WaterFire
4.5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
WaterFire Providence is an independent, non-profit arts organization whose mission is to inspire Providence and its visitors by revitalizing the urban experience, fostering community engagement and creatively transforming the city by presenting WaterFire for all to enjoy. This award-winning sculpture by Barnaby Evans installed on the three rivers of downtown Providence, has been praised by Rhode Island residents and international visitors alike as a powerful work of art and a moving symbol of Providence’s renaissance. WaterFire’s over eighty sparkling bonfires, the fragrant scent of aromatic wood smoke, the flickering firelight on the arched bridges, the silhouettes of the fire-tenders passing by the flames, and the enchanting music from around the world engage all the senses and emotions of those who stroll the paths of Waterplace Park. WaterFire has captured the imagination of over ten million visitors, bringing life to downtown, and revitalizing Rhode Island’s capital city.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience WaterFire and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Neighborhood: Downtown Providence
How to get there
- Providence Station • 3 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
921 within 3 miles
Attractions
393 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,867 reviews
Excellent
1,290
Very good
413
Average
118
Poor
34
Terrible
12
Nicole B
Saranac Lake, NY50 contributions
Dec 2022
Amazing holiday atmosphere. You can just about feel the heat radiating from the fires on the water. The smell of campfire reminded me of camping or making smores with family and friends, adding to the cozy vibe. We saw Santa getting ready to meet the kids and a couple of snow fairies dancing near the water. Very cool experience.
Written December 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chemorn
Mohegan Lake, NY208 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
Wow is all I can say. What a great experience. Get there early and grab a seat and enjoy the scenery. Music playing in the background enhances the experience. Gets really crowded early. Limited parking available.
Written September 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kell E
Minneapolis, MN69 contributions
Sep 2019
I think this is one of those events in America that everyone should see at least once. I won't even try to describe it proper because it's more of a primal feeling/about the atmosphere when you're there. You should definitely check it out. But don't even think about driving around there.
Written January 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pete
Fredericksburg, VA1,200 contributions
May 2024 • Solo
Supposedly, WaterFire is a main attraction in Providence. However, as explained to me, it’s only in operation for specific periods of the year. I think the conditions for which to operate the WaterFire are that it must be during summer months and it must be at night. I have a photo during latent conditions.
Written May 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anantha
Cheshire, CT213 contributions
Nov 2022 • Family
Surreal atmosphere. Got a European city kind of vibe with gondola rides in the river along with the fire in the middle. Very easy to park at the providence place and walk to waterfront park and start your walk along the river.
Written November 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wesnile
New York138 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Would not make a special trip for this event. Highly over rated and hyped up. Basically a bunch of fire pits in the middle of the river with some creepy music playing. You walk along the river and stare at the fires. A few vendors and a few food trucks. Don't need more that 1/2 hour to check this out. Really do not understand what the big deal is. Even the locals say its a big hype job.
Written August 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Foodtraveler
Alexandria, VA5 contributions
Mypartner and I saw a shorter version of waterfire in September of 2003. Just brilliant - incredible combination of music, light, heat, people, artists - the place was hopping yet serene. The walks along the river, under the low, elegant bridges glowing with candlelit chandeliers is such a surreal, romantic experience. While cliched, it does remind me of Venice, especially the gondolas which ply the water with tourists, and the black clad volunteers in their dark boats, slowly stoking the fires. I hope the images stoke your heart and imagination if you go. Word of warning - if you want to have dinner or cocktails at a restaurant on the river, book well in advance as they were packed the night we went. It appears that large corporate groups take over many of these establishments during waterfire. The city would do well do either build more restaurants with views, or limit the corporate takeovers of these places on the nights of waterfire.
Written March 10, 2004
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
zab2go
Norwood, MA238 contributions
Water fire is nice, I dont recomend getting there when it is first lit, although some people like to see the fires lit but it is very crowded at this time go later like 8 or 9 and it is much more quiet and romantic.
There is TONS of parking across the street from the start of the fires at the providence place mall and it is ony $1 for 1-3 hours and $5 for 3-5 hours and most don't stay more then two hours or so. If you park there park in the mall grage (which is far cheaper then the other grages in the area) be sure to park inthe "city side" half its just easier to get to the fire from here exit the grage in front of cvs adn walk across the street and to the left you will see the river from there. There are pleanty of street preformaers, vendors, and resturants on the river for you to enjoy or you can just walk along it. It's a nice escape from the city.
There is TONS of parking across the street from the start of the fires at the providence place mall and it is ony $1 for 1-3 hours and $5 for 3-5 hours and most don't stay more then two hours or so. If you park there park in the mall grage (which is far cheaper then the other grages in the area) be sure to park inthe "city side" half its just easier to get to the fire from here exit the grage in front of cvs adn walk across the street and to the left you will see the river from there. There are pleanty of street preformaers, vendors, and resturants on the river for you to enjoy or you can just walk along it. It's a nice escape from the city.
