The Bridge of Stars. Photo by Jennifer Bedford.
The next full lighting of WaterFire Providence lighting will be in early Summer 2016.
Our 2016 event schedule is being put together now and will be posted in April.
Sign up for our email newsletter to get updates in your inbox.
WaterFire Providence is celebrating 20 years of Creative Placemaking in Providence.
Check out video highlights from our 20 years history as a leader in creative placemaking in Rhode Island.
You can stay up-to-date by following WaterFire on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or by joining our email list.
WaterFire Providence would like to thank all of our 2015 sponsors, their support has helped to make our 2015 event season possible.
You can help us keep the fires burning by making a donation to keep the fires burning, joining the Brazier Society of WaterFire Providence, or by becoming a WaterFire Providence sponsor.
Schedule of WaterFire Providence Lightings
More details for each event will posted here as they become available, click through to see details for each lighting date. 2015 Season Schedule at a Glance (PDF).
Fire marshal regulations do not permit folding chairs to by set up on any of the river walks to assure safe passage for all of our visitors. WaterFire is an event to be explored and savored on foot as you wander around to discover its many surprises, leave you chairs in the car and start exploring all that our event has to offer.
All Full WaterFire installations light up over eighty braziers from Waterplace Park to Memorial/South Main Street Park on the below scheduled evenings. Lighting occurs shortly after sunset and the event continues until half past midnight.
Basin lightings include the circle of twenty-two braziers in the Waterplace Park Basin and the twelve braziers leading up to the Providence Place mall. Partial lightings usually include all of the braziers from Providence Place Mall to Steeple Street.
Tuesday, January 6th – Partial Lighting
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Celebrating the 2015 RI Inauguration – Make It In RI!
Event Details
Saturday, May 16th – Partial Lighting
Sunset: 7:59 p.m.
Sponsored by Volvo Group of Companies in North America
Event Details | Music Program
The Volvo Ocean Race is heading to Newport and we are hosting visitors from around the world across Rhode Island for this event. The WaterFire event will be presented for all these new RI visitors to experience and will consist of lighting the braziers from Providence Place to Steeple Street after sunset and keeping them lit until 11:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 23rd – Full Lighting
Sunset: 8:06 p.m.
Sponsored by Bank of America and Brown University in celebration of its 250th Anniversary
Event Details | Music Program
The first full fire kick-off to the season. This event will be the finale for Brown University’s celebration of its 250th Anniversary for all the current students, alumni, brand new graduates, and their families. The WaterFire Arts Festival Plaza will be back in full swing with local artists selling their wares on Washington Street. We are also excited about the WaterFire food fair line up as well with some awesome local food vendors.
Friday, May 29th – Basin Lighting
Sunset: 8:12 p.m.
Sponsored by Providence College National Alumni Association
Music Program
Saturday, June 13th – Full Lighting
Sunset: 8:21 p.m.
Sponsored by: National Grid
Event Details | Music Program
WaterFire presents The Gaspee Project in celebration of the birth of our nation with performances and activities as part of an expanded humanities program. Visitors can take a walk through history from flash mob to freedom with the Twitter Story of 1772 by following #WFGaspee on Twitter. Historic walking tours will also be available during the day through the RI Historical Society.
The Providence International Arts Festival will take place on June 11-14, 2015. Building off of Providence’s international recognition as a creative city, this first-ever signature event will be a jaw-dropping celebration featuring world-classarts, sculpture, music, food and spectacle in the heart of the city’s downtown. The centerpiece of Festival activities is Saturday, June 13, 2015 with events beginning on Kennedy Plaza at 4pm. From the largest stringed instrument on the planet, to the undisputed Queen of African Music, to the Grammy Award-winning ambassador of Mali, to visual transformations of city streets with murals, tape art, and photography, the Providence International Arts Festival will light up Rhode Island’s capital city over four days, and engage a diverse international audience.
Tuesday, July 14th – Basin Lighting
Sunset: 8:20 p.m.
Sponsored by National Association of Clean Water Agencies
Music Program
Saturday, July 18th – Full Lighting
Sunset: 8:18 p.m.
Sponsored by: Navigant Credit Union and Cox Business
Event Details | Music Program
To start this event there will be a 100 person torch procession surrounding the circle of fires in the basin in honor of Navigant Credit Union’s 100th Anniversary “Celebrating a Century, Looking forward to the Next 100”.
Saturday, August 1st – Full Lighting
Sunset: 8:05 p.m.
C is for Cure: A WaterFire Lighting for RI Defeats Hep C
Supported by: Gilead / HepcHope.com
Sponsored by: Fidelity Investments
Event Details | Music Program
For the second year in a row WaterFire is partnering up with RI Defeats Hep C for our “C is for Cure” event. The evening will be full of activity (including an educational performance by the Festival Ballet Providence) as we work to encourage discussion about a formerly taboo now completely curable disease; helping to eradicate hepatitis C in Rhode Island.
Saturday, August 15th – Full Lighting
Sunset: 7:47 p.m.
Sponsored by: Amica Insurance and Nortek
Event Details | Music Program
Saturday, August 29th – Full Lighting
Sunset: 7:26 p.m.
Thanks to the generous support of the Textron Charitable Trust
Event Details | Music Program
Saturday, September 12th – Full Lighting
Sunset: 7:02 p.m.
Sponsored by: the Northeastern Society of Orthodontists
Paddle on the River at WaterFire – Sign up for Clear Currents
Event Details | Music Program
Saturday, September 26th – Full Lighting
Sunset: 6:38 p.m.
Sponsored by: Webster Bank and Confucius Institute and US-China Institute at Bryant University and Lifetime Medical
Event Details | Music Program
Chinese Culture Night at WaterFire is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the US- China Institute. The US-China Institute and the Confucius Institute at Bryant University will be joining WaterFire all evening long! Join WaterFire and the RI Department of Education to recognize the excellent educators in our community. Enjoy exhibitions showcasing a wide variety of creative and innovative approaches in education happening in RI.
Saturday, October 3rd – Full Lighting
Sunset: 6:26 p.m.
Sponsored by: Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation – Flames of Hope a Celebration of Life™ and supported by Your Rhode Island BMW Centers
Event Details | Music Program
The Flames of Hope a Celebration of Life™ event includes educational and awareness activities for survivors and their families from the afternoon into the evening in Station Park. To kick off the evening portion of the event will be the Illuminations of Life tribute on the steps of the State House followed by a procession of torch bearers walking down to Waterplace Basin which will include performances and the lighting of the braziers.
Saturday, November 7th – Full Lighting – WaterFire Salute to Veterans
Sunset: 4:34 p.m.
Gold Star Sponsor: Walmart | Bronze Star Sponsor: Bank of America | Bronze Star Sponsors: Dominion Power and Energy and Chase Canopy | Supporting Sponsors
Event Details | Music Program
It is incredibly important that we, as a community, recognize the service and sacrifice of the men and women that have served in America’s military. We look forward to celebrating and thanking our veterans at WaterFire’s 3rd Annual Salute to Veterans event which will include a Veterans Resource Fair, ceremonies and tributes throughout the night.
Friday, December 18th – Basin Lighting
Sunset: 4:26 p.m. Lighting: 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
5th Annual Christmas WaterFire and Festival of Trees
Event Details
This special event is being sponsored by an anonymous donor and will highlight the good work being done by the Providence Rescue Mission.
