Joe GallopNewport Jazz Festival and Newport Folk Festival have signed a partnership with UK-based ticketing service DICE, which will digitally ticket each event for the first time.
Both 10,000-capacity festivals, which take place at Fort Adams State Park in Rhode Island, were created by American jazz promoter George Wein in 1954 and 1959 respectively and are among the world’s longest-running music festivals. Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan are among the many to have performed at them.
Newport Folk executive director Jay Sweet said, “We know DICE is the right partner to make things as easy as possible, fair, transparent and intuitive for our Newport Family. We want these tickets in the hands of our fans and not on the secondary market.”
Since it was founded in London in 2014, DICE has expanded into merch and livestreaming. Having launched in the US in 2019, it strengthened its presence with the opening of a second office there in May last year in New York City.
DICE president Russ Tannen said, “Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals have an unmatched legacy as two of the most celebrated music events in US history and it’s an honour for DICE to be named their partner.
“At DICE we love working with the most ambitious operators in the world, whether that’s rising independent venues through to legendary festivals that continue to push the boundaries.”