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- Kellie Martin
Manager of Community and Corporate Relations
(401) 443-5534
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Latest Press Releases & Media Advisories
September 3, 2026
WaterFire Providence Shares Details for a Full Lighting of WaterFire on Sunday, September 6
Supported by the Providence Tourism Council
Providence, RI– WaterFire Providence announces a full lighting on Sunday, September 6, made possible through the support of the Providence Tourism Council. Onshore vendors and programming will open at 6:00 PM; the braziers will be lit at 7:27 PM and will remain lit until Midnight.
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September 2, 2026
Six Artists, All 30 and Under, Explore What It Means to Lose, Find, and Be Found in Lost & Found
The culminating exhibition of WaterFire Accelerate’s fifth cohort brings together six Rhode Island artists exploring identity, memory, mythology, displacement, and discovery.
PROVIDENCE, RI – Lost & Found, the culminating exhibition of WaterFire Accelerate’s 2026 cohort, brings together six artists 30 and under whose work explores the many ways we experience loss, discovery, identity, memory, and transformation. Aja Delgado, Pamela Fernández, Leia Fifer, Yasmine Hassan, Amelia Rozear, and Rachel Turner present work spanning film photography, printmaking, wood marquetry, fibers, painting, illustration, sculpture, and mixed media.
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August 27, 2026
WaterFire Providence Shares Details for a Full Lighting of WaterFire on Saturday, August 29
Supported by FM with additional support from JPMorgan Chase
PROVIDENCE, RI – WaterFire Providence announces a full lighting on Saturday, August 29, made possible through the support of FM and JPMorgan Chase. Onshore vendors and programming will open at 6:30 PM; the braziers will be lit at 7:43 PM and will remain lit until Midnight.
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August 14, 2026
WaterFire Providence Provides Details for Basin Lighting on Friday, August 14, 2026
Supported by GoProvidence
PROVIDENCE, RI – This event will feature performances by Big Nazo and free WaterFire themed photo opportunities around Waterplace Basin after sunset. The torch procession and lighting ceremony will begin shortly after sunset.
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July 16, 2026
WaterFire Providence Shares Details for the Full Lighting of WaterFire on Saturday, August 1, 2026
Supported by Brown University, Featuring the Clear Currents Community Paddling Event Presented by Amica Insurance
PROVIDENCE, RI – WaterFire Providence announces a full lighting on Saturday, August 1, made possible through the support of Brown University. This full lighting celebrates Clear Currents Community Paddling Night, presented by Amica Insurance, featuring over seventy kayaks on the river with illuminated Japanese koi fish temporarily mounted on the front of each kayak. Onshore vendors and programming will open at 7:00 PM, the braziers will be lit at 8:30 PM, and will remain lit until Midnight.
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July 8, 2026
WaterFire Providence Shares Details for Starts at Sunset Event on Thursday, July 9, 2026
As part of a Community Event Series, presented by the Providence Tourism Council
PROVIDENCE, RI — WaterFire Providence will hold the first Starts At Sunset event of 2026 on Thursday, July 9, supported by the Providence Tourism Council (PTC). Starts at Sunset was created in 2023 and is a community gathering on the Michael S. Van Leesten Memorial Pedestrian Bridge.
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June 30, 2026
Two New Exhibitions Open at WaterFire Arts Center Ahead of Providence’s Fourth of July Celebration
Visitors are invited to pair contemporary art with WaterFire’s July 4 Full Lighting for a uniquely Providence holiday weekend.
PROVIDENCE, RI — WaterFire Providence is giving visitors another reason to spend the holiday weekend in Providence: the opening of two exhibitions at the WaterFire Arts Center on the evening of Thursday, July 2, ahead of WaterFire’s Full Lighting on Saturday, July 4.
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June 30, 2026
WaterFire Providence Shares Details About Valley Vibes: Thursdays on Tap
A Community Event Series on the Roof Deck at the WaterFire Arts Center, Thursdays from July 2 to August 27, 2026
PROVIDENCE, RI — WaterFire Providence announces the return of Valley Vibes: Thursdays on Tap for the summer of 2026. From July 2 through August 27, this series is a collaborative effort to bring together diverse communities in partnership with local event organizers, hosting free events on the roof deck of the WaterFire Arts Center.
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June 30, 2026
Two New Exhibitions Open at WaterFire Arts Center Ahead of Providence’s Fourth of July Celebration
Visitors are invited to pair contemporary art with WaterFire’s July 4 Full Lighting for a uniquely Providence holiday weekend.