Written August 11, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lip89
Boston, MA850 contributions
If you want to see this magnificient redone city and see it in all its glamour, make sure to see Waterfire! This is a time when the city makes all th stops to let you see that this truly is a different place. The event starts around dusk and crowds gather along the river back and boats full of people dressed in black (you can volunteer to be one) fill small baskets stationed in the center of the river with firewood. There is opera music playing through large speakers in the water and surrounding and there are gondolas boats carting people around the river as well. The river is long so you can walk along it and see vendors and depending what night you see it (check the website for the special events) ther emay be performers, a market place set up, dancers, bands etc. The whole night is well worth coming out and once they light the fires, some by spinning fire in the air, the river lights up ad looks very cool! It is one of the better events I have seen and I highly recommend it!
Written January 31, 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lynn0323
North Haven, CT34 contributions
Jul 2012 • Couples
When I found out my husband and I would be in Providence this weekend, I was excited to go see WaterFire. Got there at 7, drove around for over an HOUR..no exaggeration.. trying to find a parking space. All the lots were full or "reserved". Very frustrating, esp for out-of-state people who don't know the city. Finally saw someone leave a spot on the side of the road (by now it was 8:15), walked with the hoards of people until we got to the canal lit with fire. (Seriously, I thought the president was coming it there were so many people!). Anyway, we waited our turn to get up close enough to see the water..and watched. And waited. I had read about a fire dancer. Nope. In the water, all we saw were.boats filled with people who paid mega bucks to ride among the bonfires, one boat with a man throwing out carnations, and one with men tossing more logs in the fires. It was pretty, and the bridges with the blue stars were very pretty.. but that alone is not entertainment. So, we decide to try to find the 'street performers' that were advertised. Not to be found. We walked up and down the canal.. all we saw were crowds of people..so many we had to walk in the street. We even asked.. no one had seen any. Even the music was a disappointment, but I realize this is a personal taste issue. I found it monotonous and sleepy. I wanted upbeat and fun. I guess it just wasn't meant to be... Oh, just to add fuel to the fire.. haha.. the lovely Providence PD, gave us a parking ticket to thank us for visiting. Nice:)
Written July 23, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Where can I find the 2019 schedule all I can find on their web site is2018
Written March 28, 2019
WaterFire Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
The schedule has been posted on our website now.
Written May 31, 2019
kirkbater79
Falmouth, Massachusetts
Is possible thunderstorms a safety issue tommorows event a
Written July 28, 2018
WaterFire Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Hi, all thanks for the helpful responses. WaterFire lightings are generally all weather events. If there are sever, sustained rains we may cancel or reschedule an event, but showers and passing storms do prevent us from holding the event. In the case of storms with lighting we may need to temporarily suspend on-river activities. Visitor, volunteer, and staff safety is our number one priority. The best places to find late breaking event news, especially in regards to the weather, are on our Facebook or Twitter pages.
Written August 8, 2018
WaterFire Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Our preferred schedule is to have on lighting every two weeks in the summer and fall. The actual schedule depends on the tides (water levels) in the rivers and the availability of sponsorship money. 70% of our budget comes from corporate sponsorship.
Written August 8, 2018
Is there going to be a salsa night this year? If so, what are the dates? Your website doesn't indicate the dates other then past years like 2009 and 2012.
Written June 18, 2018
WaterFire Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
We don't currently have one scheduled. If we secure sufficient sponsor support a night of dancing (possibly Salsa) will be added to the schedule.
Written June 25, 2018
We are planning to take my elderly mom to see Waterfire in June. We have a disabled parking permit - any tips on parking? It said no chairs are allowed, and she can walk fairly well but can we set a blanket down somewhere to watch? Any tips are appreciated! Thanks!
Written May 26, 2018
WaterFire Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Hi Dori, you can find info about accessibility at WaterFire on our website.
Written June 25, 2018
Where's the best place to view the water fire, and where do you park. I don't know downtown Providence that well.
Written May 25, 2018
If you park in the mall, just make sure you know exactly where you are parked - there are two parking lots, one on each side, and never being there before didn't realize. We could not find our car for over an hour!
Written March 28, 2019
It's usually thursday and Saturday nights in the summer. The website says they'll release the schedule in the spring. Make a note when you do look at the schedule ifnits a full lighting or a partial lighting. The fires typically get lit around sunset but there's definitely a lot to see in the couple
Hours beforehand.
Written March 14, 2018
psjain68
Fort Lee, New Jersey
We are planning to come on sep 30 . What time it starts ? Does it satarts right after sunset ?
Written September 21, 2017
WaterFire Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Saturday, September 29th – Flames of Hope a Celebration of Life™
Full Lighting – Sunset: 6:31 p.m.
Sponsored by Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation
Written June 25, 2018
This will be our first time in Providence and I am wondering does the Waterfire get very crowded and what time would we have to be at the basin to see the lighting? Would you recommend one of the tours? Also is DePasquale nearby? Thank you so much
Written September 21, 2017
Waterfire gets very crowded. To be honest, I always get there early to get a good parking spot. There are vendors so you can get something to eat or drink. They do the lighting when it gets dark. DePasquale square is not really close. You would want to drive there unless you do a lot of walking.
Written September 21, 2017
We had dinner at Hemenways Seafood which has a parking garage connected to the restaurant. The restaurant stamped our parking receipt so there was no charge - After dinner we walked along the river and were able to enjoy the festivities! Food by the way at Hemenways was wonderful and WaterFire amazing!
Written September 6, 2017
Showing results 1-10 of 29
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing