This event is being sponsored by Cox Business and Amica Insurance.
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June 30th, 2018 – Full Lighting
Sunset: 8:25 p.m.
The fires will remain lit until 12:30 a.m.
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 sponsors and community partners Amica Insurance and Cox Business return for the 2018 season.
Amica Insurance has been a part of the WaterFire Providence experience for more than eight years. “Amica Insurance is proud to continue its support of WaterFire Providence,” said Patti Genovese, lead sponsorship coordinator in Amica’s corporate communications department. “Our employees, either through volunteering or by attending the event with their families, truly enjoy being part of this long-standing Rhode Island tradition.”
WaterFire Providence is grateful for the continued support of Cox Business. “For over 15 years, Cox Business has been a proud co-sponsor of WaterFire, and it just gets bigger and better every year,” said Ross L. Nelson, vice president of Cox Business. “Supporting the local economy is an important issue for us, and WaterFire is the perfect example of how an idea can become a significant catalyst for economic growth in our state. And it’s a great night out in Providence.”
WaterFire Walking Tour – Before the Fires are Lit!
Take a walking tour with one of our knowledgeable staff and volunteers to get an inside look into the history, theory of design and management of WaterFire. Get the inside story of WaterFire with an exciting walking tour that begins at 7:00 p.m. This reservation only tour allows those who want to learn the ins, outs, and background of the magic of WaterFire. For a donation of $10 registrants will walk the length of the canal with a tour guide and land at the basin just in time for lighting. Email [email protected] for detailed information.
The June 30th WaterFire Walking Tours are currently FULL. Please check back as we will be posting sign ups for the upcoming WaterFire events soon. Sign-ups will be made available at https://waterfire.org/walkingtours
The WaterFire Arts Festival Plaza
The WaterFire Arts Festival Plaza, in partnership with Bryce Studio, returns to Washington Street and Steeple Street for the 2018 WaterFire Providence season. The Arts Festival Plaza and will be active from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. 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 purchase artwork 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. Make a quick and easy donation with DipJar, 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
For the first time this season, there will be live music from local artists Steven Jobe & Christopher Sadlers and Tyler-James Kelly of The Silks on Steeple Street from 7:00 – 11:00 p.m. Trinity Brewhouse is also bringing their beer garden back to WaterFire at a new location on the corner of Steeple and Canals Streets.
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
- Sweet Smokin’ Pits
- Umelt
- Hometown Poké
On the River Walk between College and Washington Streets
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College Street
Various Locations:
Waterplace Park Basin & Memorial Park
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Women Who Draw at the RISD ISB Gallery
June 13 – July 14th
The ISB Gallery proudly presents an exhibit of artwork by artist-members of the community and online database Women Who Draw. Founded in 2016, Women Who Draw showcases the work of approximately 5,000 talented female, trans, and non-binary professional illustrators, artists, and cartoonists from all over the world, and highlights illustrators of color, LBTQ+, and other less visible groups. Women Who Draw aims to introduce more diverse voices and visuals into mainstream publications and build a stronger, more engaged community of professional, working artists.
Open late for WaterFire on 6/30 & 7/14 from 5 – 10 p.m.
The ISB Gallery is a non-profit exhibition space that celebrates figurative art and illustration. Curated and underwritten by the Rhode Island School of Design, the space highlights professional artists from early June through RISD Weekend on Columbus Day. During school semesters, the gallery hosts a mix of student or curriculum related exhibitions.
Housed in the Illustration Studies Building at 55 Canal Walk in the heart of downtown Providence, ISB Gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday 12-5, and late for WaterFire events throughout the summer. For more information email: [email protected] o
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 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!
Fire Dancers Andrew Lindsay and Liz Knights from Cirque De Light will dazzle the crowds during several performances throughout the evening at the confluence, on boats, and on the wall of braziers near Memorial Park.
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.
Origami Master Andrew Anselmo will delight crowds of all ages near the RISD auditorium.
Charge up with National Grid
Make sure you can capture the magic of WaterFire all evening long by visiting National Grid charging stations on College Street and Steeple Street to recharge your smartphone and other mobile devices during the lighting.
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.
