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Saturday, September 8th
Full Lighting – Events Start at 6:00 p.m.
Sunset: 7:07 pm
Sponsored by National Grid
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.
Tech Night at WaterFire – featuring a Tech Resource Fair on Steeple Street
Lead Founding Sponsor – Virgin Pulse
Founding Sponsors – Slater Technology Fund, eMoney Advisor, and Ximedica
Contributing Sponsors – Bay Computer Associates, Bridge Technical Talent, LLC, IntraCity Geeks’ CareerDevs Academy, Tech Collective, and VoltServer, Inc.
Open on Steeple Street from 6:00 – 11:00 pm
Tech Night at WaterFire will bring together some of the most innovative and fastest growing technology companies in Rhode Island. The goals of the event are to increase awareness of local entrepreneurial and employment opportunities in technology, promote networking and collaboration among technology industry employees, and showcase some of the innovative products and services being pioneered in Rhode Island.
Employees and invited guests of the sponsoring companies will gather for food, drinks, and remarks from prominent speakers who will discuss their vision of the future for the technology ecosystem in Rhode Island.
All WaterFire attendees are invited to visit the Tech Resource Fair along Steeple Street, which will feature an array of job and training opportunities within the tech field alongside interactive and informative displays.
Before the lighting – Grupo Ondas Capoeira on the Basin Stage from 3:00 to 7:00 pm
Grupo Ondas will culminate a week of cultural events by hosting a spectacular graduation at the Waterplace Basin Stage before the WaterFire lighting on Saturday, September 8th from 3:00 to 7:00 pm beginning with the graduation of the children ranks and later of the elder adults and a roda performance by the instructors of this stunning martial arts. The Grupo Ondas capoeira team out of Warwick RI is led by Mestre Tigri of Providence who is the first and only capoeira mestre of Cape Verdean descent to date.
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines self-defense, dance, acrobatics, and music into a “game” that is as breath-taking to watch as it is to play. A graduation ceremony is a traditional capoeira event in which new students are inducted into the world of capoeira, while senior students and instructors have the opportunity to demonstrate their immense skills. Such events draw capoeiristas of all ages from across the nation and abroad – this year, with capoeiristas coming from as far as Bermuda.
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 two exciting walking tours that begin at 3:30 and 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.
This weekend’s tours are SOLD OUT, please see our list of upcoming WaterFire Walking Tours for more dates.
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. Pin where you are from on Map Center’s maps and watch glass blowing demonstrations by Gather Glass.
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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David Weisner: Journeys in Visual Storytelling at the RISD ISB Gallery
August 29 – October 7th
Artist Talk: October 4, 2018 @ 6:15PM in the ISB Gallery (55 Canal Walk, Providence, RI 02903)
RISD Weekend Talk: October 6, 2018 @ Metcalf Auditorium, Chace Center in the RISD Museum | Time TBA
Open late for WaterFire on 8/8, 8/22, & 8/29.
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 from Cirque De Light will be performing on the river throughout the night.
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.
Sidewalk Astronomy will offer visitors the opportunity to learn about the stars and planets in the sky. Stop by their learning lab on the riverwalk near College Street.
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.
Really enjoyed the show of art I saw Can you happen to tell me the jewelry vendors on Sat night at WaterFire Sept 8th I want to order a piece
These are some of the vendors, sorry I don’t have a complete listing – The Attic Project Jewelry, Jessie Jewels, Anne Made Designs, Debs Designs, Relic, Bonnie Lee’s Creations. I hope this helps.
Would you be able to retrieve the name for the vendor doing bent spoon bracelets?
I bought one for my sister, and now am back in LA and would be happy to see if they have another one of the same for me.
Thanks!
John Atkinson Recycled Silverware
He doesn’t appear to have any online presence. Sorry, this isn’t more helpful.