WaterFire
WaterFire has captured the imagination of over ten million visitors, bringing life to downtown, and revitalizing Rhode Island’s capital city.
For an artsy, Zen kind of experience, you can’t beat WaterFire. Arrive before sundown to see the fire performance and the lighting of the fires in Waterplace Park. There’s plenty of food, drink, art, and music along with Gondola rides.
Pro Tip: Consider grabbing dinner at one of many restaurants on Federal Hill. See the parking tip below for where to park that will place you half way between Federal Hill and WaterFire.
Fun Fact: A brazier is the wire baskets that they light the fires in. (It’s pronounced like frasier, with a ‘B.’)
Pro Tip: Wear comfortable shoes, and you may want to avoid heels if you’re going to walk along the river – it’s cobblestone.
Pro Tip: If you want to try a gondola ride, you’ll need to book that early as they tend to sell out quickly. And seriously, we don’t know who you’ve got to sleep with to get a gondola reservation after sunset.
Parking Tip: This event draws a big crowd. Some streets along the waterfire route will be closed, and the ones that are open to automobile traffic will be jammed pretty tight. We suggest parking a few blocks away from Waterplace Park. Taking the Broadway exit off of 95N and going right at the end of the exit will put you right in front of the Dunkin Donuts Center. There’s a parking lot right there that will charge you $20, but it’s close enough to walk to Waterplace Park yet far enough from Waterfire that you won’t hit insane traffic.
