On selected evenings from spring through autumn, nearly a hundred bonfires are lit on iron braziers anchored in the Providence, Woonasquatucket, and Moshassuck rivers as they converge in the heart of downtown. Gondoliers paddle among the flames while ambient and world music plays from speakers along both banks. The effect — fire on dark water, the smell of cedar smoke, the reflection in the river — is genuinely strange and beautiful, and it's free.
The event runs from roughly dusk to midnight on selected Saturdays, with dates published at waterfirearts.org well in advance. Show up early to get a good spot along the riverbank. Restaurants along the riverwalk do good business on WaterFire nights; reservations are wise.