All Charity Day At Newport Polo: A Sunday Afternoon Worth Clearing Your Calendar For

There is a particular kind of Newport afternoon that only happens a handful of times a year, and All Charity Day at Newport Polo is one of them. On Sunday, September 13th, Newport International Polo throws open its gates at 250 Linden Lane in Portsmouth for one of the season's most anticipated matches, and this one comes with a purpose beyond the game itself.

Here is how the day unfolds. Gates open at 3:00 PM, giving you plenty of time to stake out a spot on the lawn, unpack a picnic, and settle in before the match kicks off at 4:00 PM. The action runs through 7:00 PM, so plan for a full afternoon rather than a quick stop. This is not a rushed event. Polo days are meant to be lingered over, and All Charity Day is no exception.

What makes this particular match different is the roster of local nonprofits behind it. Rather than a single beneficiary, dozens of Rhode Island and Massachusetts organizations are participating, and tickets purchased through any one of them send proceeds directly to that cause. It is a simple structure that turns an afternoon of polo into a meaningful afternoon for the community, and it means you get to choose which cause your ticket supports.

A few worth highlighting:

1. Portsmouth Free Public Library - Tickets are $20 per person, with 100 percent of proceeds going straight to the library.
2. West Place Animal Sanctuary - Tickets are $75 per person, and every purchase includes a free pass to their Fall Visitor's Weekend on September 19 and 20.
3. Women's Resource Center - Tickets are $25 per person, with all proceeds retained to directly support the organization's mission, programming, and the clients they serve.

Beyond these three, the participant list reads like a snapshot of the region's civic life: the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Best Buddies International, the Boys and Girls Club of East Providence, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Kids Chance of Rhode Island, the Junior League of Rhode Island and Junior League of Boston, Greenlock Therapeutic Riding Center, Portsmouth Youth Lacrosse, the Society of Women Engineers, and many more, each offering their own way to take part. If you would rather decide once you arrive, day-of donations are welcome too, so there is no wrong way to show up.

For anyone weighing a move to Newport or Narragansett, days like this are the real answer to the question we hear most often: what is it actually like to live here. It is a polo match on a Sunday afternoon, a lawn full of neighbors, and a long list of local causes that people genuinely show up for. That is the texture of this community, on and off the field.

Whether you are a longtime local or considering what life on Aquidneck Island could look like, All Charity Day is worth the drive. Grab a blanket, pick a cause, and we will see you on the lawn.