September 27th, 2014 – Full Lighting

Sponsored by Webster Bank and the Confucius Institute

We are pleased to support WaterFire Providence® whose inspirational Waterfire sculpture transforms our downtown experience and celebrates the city’s renaissance.

Webster Bank, NA., Member FDIC
The Webster symbol and Webster Bank are registered in the U.S. Patent and trademark office.

The Confucius Institute is an educational resource dedicated to benefiting students, educators, individuals, and businesses in the local region through quality Chinese language and culture education.

September 27th, 2014 Event Schedule:

Sunset time: 6:36 p.m.

All Full Lighting WaterFire installations light up over eighty braziers from Waterplace Park to Memorial/South Main Street Park. Lighting occurs shortly after sunset and the event continues until just past midnight. Please check this page frequently for updated information. Updated 9/26/14.

The soundtrack listing for this event will be available soon.

11:00 a.m. – Benefit Street: A Mile of History walking tour with the Rhode Island Historical Society

Created in the mid-18th century “for the benefit of all,” this colonial thoroughfare shows off an enviable collection of 18th and 19th-century wood-frame houses. Although the street gives the appearance of being a museum mile, it is actually a vital urban neighborhood enhanced by on-going preservation efforts since the 1950s.

Begin: John Brown House Museum, 52 Power Street
Adults: $15, Seniors: $12, RIHS Members & Students: $10, Children 8 and under: Free
For more information or to make reservations, please contact Barbara Barnes at 401-273-7507 x362 or [email protected].

5:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. The WaterFire Store on Canal Street

[sc name=photo-caption caption=”The WaterFire Merchandise Store on Canal Street. Photo by Jennifer Bedford.”]

WaterFire Providence lapel pins, photo by Jennifer Bonin. The WaterFire Store on Canal Street is open for business. Stop in and buy a t-shirt, hoodie, poster, magnet, pendants, and much more to help support WaterFire and keep the fires burning. Also, make sure to check out the Photos of the WaterFire tent on Washington Street. This tent will have matted photo prints, featuring the work of our Volunteer Photographers; WaterFire Providence postcards; large format photo posters; and silkscreen prints by local artists.

6:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. The WaterFire Arts Festival Plaza on Washington Street

[sc name=photo-caption caption=”The WaterFire Arts Festival Plaza on Washington Street. Photo by Jennifer Bedford.”]

Located on Washington Street in the heart of the WaterFire installation, the Arts Festival Plaza is a showcase for local artists and crafts-people. From photography and sculpture, paintings and hand-crafted ceramics, to jewelry and specialty textiles, the WaterFire Arts Festival Plaza features a wide range of locally crafted artisan wares to exhibit for sale to WaterFire’s visitors.

Chinese Culture Night at WaterFire celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Confucius Institute

Confucius Institute partners from all over New England will be joining WaterFire all evening long! Headquartered in Beijing, China, the Confucius Institute is a global education network dedicated to teaching the Chinese language and culture and promoting understanding of China worldwide. Five Confucius Institutes in New England, Confucius Institute at Bryant University, Confucius Institute at the University of Rhode Island, Confucius Institute at UMASS Boston, Confucius Institute at the University of New Hampshire, and Confucius Institute at Central Connecticut University, jointly sponsor the Chinese Culture Night at WaterFire event, to celebrate the 10th  Anniversary of the Confucius Institute, and to mark the achievements of advocating the cultural diversity in the New England Region.  All Confucius Institute partners will be sharing Chinese Culture all evening long:

• 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.: WaterFire guests are encouraged to visit Steeple Street to learn about all of the incredible facets of Chinese Culture abroad and right here in New England through interactive displays, exhibits, and performances.
• 5:30 p.m.  – 6:45 p.m.: Prior to lighting The Confucius Institute will be hosting very special performances highlighting Chinese culture and performance art including a Chinese Dragon Dance performance on the basin stage in Waterplace Park.

WaterFire Salutes Rhode Island Educators: The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) will be recognizing the Rhode Island Teacher of the Year as well as 75 additional distinguished Rhode Island educators at WaterFire this Saturday.  The commended educators will gather to be recognized in a ceremony taking place on College Street.  Education Commissioner Deborah Gist will speak as well as the Teacher of the Year.   Starting at 6:20 PM., teachers will be participating in a torch procession from Starry, Starry Night to the basin for the lighting of WaterFire.  A very special thank you to Bananagrams and Thames & Kosmos who will be supplying each of the 75 distinguished Rhode Island Educators with full game sets for their classrooms.

6:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. – Innovation in Education: A Showcase of Success in Rhode Island: Located on the Washington Street Bridge, WaterFire Providence will host an inspiring display of exhibits showcasing a wide variety of successful, innovative, and creative approaches to education happening in Rhode Island.  A few select pieces of K-12 student artwork will be digitally displayed for all WaterFire visitors to admire.  Join us as we celebrate and shine a light on the wonderful work done by Rhode Island’s educators. Some exhibitors include:

• Paul Cuffee School – “Our display will feature a rotating slide show and student representatives depicting and describing a recent senior trip aboard the tall ship Mystic which served as a classroom at sea for the students’ English maritime literature studies and science data gathering.”
• Downcity Design and Innovation by Design -“ DownCity Design and Innovation by Design will be unveiling our Mobile Design Lab, a playful set of supports that will be used to bring design education to schools across RI through one-day residencies that invite students and teachers to work together to creatively solve problems.”
• ABCya.com – “Invite people to play our Math BINGO game. High scores of the night win prizes.”
• Community Preparatory School – “Come see Community Preparatory School’s hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Projects.”
• Providence After School Alliance – “Participants build and race their own air-powered mini racecars, with a prize for the winner.”
• The International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) – will feature aspects of  their “world-class experiential school dedicated to teaching highly technical and deeply craft-oriented career skills.”
• Rhode Island Museum of Science and Art – “Join the Rhode Island Museum of Science and Art (RIMOSA) for hands-on STEAM experiences.  Make your own animation using our zoetrope and experiment with light and shadow!”

Sunset – 10:30 p.m. – Fire Dancers Performing Along the River

Benjamin Reynolds will be performing on the river starting with the lighting of the braziers on the wall in Memorial Park. They will be performing several times in various locations throughout the evening.

Sunset – 11:00 p.m. IALD LightNight at WaterFire Temporary LED Lighting Installations

Member volunteers from the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) will present LightNightT at WaterFire, a celebration of light and lighting along the Providence River Greenway. New temporary installations of LED lighting will highlight the Irish Famine Memorial and various landscape features near College Street, South Main Street, and The Greenway, adding to a magically illuminated nighttime environment that will allow visitors to appreciate the power of light and learn more about the practice of lighting design during the evening’s many festivities. We encourage you to come out and experience the creativity and sparkle of LightNightT at WaterFire 2014.