Ragged Island Brewery Kicks off Summer With Annual Music Festival June 13-14

Tucked off Route 114 in Portsmouth, a 37-acre piece of the town’s agricultural past is alive and kicking. Anchored at an 1890s farmhouse with an attached greenhouse, the property stretches far beyond with sweeping views of Narragansett Bay, a pollinator field alive with bees, an orchard, and resident goats and chickens; the land is home to Ragged Island Brewing Company, where owner Matt Gray and his partners have embraced Portsmouth’s farming roots in a town that has gradually evolved into suburbia.

“We’re a brewery, obviously,” says Gray. “But we’re also a community gathering space.” Two years ago, Gray and his partners started looking at their land in a new way, and the property’s gentle slope began to resemble an amphitheater. “It seemed like a nice place to hold a music festival,” he explains. That year, they held the first Ragged Island Music Festival, a one-day event that quickly evolved into the two-day 10-band concert it is today. The 2026 iteration of the event, which takes place June 13 and 14, will host a mix of local and national acts, with headliners taking the main stage and local talents entertaining festival-goers under a food-truck-encircled tent they’ll share with artisanal vendors.

One of those talents is musical and visual artist Dan Blakeslee, who designed the festival poster. “I caught him busking at Newport Folk Fest. I knew about his [Alchemist Brewery] beer can art, so I asked him if he’d do our poster. He did an incredible job, and if you dive into it, you’ll find a lot of Easter eggs that reference the brewery,” Gray says. “We printed a ton of them to give to our staff members.”

Attendees will have access to all 37 acres of the property, including the tap room and the greenhouse. As for the music, Gray says the fete will have something for everyone. “Sunday will be very reggae-heavy with Black Uhuru headlining, and Saturday will have hip-hop and punk rock vibes,” he says. Saturday’s headliner is Ripe, whose music Gray describes as “fun, poppy, funk-soul.”

Gray can’t choose one act he’s most looking forward to. “I’m really excited for a bunch,” he says. “Local act Nena Belén is really good. Ripe is creating a ton of buzz. I can’t wait to see The Slackers, a 1990s ska band. But my personal favorite is the Michael Glabacki duo, from the band Rusted Root. They’ll be playing some originals and some Rusted Root hits from their heyday. They’re going to

The thing Gray likes best about the festival is that it creates space for serendipity. “People love our lineups,” he says. “You might come for one band and stumble on another one that speaks to you.” That vibe extends beyond the music. Festival-goers might arrive with friends and leave having made new ones. Although Ragged Island Music Festival draws people from Boston, Providence, and Connecticut, it’s truly a gathering of locals. “The vast majority of folks you’ll see attending the show are the same folks you’d see at the grocery store or at the pickup line at your
kid’s school,” Gray says.

Because it’s a community event, Gray made sure to consider the neighbors when planning the festival. “The best part for my neighbors is that it wraps up at 8:30pm,” he said. “Everyone will be home by 9:30pm, and I know what I’ll be doing. I’ll be going to bed.” Learn more at RaggedIslandMusicFestival.com.