Saturday, November 1 - WaterFire Salute to Veterans
Event Details
Saturday, November 1
Full Lighting
Sunset (5:40 pm) – 10:00 pm
Onshore programming and vendors open at 4:30 pm
Music Program
Made possible through the crucial support of Rhode Island Energy and Manchester Street Station with additional support from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Rise & Grind, Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LT, and Raytheon.
Full Lighting Supported by:
Performers:
- Andrew Anselmo, Origami Master: Sunset – 10:00 pm at Market Square
- A Silent Soapbox living statue: 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm on the corner of the Washington Street Bridge
- Cirque de Light fire performer: performing on the river throughout the night
- Morris Dancers Ladies of the Rolling Pin: 3:30 pm in Memorial Park, in front of the WW1 Monument
- Luis Gilberto: on the College Street Music Stage
- Set times as follows: 5 pm, 6 pm and 7 pm
Food Vendors:
- Washington Street: Kettle Korn Express, Full House Q, Incredabowl, Saugy Express, Atomic Blonde, RaRa’s Surf Shack
- Canal Walk: Gather Farm Ice Cream + Inside Voices
- College Street: Chill’s Cheesecakes, Taste of India, Sal’s, White Dog Distilling
- Basin Tunnel: Track 15 Bar Cart
- Corner of Steeple Street + Canal Street: Trinity Brewhouse
- Corner of Washington Street + Canal Street: Good Vibes
Art Vendors:
- Washington Street: Recycled SilverWear, Cuddlewear, Sophie Foulkes, Land and SeaGlass, Alix Fuerst Portrait Artist, Scrapped and Found, Jeremy Schilling Fine Art, Bare & Brine, and Joseph Mushipi Visual Art.
- Steeple Street: Odettas LLC, Sacred Flame, Brushed Away Art, Hand Knitted by Grace, SepiaLepus Illustration, Paul & Sandy’s Honey Shack, Warrior Bag, Lilly’s Bone To Pick, Ecuador to your door, Eric Sturtevant Illustrations, Tigris Handmade, and Pourever Creations.
- College Street: Cutie Curls, and Studio J Florals.
- Canal Walk: Anti-Robot Club and Gather Glass
WaterFire Ambassador + Merchandise Stations:
The WaterFire Marketplace will return to Canal Street from 4:30 to 9:00 PM. Visitors can support WaterFire by making a donation or purchasing locally designed apparel and accessories. Additional WaterFire merchandise and donation stations will be located:
- Canal Street (between Steeple Street and Washington Street)
- In front of the RISD Auditorium
- Waterplace Basin, the tunnel-side
- Waterplace Basin, the stage-side
Our friends at Anti-Robot Club + Gather Glass will also be on-site. Anti-Robot Club will be vending their most popular merchandise and Gather Glass will be live glass-blowing demonstrations on Canal Street.
Participants can stop by the Map Tent, to answer a few questions and place a pin in a map, marking where they call home.
Don’t live locally? Shop our online store and get the items shipped directly to you! Shop now>>
Your purchase helps support WaterFire’s creative placemaking events and programming that bring diverse arts experiences to Rhode Island.
WaterFire will be celebrating the 13th annual Salute to Veterans torch procession. This ceremony will honor Rhode Island’s veterans and active-duty military personnel from all branches of the military. Over 150 veterans and active duty military holding torches will process into the Waterplace Park Basin and create a Ring of Fire during the lighting of the WaterFire Braziers. The lighting will begin at 5:57 PM, and fires will burn until 10:00 PM.
“We are proud to once again sponsor WaterFire’s Salute to Veterans on November 1st. As a major employer of Veterans, we truly appreciate the sacrifices they and their families have made to our country, both past and present. Thank you again for this opportunity to recognize and appreciate all those who have served,” says Brian Schuster, Head of External Affairs for Rhode Island Energy and a US Navy Veteran.
Because WaterFire Salute to Veterans is an official military ceremony involving military personnel, any currently serving military member, Guardsman, Reservist, or retiree is authorized to attend in their appropriate military uniform. WaterFire Providence encourages all retirees and serving military members to attend Salute to Veterans events in uniform so that their service may be recognized and celebrated by the general public.
