WaterFire is a sculpture by Barnaby Evans presented on the rivers of downtown Providence, RI. It was first created by Evans in 1994 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of First Night Providence, and has since become a free public art installation.[1]
WaterFire evenings consist of eighty-six burning braziers (each with approximately 33 pieces of wood); some float just above the surface of the rivers that flow through Waterplace Park (the Woonasquatucket River) and the middle of downtown Providence (the Moshassuck and Providence rivers; others are mounted on the piers of former bridges.) Average attendance is 40,000 a night,[2] ranging from 10,000 to 100,000.
WaterFire is held May through November, with lightings typically on Saturday evenings once or twice a month. The rivers are tidal, so events are normally scheduled to take place when sunset coincides with an incoming high tide.[3]