Joan Baez danced with Dave Matthews on stage during the closing set of the 2026 Newport Folk Festival, marking a joyful moment at an event she has been part of since its very first edition in 1959. The 85-year-old folk icon's impromptu dance underscores her enduring connection to the festival and highlights the collaborative, celebratory spirit that has come to define its finales.

The moment occurred on Sunday 26 July during Nathaniel Rateliff & Friends' set-closing performance, as Rateliff played a new song called "It Surprises Me". Baez beckoned Matthews onto the stage to join her while Mavis Staples looked on approvingly, part of a star-studded finale that also featured Brandi Carlile, Brandon Flowers, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. The weekend concluded with the assembled artists, including Baez, performing a group rendition of "America the Beautiful".