WaterFire Providence

Barnaby Evans made the first version in 1994 for the city's arts festival and it became permanent. On scheduled evenings roughly eighty to a hundred braziers standing just above the water in the Woonasquatucket and Providence rivers are lit at sunset and burn until past midnight, fed with cordwood by crews in black moving between them in flat boats without speaking. Music plays from speakers along the banks - the mix runs from choral to world music - and the whole downtown becomes the venue, with the crowd walking the riverwalks and bridges. It happens on specific dates only, usually a dozen or more through the season, and full lightings differ from partial ones.

What you actually see

• Eighty to a hundred braziers - burning in the rivers after sunset.
• Silent black-clad boat crews - feeding the fires with cordwood.
• Music along the riverwalks - the score changes through the night.
• A downtown turned into the venue - bridges and banks as viewing.

When to go

May to October, on the published dates only. An evening.

Honest expectations

It runs on set nights and cancels for rain and wind - always check the schedule. Full lightings and partial ones are different in scale. Crowds are large and parking downtown fills. It is free, which is why it is crowded.

Nearby

Federal Hill is west; Brown University is up the hill east.