PROVIDENCE, RI — WaterFire Providence is giving visitors another reason to spend the holiday weekend in Providence: the opening of two exhibitions at the WaterFire Arts Center on the evening of Thursday, July 2, ahead of WaterFire’s Full Lighting on Saturday, July 4.
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June 22, 2026
WaterFire Providence Cancels Monday, June 22 Basin Lighting Due to Weather Conditions
Programming Rescheduled to Friday, July 17
PROVIDENCE, RI — Due to forecasted weather conditions, WaterFire Providence has cancelled the Basin Lighting scheduled for tonight, Monday, June 22, 2026, in Waterplace Basin supported by GoProvidence.
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June 16, 2026
Providence Announces Details to Commemorating 250 Years of American Independence
A Full Lighting of WaterFire & Performance by the RI Philharmonic Orchestra Supported by RI250 Commission
PROVIDENCE, RI — WaterFire Providence is proud to announce details for a full lighting on Saturday, July 4, 2026, Commemorating 250 Years of American Independence, sponsored by the RI250 Commission. This special event will span the length of the river through downtown Providence and feature a performance by the RI Philharmonic Orchestra on the steps of the Rhode Island State House.
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June 15, 2026
Registration is Now Open for Clear Currents Paddling Night on Saturday, August 1, 2026
This Unique Event Offers Paddlers a Chance to Become Part of the Art By Paddling Among the Fires
PROVIDENCE, RI — WaterFire Providence will host its 14th annual Clear Currents Community Paddling Event on Saturday, August 1, 2026, during a full lighting of WaterFire. Presented by Amica Insurance, the event invites community members to experience the rivers of downtown Providence from the water while celebrating environmental stewardship and public engagement. In partnership with the event, Brown University will host programming along the riverfront throughout the evening.
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June 9, 2026
WaterFire Announces New Basin Lighting on June 22 as Part of Three-Event June Schedule
Supported by the Rhode Island Sports Commission, Providence Tourism Council, and GoProvidence
PROVIDENCE, RI — WaterFire Providence is excited to announce an additional lighting event in June, on Monday, June 22, made possible by the support of GoProvidence. This special Basin lighting will be presented in partnership with Summer of Soccer and will celebrate the international match between Ghana and England, taking place at Boston Stadium on Tuesday, June 23, at 4:00 PM. The event brings the total number of partial WaterFire lightings scheduled for June to three.
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May 22, 2026
Rhode Island Through Its Own Lens: WaterFire Providence Launches Community Portrait Project for America’s 250th Anniversary
America’s 250th Anniversary Portrait Project
PROVIDENCE, RI — WaterFire Providence is proud to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American Independence on Saturday, July 4, 2026, in partnership with the RI250 Commission. As part of this full lighting event, WaterFire will present patriotic programming highlighting both American history and Rhode Island’s unique story over the past 250 years through a special community project titled Portraits of Rhode Island.
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May 21, 2026
Details for 500th Lighting of WaterFire on Saturday, May 30
500th WaterFire Lighting!
Providence, RI– WaterFire Providence is excited to announce details for its 500th lighting on Saturday, May 30, made possible by the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and additional support from Achievement First. The first full lighting of the 2026 season is set to honor the Commencement of RISD’s class of 2026 and celebrate RISD’s Reunion Weekend. This event will also mark the historical milestone of the organization’s 500th lighting, with programming set to take place in Waterplace Basin. Onshore vendors will open at 7:00 PM, the braziers will be at 8:30 PM and will remain lit until Midnight.
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May 15, 2026
WaterFire Arts Center Presents RIFT: A Sonic Environment for Multi-Timescale Listening
An immersive installation of sound, vibration, resonance, and light by Yuval Gur, opening June 9 in the Main Hall
The WaterFire Arts Center presents RIFT: A Sonic Environment for Multi-Timescale Listening, a four-day immersive installation by Yuval Gur that transforms the 15,000-square-foot Main Hall into a navigable environment of sound, vibration, resonance, and light. Built from environmental recordings made in Iceland, RIFT layers glacial movement, geothermal activity, atmospheric systems, underwater tectonic vibration, and magmatic processes into a spatial sonic experience open June 9–12, 2026.
