In Jamestown, summer doesn't wind down slowly. It stops on Columbus Day. Monday, Oct. 12 is the last day of the Jamestown Newport Ferry's 2026 season and the last day this year to climb the tower at Beavertail Lighthouse. The day before, the Jamestown Chamber of Commerce holds its first-ever downtown block party. The organizers say they picked that timing on purpose.
So the weekend that sends the visitors home is also the weekend the village throws a party for whoever stays. What comes after is a short, specific calendar that runs out to the first weekend of December.
Sunday, in the Municipal Lot Across From Narragansett Cafe
The Narragansett Avenue Block Party runs from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11, with Monday, Oct. 12 as the rain date. According to the Jamestown Press, it centers on the municipal parking lot across from the Narragansett Cafe. It's free, with a beer and wine garden, face painting, food trucks and live music.
The music comes in two parts at two locations. The Jamestown band Dim Lights plays in the lot from noon to 3 p.m. Then the Earl Knightwood Band plays at the Narragansett Cafe from 4 to 7 p.m., two hours after the block party itself ends. Downtown businesses are also running promotions during the party, including arts and crafts, special menu items and sales.
Jack Murphy, president of the Chamber's board of directors, told the Press the idea was to bring business downtown just as the off-season begins:
"We're trying to bring more foot traffic to Jamestown at a time where we're winding down and there's not much going on here."
Executive director Stephanie Cotsonas said "one big community-type event" had been discussed for years before she and Murphy decided to organize it this year. That puts the island's newest community event in mid-October, the point where the summer calendar usually goes quiet.
Monday, When Three Seasons End at Once
If Sunday's weather pushes the block party to its rain date, Monday becomes crowded. Here is how Oct. 12 lays out, using the published schedules.
- 10:30 a.m. The first Hop-On Hop-Off ferry leaves Jamestown. The fall timetable lists stops at Rose Island, Fort Adams, Ann Street Pier and Perrotti Park.
- 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Beavertail Lighthouse Museum and Gift Shop is listed as open.
- 1:30 to 4 p.m. The 2026 season's last tower climb at Beavertail.
- 3 p.m. The last Jamestown departure that stops at Rose Island. The 5, 6 and 7 p.m. runs skip it.
- 7 p.m. The final ferry leaves Jamestown for Ann Street Pier and Perrotti Park.
The Rose Island cutoff is easy to miss. Rose Island stops appear only on the four daytime runs, and the island charges its own admission on top of the ferry fare: $12 for adults, $8 for children 12 and under, and $10 for active military or veterans. So anyone hoping for one more Rose Island trip this year needs to be on a boat by mid-afternoon. The Cruise RI schedule page has the full timetable with return times.
The Beavertail climb has its own rules, all listed on the museum association's visitor page. The climb is 49 spiral steps, then a 7-foot ladder that takes both hands to reach the observation catwalk. Climbers must be at least 4 feet tall, small children and pets can't be carried, and the suggested donation is $5 per adult. Climbers need to be in line half an hour before closing, which means 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Openings depend on the weather, and the association asks anyone unsure to call 401-423-3270. As of Oct. 8, the forecast panel on that same page showed rain likely Sunday and thunderstorms likely Monday. That makes the phone call more useful than usual this year.
The Friday After, Golf in the Dark
The first event of the off-season is four days later. The Chamber is hosting the Glow Ball Scramble at Jamestown Golf Course on Friday, Oct. 16, from 6 to 10 p.m. It's a foursome scramble with prizes, contests, food and raffles. The listing says "NEW DATE," so anyone who saved an earlier date should update it. The Chamber calls it "one of the few chances all year to play the loop after dark."
That makes two Chamber events in six days, both after the visitors have gone home.
Fort Getty Changes Jobs for the Winter
For most of the year, Fort Getty means the RV campground. The town's page now says the campground is closed for camping, and the waitlist for the 2027 season opened Oct. 1, 2026.
This winter, something new is happening at the other end of the park. The Conanicut Island Sailing Foundation's new campus there has two buildings with 3,550 square feet in total, built for year-round marine education. That replaces the tents and trailers the foundation used to teach from. The larger building, 2,320 square feet and designed by Union Studio, has mechanized panels that reconfigure the classrooms so several classes can run at once or the room can open up for bigger groups. Executive director Meg Myles told the Press she was most excited about having a room where "we can put a screen up and run a slideshow, and a speaker could come in and give a talk. We haven't had any of that before."
There's no opening date yet. As of the Sept. 24 Jamestown Press tour of the campus, interior work was still underway and the foundation hoped to start classes "in the next couple of months." Asked about a celebration, Myles said, "Before Thanksgiving would be great." If the foundation hits that target, the campus will open in the long gap between the Glow Ball and December.
The campground side won't be torn up this winter. The town administrator, Ed Mello, told the council that upgrading the RV park's electrical system is now estimated at $875,000, about 75 percent more than the $500,000 bond voters approved in 2025. He also said the work isn't on the schedule for this winter or the 2027 winter. One smaller decision is still pending. The town council endorsed reserving five trailer parking spots at Fort Getty so the permitted aquafarmers who work from the pier can haul boats out during storms, but it sent the draft rules back for revision before adopting them.
December 4 and 5 Close Out the Quiet Stretch
After Oct. 16, the Chamber's posted calendar has nothing more until the first weekend of December, when two events overlap.
| When | What | Where | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4, 5:30–7:30 p.m. | Holiday Arts Market pre-party and early shopping | Jamestown Arts Center | Free admission |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | Jamestown Village Holiday Stroll | Narragansett Avenue | Craft fairs at local churches and schools, business open houses |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Holiday Arts Market shopping | Jamestown Arts Center | Ceramics, paintings, jewelry, textiles, woodcuts, prints |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 1 p.m. | Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by boat | 1 Ferry Wharf | Then by fire truck to Conanicut Gift Shop for photos |
The Holiday Arts Market asks visitors to bring canned goods and nonperishable items to donate to the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. Its participating artist list hasn't been posted yet. The Holiday Stroll listing is tagged as a Chamber-hosted event. That means the same organization that opens the off-season on Oct. 11 also hosts the village's December stroll seven weeks later.
The Chamber's 2026 dates for evening shopping haven't been posted yet. Last year, its events page listed Sip & Shop nights on Thursdays, Dec. 4, 11 and 18, 2025, when village shops stayed open late from 5 to 7 p.m. Those were last year's dates, so the 2026 schedule will be on the Chamber's events page once it's set.
Between now and Dec. 5, the posted calendar is short: Sunday's block party and Monday's last ferry and tower climb, a night of golf on Oct. 16, and a sailing campus at Fort Getty that hopes to open before Thanksgiving.
Eric Kirton has spent his whole life on Aquidneck Island and keeps a close eye on how Jamestown's year moves from season to season, from the last ferry out of the harbor to the Santa boat at Ferry Wharf. If you'd like to talk about what the island's quieter months mean for your own plans, Lila Delman Compass welcomes you to request a private consultation.
