(9.30) WaterFire workers and volunteers have been up all night stacking braziers, setting up tents, and running cables, and finally, the weather report looks promising. The rain should be moving out this afternoon; all you need is a jacket to finally get out of the house. On-shore programming starts at 5:30pm; braziers get fired up at sunset.
Latest photo op: Market Square now features the wonderful new statue of 19th-century Black artist Edward Bannister. Go ahead, take a seat.
The Steeple Street Music Stage will feature the local musical act, SheBop Swing Orchestra, a group of professional musicians who identify as female or gender non-binary. There will be three sets throughout the night: 7pm, 8pm, and 9pm.
Check out the Origami Master, A Silent Soapbox living statue, Starry Starry Night, the gargoyles, and Gather Glass.
Catch three fire-spinning performances beginning at 6:30pm and continuing at 8pm and 9pm by Cirque de Light.
Head down before the sun sets (starting at 5:30pm) and visit the WaterFire Arts Festival Plaza, an outdoor artisan fair showcasing some of the great artwork created in Rhode Island. Browse and shop from a variety of local artists and makers in mediums such as glass, photography, jewelry, and more. This has been a tough summer.
Two sponsors will be holding events including torch parades:
The Department of Education will hold its Teacher of the Year awards ceremony in Memorial Park from 2:30pm to 7pm. The ceremony will conclude with a 90-person torch procession to the stationary braziers adjacent to Memorial Park.
The Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation will host the 2023 Flames of Hope celebration to honor breast cancer survivors at the Rhode Island State House, along with an Illuminations of Life torch procession into the basin of Waterplace Park at 6:30pm.
Sunset, 6:29pm to 11pm, WaterFire, Saturday, September 3o, downtown, (directions)