If you ask locals what Providence's signature event is, chances are that most residents would say WaterFire, a series of nearly 100 bonfires that seem to magically perch in the three rivers of downtown Providence. This art installation, created by local artist and Brown grad Barnaby Evans, has attracted hundreds of thousands of people to the Creative Capital every year.

WaterFire is a multisensory spectacle, replete with the comforting aroma of burning wood, the lilting tones of carefully curated music that only amplifies the experience, and breathtaking sight of a city aflame. Street performers, musicians and thousands of enchanted people only add to the experience.


Full lightings wind through the downtown area, while partial lightings are confined to the Waterplace Basin. Fires begin at dusk. There are also two special fires - one calling attention to the fight against breast cancer and its survivors and one honoring our nation's veterans.

Here are the dates for the 2015 WaterFire season:

 

Partial Lighting - Sunset: 7:59 p.m.
Sponsored by: Volvo Group of Companies in North America
 
Full Lighting - Sunset: 8:06 p.m.
Sponsored by: Bank of America and Brown University in celebration of its 250th Anniversary
 
Basin Lighting - Sunset: 8:12 p.m.
Sponsored by: Providence College National Alumni Association
 
Full Lighting - Sunset: 8:21 p.m.
Sponsored by: National Grid
 
Basin Lighting - Sunset: 8:20 p.m.
Sponsored by: National Association of Clean Water Agencies
 
Full Lighting - Sunset: 8:18 p.m.
Sponsored by: Navigant Credit Union and Cox Business
 
Full Lighting - Sunset: 8:05 p.m.
Sponsored by: Fidelity Investments and Gilead-C is for Cure: A WaterFire Lighting
for RI Defeats Hep C
 
Full Lighting - Sunset: 7:47 p.m.
Sponsored by: Amica Insurance
 
Full Lighting - Sunset: 7:26 p.m.
Thanks to the generous support of the Textron Charitable Trust
 
Full Lighting - Sunset: 7:02 p.m.
Sponsored by: Northeastern Society of Orthodontists
 
Full Lighting - Sunset: 6:38 p.m.
Sponsored by: Webster Bank and Confucius Institute and US-China Institute at Bryant University
 
Full Lighting - Sunset: 6:26 p.m.
Sponsored by: Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation - Flames of Hope a Celebration of LifeTM and Your Rhode Island BMW Centers
 
Full Lighting - WaterFire Salute to Veterans - Sunset: 4:34 p.m.
Sponsored by: Bank of America


Additional fires may be added throughout the season. Hotels and restaurants close to the WaterFire route fill up quickly, so make your reservations as early as possible. To learn more about WaterFire or make a donation to keep the fires burning, visit Waterfire.org.