A warming center will be available for all participating torchbearers at the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island building. Here, torchbearers can grab a donut courtesy of Allie’s Donuts, snacks and coffee courtesy of Chisholm, Chisholm & Kilpatrick, Ltd, and Rise & Grind, and a Salute to Veterans Challenge Coin courtesy of Raytheon.
Salute to Veterans Torch Ceremony
The speaking program will be held on the Basin Stage beginning at 4:30 PM with remarks from Daniel J. McKee Governor of Rhode Island, Representative Seth Magaziner, Gregg Amore, Secretary of State of Rhode Island, James Diossa, General Treasurer of Rhode Island, Senator Walter Felag, Jr., Chairman, Senate Committee on Special Legislation & Veterans’ Affairs, Representative Sam Azzinaro, Chairman, House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Brett Smiley, Mayor, City of Providence, and a message from WaterFire Providence Executive Director, Mark Allan. The keynote speaker will be Brigadier General Andrew J. Chevalier, and closing remarks will be given by Kasim Yarn, Director of Veterans Services for the State of Rhode Island.
Following the speaking program will be performances from the Providence Firefighters Pipes & Drums at 5:30 PM and 5:40 PM. The torch ceremony will begin at 5:45 PM when the US Marine Corps League of RI Color Guard leads a 150 torch procession into the basin with Rhode Island’s Veterans and active-duty military personnel from all service branches.
Guests are welcome to join us on the Washington Street Bridge from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM for a Veterans Resource Fair, including informational tents from Student Veterans of America, Bristol Chapter, Frost Call, Providence VA Regional Office, Moss Rehab Institute Brain Health, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Fishing for the Mission 22, Josh’s Boots and the United Way 211 Vehicle.
On the College Street Bridge, there will be a display of Military Vehicles presented by Bruce Ferreira and members of the Rhode Island Military Vehicle Collectors Club (RIMVCC). Guests can check out the vehicles from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
On the Confluence (Steeple Street), where the rivers meet, a Missing Man Table will be set up to honor the memory of fallen, missing, or imprisoned military service members. Every piece of this touching memorial holds a special meaning, and we invite you to join us in taking a moment to reflect on our soldiers who are no longer with us or who are missing.
Stanley Tree will be providing a large American flag to fly over Steeple Street. There will also be a large American flag over Waterplace Park, presented by members of the Providence Fire Department, in honor of all veterans in Rhode Island, along with a 100 American flag installation lining Memorial Boulevard all night long.
A performance of Taps will take place at the World War I Monument in Memorial Park. There will also be wreath presentations at the World War II, Korean, and Rhode Island Nine Beirut Memorials. This will begin at 7:00 PM.
Chisholm, Chisholm & Kilpatrick, Ltd. will be in front of the RISD Auditorium from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Rob Levine Law will be in front of Market House from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Path Vacations will be on site in the Basin Tunnel from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Verizon will be on site in the Basin Tunnel from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
WaterFire Accelerate Lights Up the Basin Tunnel
From 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM, stop by the Basin Tunnel to check out work and live activations by current and past WaterFire Accelerate Artists. Artists include:
WaterFire Food fairs featuring local food trucks and vendors are located on Washington Street, Canal Walk, and College Street from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
Washington Street includes Kettle Korn Express, Full House Q, Incredabowl, Saugy Express, Atomic Blonde, and RaRa’s Surf Shack.
Canal Walk includes Gather Farm Ice Cream, Del’s Lemonade, and Inside Voices.
College Street includes Chill’s Cheesecakes, Taste of India, Sal’s, and White Dog Distilling.
Trinity Brewhouse will be serving up its local brews on the corner of Steeple Street and Canal Street from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
Good Vibes Beverages will be serving up drinks on the corner of Washington Street and Canal Street from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
Track 15 will be serving up beverages in the Basin Tunnel from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
WaterFire Artist Vendors will be located on Washington and Steeple Street from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
Shop a variety of locally made goods, including glass, photography, sculpture, and jewelry.
Washington Street Artists include Recycled SilverWear, Cuddlewear, Sophie Foulkes, Land and SeaGlass, Alix Fuerst Portrait Artist, Scrapped and Found, Jeremy Schilling Fine Art, Bare & Brine, and Joseph Mushipi Visual Art.
