This event is sponsored in part by Cox Business.
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June 22, 2019 – Full Lighting
Sunset: 8:24 pm
The fires will remain lit until midnight.
Music Program
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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.
WaterFire Providence is thrilled to have long time sponsor and community partner Cox Business return for the 2019 season.
“Cox Business provides Data, Voice and Video services to businesses across Rhode Island, including healthcare providers, K-12, and higher education, financial institutions, and local governments. Services are delivered over our more than 6,000 network miles throughout the state, a result of the nearly half a billion dollars that Cox has invested in the past decade. The network includes an extensive fiber backbone – there are more than 200 miles of fiber on Aquidneck Island alone. Cox has been consistently recognized for its leadership among small/midsize business data service providers, its commitment to diversity and its contribution to Rhode Island’s communities. Cox Charities has provided nearly $6 million in cash and in-kind support to organizations in the northeast that support after-school and summer learning.”
WaterFire Walking Tour – Before the Fires are Lit!
Take a walking tour with our knowledgeable interns and volunteers to get an inside look into the history, theory of design and management of WaterFire. Tours begin at 4:30 and 5:00 pm; book now for June 22. For a donation of $15 registrants will walk the length of the canal with a tour guide and land at the basin just in time for lighting.
The WaterFire Arts Festival Plaza
The WaterFire Arts Festival Plaza, in partnership with Bryce Studio, is happening again on both Washington Street and Steeple Street from 6:00 – 11:30 pm., this outdoor artisan fair will showcase some of the great artwork created in Rhode Island in mediums such as glass, photography, sculpture, jewelry and more. The WaterFire Arts Festival Plaza will offer visitors the opportunity to support the local arts economy by purchasing work by Rhode Island-based artists.
Visit the WaterFire Marketplace on Canal Street and help light up Providence. Support WaterFire with a donation or a purchase of locally designed apparel, glassware, books, and gifts. Pin where you are from on Map Center’s maps and watch glass blowing by Gather Glass.
Live Music returns to WaterFire on Steeple Street
The WaterFire Music Stage on Steeple Street will feature Hollow Turtle, “they bring a ruckus to a traditional bluegrass style while tying it all together with tightly wound vocal harmonies…” Hollow Turtle is Alfie Purcell, acoustic guitar; Joe Cappelletti, upright bass; Nick Preite, mandolin; and James Cappelletti & Ben Richard on fiddle. Performances will start at 6:30 pm.
Grab a bite to eat! Visit one of our great food vendors:
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Washington Street
- Hummingbird Syndicate
- Kettle Korn Express
- Saugy’s Hot Dogs
- Sweet Smokin’ Pits
- Umelt
- Hometown Poké
- Mad Good Cookie
- Red’s Street Kitchen
On the River Walk between College and Washington Streets
Steeple Street
- Trinity Brewhouse
- The Nutty Bavarian
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College Street
Various Locations:
Waterplace Park Basin & Memorial Park
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Exhibitions at the RISD Illustration Studies Building Gallery
The exhibition at ISB is free!
The ISB Gallery and Michael Kolondowicz are working together to bring you the installation of the Apollo 11 anniversary exhibit that coincides with the Waterfire Apollo themed event on July 22nd. The Gallery will display incredible artwork, illustrations, and NASA photographs and other projects.
The gallery is open every WaterFire night from 4:00 to 10:00 pm.
Dates: June 19 through August 3
Hours: Tuesday through Friday 12:00 – 5:00 pm.
Address: 55 Canal Walk, Providence, RI 02903
Visit Starry, Starry Night
The Starry, Starry Night Installation will shine brightly in Memorial Park. Join thousands of WaterFire visitors in Memorial Park where the public is encouraged to add their own light to the night. For a small donation to WaterFire, make a wish upon a star or make a dedication with a luminaria candle lantern in the park. The park will be aglow with hanging blue stars and a constellation of twinkling luminaria candle lanterns below.
WaterFire’s favorite characters are back!
- At the World War I monument in Memorial Park, Ten31 Productions will return with their interactive living statues and gargoyles in Memorial Park shortly after lighting.
- On Washington Street, the living statue Lily the Lady White from A Silent Soapbox will be interacting with the crowd.
- On Steeple Street living statues from Acqua Carta will be greeting visitors as they make their way through the Arts Festival Plaza and the WaterFire Marketplace.
- Fire dancers Andrew Lindsay and Liz Knights from Cirque de Light will dazzle the crowds during several performances throughout the evening at the confluence and on the wall of braziers in Memorial Park.
- Origami Master Andrew Anselmo will delight crowds of all ages near the RISD auditorium.
- Mime artist Michael Grando will return again for this event. Be sure to catch Michael, in costume as the Commedia dell’arte character Pierrot, as he cruises the river tossing carnations to visitors along the shore.
Step back through history at the Governor Stephen Hopkins House
Make time to see The Governor Stephen Hopkins House located at 15 Hopkins Street (off Benefit Street). They are open for tours: Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m.to 2:00 p.m. and April through November on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. & until 10:00 p.m., when they fall on a full WaterFire lighting (the last tour begins at 9:30 p.m.).
Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.
The museum is also open by appointment, for which there may be a modest admission charge. Please email [email protected] to make an appointment.
About the author
I've worked at WaterFire Providence since 2003. For the first 9 years of my career, I worked in the Production Shop learning all of the details that go into the physical production of the event. In 2012 transitioned to the role of managing WaterFire's social media and web presence. I now head up WaterFire Providence's digital projects including, web, social, databases, and our physical IT infrastructure.
I wonder if we are related…lol
I get that a lot. It’s a surprisingly common name. Not like Smith or Jones, but there’s a lot of us out there.
Are there still canal rides?
Yes, I think so. If you are referencing boat rides on the rivers during WaterFire lightings then you have a couple options. Check it out – https://waterfire.org/visit/boat-tours/
Where can you park for the show?
Hi Antonia, sorry we missed your message. For future reference, you can find info on parking for the event at https://waterfire.org/visit.
Will there be anything on the stage in the basin before the lighting?
Not at this event. There will be live music from the bluegrass band Hollow Turtle on the Steeple Street Stage starting at 6:30 pm.
Where would be the best place to park .?? We are coming from Mystic CT and would probably arrive around 5:30..Thanks for RSVP
Hi Lisa, sorry we missed your message. For future reference, you can find info on parking for the event at https://waterfire.org/visit.