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May 5, 2026
Six Italian American Artists from Rhode Island Featured in The Next Faire: Origin, Continuity, and Invitation at the WaterFire Arts Center
Opening Thursday, May 7, WaterFire Providence presents The Next Faire: Origin, Continuity, and Invitation, a group exhibition featuring six Italian American artists from Rhode Island: Umberto Crenca, Nancy Gaucher-Thomas, Tony Janello, Salvatore Mancini, Anthony Russo, and Jane Yacovone. The exhibition is organized by Providence Inner City Arts (PICA) an organization utilizing arts as a practical application for community involvement.
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May 4, 2026
WaterFire Arts Center Announces Summer Exhibitions in the 15,000-Square-Foot Main Hall
RIFT: A Sonic Environment for Multi-Timescale Listening by Yuval Gur (June 9–12) and America, Unfinished?! (July 2–August 30)
The exhibitions activate the Main Hall as a dynamic environment for artistic encounter, moving from embodied sonic perception to large-scale cultural reflection over the course of the summer.
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April 21, 2026
WaterFire Providence Marks its 500th Lighting with 500 Community Torchbearer Spots
In honor of its 500th lighting, WaterFire is offering 500 torchbearer spots, inviting the community to celebrate this historic milestone. By becoming a Milestone Torchbearers in the 2026 season, supporters take an active role in lighting the fires and sustaining WaterFire’s future.
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March 26, 2026
[MEDIA ADVISORY] OPEN CALL TO ARTISTS: Join America, Unfinished?! at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, RI
Set within a 15,000-square-foot industrial space, this exhibition will explore the idea of America as an ongoing, evolving, and unresolved project. Artists are invited to submit work that grapples with the contradictions and possibilities that shape personal and collective experience in our ever-shifting cultural landscape.
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March 24, 2026
Seaweed and Coastal Debris from Rhode Island Beaches Shape Spring Tide, a New Exhibition by Avery Li at the WaterFire Arts Center
Opening during Earth Month, the exhibition treats the shoreline as a site of transformation, where shifted tides reveal what is typically unseen. Created in collaboration with Ireoluwatoni Asojo, Jude Bigboy, Kayla Bryant, Tony Torres, and Yuqi Liu, Spring Tide centers on Li’s innovative sculptural paper practice. The works draw from the Amate paper technique traditionally practiced by the Indigenous Otomi people of Mexico, alongside cyclical East Asian papermaking traditions.
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February 12, 2026
WaterFire Providence Presents TIERRA FUTURA: Boricua Land Futures, A Solo Exhibition by Shey Rivera Ríos in Dialogue with a Group Exhibition of Puerto Rican Artists Exploring Land, Memory and Futurity
This March, the WaterFire Arts Center presents TIERRA FUTURA: Boricua Land Futures featuring a solo exhibition by artist Shey Rivera Ríos alongside a group exhibition of 22 Boricua (Puerto Rican) artists from the archipelago of Borikén (Puerto Rico) and its diasporas across the United States. This is the first time in the past decade that a contemporary art exhibition of all Puerto Rican artists is presented in New England. This exhibition uniquely centers artistic practices that imagine, remember, and materialize Boricua futurity rooted in ancestral knowledge and cultural sovereignty.
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January 29, 2026
WaterFire Providence Hosts Community Gathering to Share Volunteer Opportunities
WaterFire Providence invites the community to attend a gathering hosted by WaterFire Providence leadership on Wednesday, February 4, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., in the Main Hall of the WaterFire Arts Center. This public gathering offers an opportunity to connect with WaterFire staff and hear about upcoming projects, plans, and exciting opportunities for folks to get involved. Following the meeting, everyone is encouraged to stay after to meet long-time volunteers and staff members.
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January 28, 2026
Murmurations, a Winter Exhibition by the 2025-2026 Steel Yard Residents in the WaterFire Arts Center Gallery, On Display from January 29 to March 1, 2026
The Steel Yard and WaterFire Arts Center are excited to announce the 2025-2026 Steel Yard Residents’ Winter Exhibition, Murmurations, on display at 475 Valley Street, Providence, RI 02908 from Thursday, January 29 to Sunday, March 1, 2026.
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January 7, 2026
Collected Archive: Photography by Salvatore Mancini in Support of WaterFire
The WaterFire Arts Center presents Collected Archive: Works by Salvatore Mancini from the Joseph A. Chazan, M.D. Collection in Support of WaterFire, a limited-time exhibition of black-and-white photography exploring place, memory, and everyday life in Rhode Island. On view January 8-25, 2026, the exhibition features photographs drawn from the Joseph A. Chazan, M.D. collection and is curated by Candita Clayton.
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