

The Bridge of Stars. Photo by Jennifer Bedford.

The next full lighting of WaterFire Providence lighting will be in early Summer 2016.

Our 2016 event schedule is being put together now and will be posted in April.

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Schedule of WaterFire Providence Lightings

More details for each event will posted here as they become available, click through to see details for each lighting date. 2015 Season Schedule at a Glance (PDF).

Fire marshal regulations do not permit folding chairs to by set up on any of the river walks to assure safe passage for all of our visitors. WaterFire is an event to be explored and savored on foot as you wander around to discover its many surprises, leave you chairs in the car and start exploring all that our event has to offer.

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. Basin lightings include the circle of twenty-two braziers in the Waterplace Park Basin and the twelve braziers leading up to the Providence Place mall. Partial lightings usually include all of the braziers from Providence Place Mall to Steeple Street.

Tuesday, January 6th – Partial Lighting

6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Celebrating the 2015 RI Inauguration – Make It In RI!

Event Details

Saturday, May 16th – Partial Lighting

Sunset: 7:59 p.m.

Sponsored by Volvo Group of Companies in North America

Event Details | Music Program



The Volvo Ocean Race is heading to Newport and we are hosting visitors from around the world across Rhode Island for this event. The WaterFire event will be presented for all these new RI visitors to experience and will consist of lighting the braziers from Providence Place to Steeple Street after sunset and keeping them lit until 11:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 23rd – Full Lighting

Sunset: 8:06 p.m.

Sponsored by Bank of America and Brown University in celebration of its 250th Anniversary

Event Details | Music Program

The first full fire kick-off to the season. This event will be the finale for Brown University’s celebration of its 250th Anniversary for all the current students, alumni, brand new graduates, and their families. The WaterFire Arts Festival Plaza will be back in full swing with local artists selling their wares on Washington Street. We are also excited about the WaterFire food fair line up as well with some awesome local food vendors.

Friday, May 29th – Basin Lighting

Sunset: 8:12 p.m.

Sponsored by Providence College National Alumni Association

Music Program

Saturday, June 13th – Full Lighting

Sunset: 8:21 p.m.

Sponsored by: National Grid

Event Details | Music Program

WaterFire presents The Gaspee Project in celebration of the birth of our nation with performances and activities as part of an expanded humanities program. Visitors can take a walk through history from flash mob to freedom with the Twitter Story of 1772 by following #WFGaspee on Twitter. Historic walking tours will also be available during the day through the RI Historical Society.

The Providence International Arts Festival will take place on June 11-14, 2015. Building off of Providence’s international recognition as a creative city, this first-ever signature event will be a jaw-dropping celebration featuring world-classarts, sculpture, music, food and spectacle in the heart of the city’s downtown. The centerpiece of Festival activities is Saturday, June 13, 2015 with events beginning on Kennedy Plaza at 4pm. From the largest stringed instrument on the planet, to the undisputed Queen of African Music, to the Grammy Award-winning ambassador of Mali, to visual transformations of city streets with murals, tape art, and photography, the Providence International Arts Festival will light up Rhode Island’s capital city over four days, and engage a diverse international audience.

Tuesday, July 14th – Basin Lighting

Sunset: 8:20 p.m.

Sponsored by National Association of Clean Water Agencies

Music Program

Saturday, July 18th – Full Lighting

Sunset: 8:18 p.m.

Sponsored by: Navigant Credit Union and Cox Business

Event Details | Music Program

To start this event there will be a 100 person torch procession surrounding the circle of fires in the basin in honor of Navigant Credit Union’s 100th Anniversary “Celebrating a Century, Looking forward to the Next 100”.

Saturday, August 1st – Full Lighting

Sunset: 8:05 p.m.

C is for Cure: A WaterFire Lighting for RI Defeats Hep C

Supported by: Gilead / HepcHope.com

Sponsored by: Fidelity Investments

Event Details | Music Program

For the second year in a row WaterFire is partnering up with RI Defeats Hep C for our “C is for Cure” event. The evening will be full of activity (including an educational performance by the Festival Ballet Providence) as we work to encourage discussion about a formerly taboo now completely curable disease; helping to eradicate hepatitis C in Rhode Island.

Saturday, August 15th – Full Lighting

Sunset: 7:47 p.m.

Sponsored by: Amica Insurance and Nortek

Event Details | Music Program

Saturday, August 29th – Full Lighting

Sunset: 7:26 p.m.

Thanks to the generous support of the Textron Charitable Trust

Event Details | Music Program

Saturday, September 12th – Full Lighting

Sunset: 7:02 p.m.

Sponsored by: the Northeastern Society of Orthodontists

Paddle on the River at WaterFire – Sign up for Clear Currents

Event Details | Music Program

Saturday, September 26th – Full Lighting

Sunset: 6:38 p.m.

Sponsored by: Webster Bank and Confucius Institute and US-China Institute at Bryant University and Lifetime Medical

Event Details | Music Program

Chinese Culture Night at WaterFire is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the US- China Institute. The US-China Institute and the Confucius Institute at Bryant University will be joining WaterFire all evening long! Join WaterFire and the RI Department of Education to recognize the excellent educators in our community. Enjoy exhibitions showcasing a wide variety of creative and innovative approaches in education happening in RI.

Saturday, October 3rd – Full Lighting

Sunset: 6:26 p.m.

Sponsored by: Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation – Flames of Hope a Celebration of Life™ and supported by Your Rhode Island BMW Centers

Event Details | Music Program

The Flames of Hope a Celebration of Life™ event includes educational and awareness activities for survivors and their families from the afternoon into the evening in Station Park. To kick off the evening portion of the event will be the Illuminations of Life tribute on the steps of the State House followed by a procession of torch bearers walking down to Waterplace Basin which will include performances and the lighting of the braziers.

Saturday, November 7th – Full Lighting – WaterFire Salute to Veterans

Sunset: 4:34 p.m.

Gold Star Sponsor: Walmart | Bronze Star Sponsor: Bank of America | Bronze Star Sponsors: Dominion Power and Energy and Chase Canopy | Supporting Sponsors

Event Details | Music Program

It is incredibly important that we, as a community, recognize the service and sacrifice of the men and women that have served in America’s military. We look forward to celebrating and thanking our veterans at WaterFire’s 3rd Annual Salute to Veterans event which will include a Veterans Resource Fair, ceremonies and tributes throughout the night.

Friday, December 18th – Basin Lighting

Sunset: 4:26 p.m. Lighting: 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.

5th Annual Christmas WaterFire and Festival of Trees

Event Details

This special event is being sponsored by an anonymous donor and will highlight the good work being done by the Providence Rescue Mission.