Back during the summer of 1997, a friend and I were strolling along the canal in downtown Providence, where I went to college. We were talking, the sun had already gone down, but the sky had yet to light up with stars. Without warning, what we thought was a kind of menacing, rhythmic laughter wafted up from the direction of the water. We looked towards the sound and noticed something neither of us had seen downtown before: individual fires dotting the length of the canal. We were immediately entranced - and not just a little bit freaked out. The music chosen to accompany what we later discovered was an outdoor sculpture exhibit by artist Barnaby Evans was downright eerie, especially in the dark.

What we stumbled upon quite by accident that night has grown over the last decade to become one of the city’s premier outdoor events. On Saturday nights throughout the year, WaterFire Providence takes over the cityscape as the sun sets. So many people flock to see the 80 fires flickering along the city’s waterways that the sounds - which are part of a continuous soundtrack featuring globally-influenced ambient compositions ranging from Armenian folk melodies to Russian Orthodox liturgical music - are no longer haunting, but rather wonder-inducing in their other-worldliness.

On many WaterFire nights, live bands and DJs join the fray to turn parts of the downtown are into an outdoor ballroom and concert venue, where onlookers can catch dance performances, take free salsa lessons and boogie on into the night with the fires in the background (check the web site for the full summer season schedule and special non-Saturday WaterFire lightings). With the outdoor setup, proximity to downtown restaurants and hotels, and live entertainment, this is one of those rare urban events that holds just as much appeal for families as it does for college kids, romance-seeking couples and curious tourists. What’s more, with a suggested donation of $3-$5, it’s an affordable attraction in a hip, but wallet-friendly city located just an hour from Boston, three from New York and just over four from Philly.

For more on what to see and do in Providence, visit the Providence & Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 13th, 2008 at 6:22 pm and is filed under Student Travel, Travel Industry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.