Steeple Street Artists include Odettas LLC, Sacred Flame, Brushed Away Art, Hand Knitted by Grace, SepiaLepus Illustration, Paul & Sandy’s Honey Shack, Warrior Bag, Lilly’s Bone To Pick, Ecuador to your door, Eric Sturtevant Illustrations, Tigris Handmade, and Pourever Creations.
College Street Artists include Cutie Curls and Studio J Florals.
Performances
Morris Dancing, “Ladies of the Rolling Pin,” a lively English folk tradition dating back to the 1470s, will be performed in Memorial Park at 3:30 PM in front of the World War I Monument. In the early days, Morris Dancing took place in the royal courts but as time progressed, it became a staple in the fairs and markets of almost every town. More recently, it’s been transplanted across the oceans, to far-away lands, including to New England! Most of the teams performing this evening dance in the “Border Morris” style (denoting the border of England and Wales), which includes hitting sticks – and in one case, rolling-pins – rhythmically. All have added their own exuberant twists to traditional dances with a lot of attitude and a lot of fun!
Participating teams are:
- Ladies of the Rolling Pin from Wakefield, RI – unique blend of Olde England interspersed with a generous helping of Yankee Ingenuity. Well-deserved reputation as Rhode Island’s favorite flour-dusted tarts.
- WhistlePig Morris is a queer-led, queer-focused Morris Dancing Team from Camberville, MA. They walk the line between Border Morris and something slightly more feral. Come see them pop out of the earth!
- Firebird Morris are a mixed-gender team focusing on Molly and Border dances from Harrisville, New Hampshire.
- Jack in the Green, a men’s team from the Monadnock region of South Western New Hampshire dance the traditions of Bledington and the little known Bessels-Leigh.
The College Street Acoustic Music Stage will feature Luis Gilberto, playing in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and English. Luis plays Bolero, Bossa Nova, Rock / Pop, and the occasional sentimental ballad. He will take the stage at 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, and 7:00 PM.
Andrew Anselmo, Origami Master, will be hanging out all night at Market Square, and visitors can find A Silent Soapbox living statue at the bottom of the Washington Street Bridge and Canal Walk starting at sunset.
The Downtown Providence Park Network and Rhode Island Latino Arts invite the community to Ofrenda de Luz: Día de los Muertos at WaterFire, a vibrant celebration of Mexican heritage and tradition. The event will take place on College Street from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM, featuring a community ofrenda, family crafts, sugar skull art, pan de muerto, Mexican hot chocolate, Catrinas, and a colorful dance performance by Grupo Misol-Ha Unidos Por el Folklore Mexicano at 6:30 PM.
Special WaterFire Activations
Stop by College Street from 4:30 to 9:00 PM to see Big B and the Looking Glass, a life-size bunny sculpture by Rhode Island artist Peter Diepenbrock.
The Starry, Starry Night installation returns to Memorial Park near the Crawford Street Bridge; add your light to the night by wishing on a star or dedicate a luminaria candle lantern.
Catch three fire-spinning performances by Cirque de Light beginning at 5:37 PM on the bow of a wood boat, 7:00 PM in Market Square, and at 8:00 PM back on the river.
WaterFire Walking Tour tickets are now available for purchase online. Led by long-time WaterFire volunteers, this tour covers the remarkable origin story, artistry, and hidden gems of Providence’s most cherished event. Guests will walk through the heart of the city, following alongside the path of the braziers that will be lit just a few short hours later. The volunteer-led tours are at 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM on November 1.
WaterFire Circle: An Exclusive WaterFire Experience
One night tickets to the VIP Reception Tent!
Whether you’re visiting from out of town or treating yourself to a special night in your own backyard, the WaterFire Circle offers a one-of-a-kind way to experience the magic.
Your ticket allows you to come-and-go throughout the night to our intimate, welcoming space away from the crowds. Enjoy complimentary light bites, wine, beer, coffee, and desserts. Throughout the evening, guests may enjoy surprise pop-up performances, visits from living statues, and other unique moments.
This is also one of the only ways to experience WaterFire from the water. Guests have the opportunity to sign up for a complimentary boat ride during the lighting. Space is limited and rides are first-come, first-served, so we encourage you to sign up early onsite.
The Circle’s location may vary from night to night, but the experience is always unforgettable.
Learn More>>
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