and Revolution Tour happening on Saturday, Feb. 15, which includes rum tasting and bites from Stoneacre Brasserie, as well as the “Creative Survival: Newport Black History” tour happening on Sunday, as February is Black History Month.

Other organizations are offering history tours too. The Richard I. Burnham Resource Center at 82 Touro St. has an exhibit on display called “Raise the Alarm: Newport Fire Department Through the Decades,” and Fort Adams is offering several tour times during the week.