Hayley Williams headlined the 2026 Newport Folk Festival on Friday, July 24, with a 16-song set billed as "Hayley Williams & Friends" at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island — her full debut performance at the festival, after a surprise-guest appearance the year before Providence Journal.

The billing earned its ampersand. Williams opened with "Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party," the title track from her 2025 album, and closed the night with the entire stage joining in on Bill Withers' "Lean on Me." In between, a rotating cast of collaborators took turns at the microphone Billboard.

Jack Antonoff came out to play guitar on "Good Ol' Days," a track from the Ego Death album, and stayed to trade vocals with Williams on "I Wanna Get Better," the 2014 debut single from his band Bleachers. Jenny Lewis covered Rilo Kiley's "Silver Lining," from the band's 2007 album Under the Blacklight, with Williams stepping in on lead vocals from the third verse onward. Lucy Dacus, who sang background vocals on Williams' 2020 track "Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris" from the album Petals for Armor, joined her to perform the song live for the first time.

Dacus had her own set on the festival's Fort Stage earlier that Friday, where she brought out both Williams and Brandon Flowers as guest performers Stereogum/X. The cross-pollination ran through the whole evening: Karly Hartzman, This Is Lorelei, Joy Oladokun, Liam Benzvi, Annie DiRusso, Kelsey Lu, Remi Wolf, Phoenix Rousiamanis and Madi Diaz all appeared during Williams' set Billboard.

Ms. Lauryn Hill also headlined Friday night at the festival, which continued through the weekend with performances from The Lumineers, Nathaniel Rateliff, Brandi Carlile, Brandon Flowers and Tom Morello on Saturday and Sunday Billboard.

For a festival built on the folk tradition of artist collaboration rather than lone star turns, the booking fit the format. Williams, best known as the frontwoman of Paramore, has spent her solo work widening the circle — Petals for Armor and Ego Death both drew collaborators from across genres — and the Newport stage let that instinct stretch into a full headlining set.