PHOTOGRAPHY : ( CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT ) COURTESY OF WATERFIRE PROVIDENCE ; MIA RIETZEL ; COURTESY OF RWP ZOO / BRETT CORTESI ; MIA RIETZEL ; COURTESY OF BLACKSTONE VALLEY TOURISM .
Annual Events
PAWTUCKET ARTS FESTIVAL Early September Various locations , Pawtucket , pawtucketartsfestival . org
▼ CHINESE DRAGON BOAT RACES AND TAIWAN DAY FESTIVAL Early September Festival Pier , Pawtucket , dragonboatri . com
PVDFEST Early September Innovation District Park , Providence , pvdfest . com
MISQUAMICUT FALL FEST Mid-September Misquamicut State Beach , Westerly , misquamicutfestival . org
NEWPORT MANSIONS WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL Mid-September Rosecliff , Newport , newport mansions . org
ROGUE ISLAND COMEDY FEST Early October Newport , rogueislandcomedyfest . com
ATLANTIS RISING INTERNATIONAL SAND SCULPTURE COMPETITION Early October Misquamicut State Beach , Westerly , southcountyri . com
AUTUMNFEST Early October Woonsocket , autumnfest . org
SCITUATE ART FESTIVAL Early October The Village Green , North Scituate , scituateartfestival . org
BOWEN ’ S WHARF SEAFOOD FESTIVAL Mid-October Newport , bowenswharf . com
RHODE ISLAND COMIC CON Early November Rhode Island Convention Center & Amica Mutual Pavilion , Providence , ricomiccon . com
NEWPORT RESTAURANT WEEKS Early November Various Newport restaurants , discovernewport . org
TRAIN RIDES ON THE POLAR EXPRESS November thru December Blackstone Valley Train Station , Woonsocket , blackstonevalleypolarexpress . com
SPARKLING LIGHTS AT THE BREAKERS Mid-November – Jan . 1 Newport , newportmansions . org
HOLIDAYS AT THE MANSIONS Mid-November – Jan . 1 Newport , newportmansions . org / events
CHRISTMAS AT BLITHEWOLD Mid-November – Jan . 1 Bristol , blithewold . org
CHRISTMAS IN NEWPORT December Newport , discovernewport . org
PAWTUCKET WINTER WONDERLAND Early December Slater Memorial Park , Pawtucket , winterwonderlandpawtucket . com
PROVIDENCE CHILDREN ’ S FILM FESTIVAL Mid-February Providence , providencechildrensfilmfestival . org
NEWPORT WINTER FESTIVAL Mid-February Newport , newportwinterfestival . com
NEWPORT DAFFODIL DAYS April discovernewport . org
BLITHEWOLD DAFFODIL DAYS Mid-April Bristol , blithewold . org
MISQUAMICUT SPRINGFEST Mid-May Westerly , misquamicut . org
NEWPORT OYSTER AND CHOWDER FESTIVAL Third week of May bowenswharf . com / events / newport-oyster-chowder-festival
GASPEE DAYS Late May / early June Warwick , gaspee . com
RHODE ISLAND PRIDEFEST & ILLUMINATED NIGHT PARADE Third week of June Downtown Providence , prideri . org
BRISTOL FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION July 4 Bristol , fourthofjulybristolri . com
NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL Last weekend of July Fort Adams , newportfolk . org
NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL First weekend of August Fort Adams , Newport , newportjazz . org
CHARLESTOWN SEAFOOD FESTIVAL First weekend of August Ninigret State Park , Charlestown , charlestownseafoodfestival . com
ZOO ALL SEASON LONG
Rain or shine , Roger Williams Park Zoo is open year-round for the curious minds . Stroll through the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular in the fall and scope out thousands of artfully carved pumpkins . Or grab a hot cocoa to keep you warm in the winter as you ’ re surrounded by 3.5 million twinkling lights as part of the Holiday Lights Spectacular . rwpzoo . org
JACK-O-LANTERN SPECTACULAR Sept . 28 – Oct . 31
HOLIDAY LIGHTS SPECTACULAR Nov . 24 – Dec . 31
WATERFIRE
Created by artist Barnaby Evans , WaterFire Providence highlights the beauty of the Providence and Woonasquatucket rivers at night , illuminated by giant cauldrons of fire .
WHEN TO GO : April through December
WHERE TO PARK : Though WaterFire starts at dusk , arrive early to get parking close by . There are non-metered spots on Benefit Street and parking is free after 6 p . m . with prime spots on North Main Street .
BEST PLACES FOR VIEWING : Near the bridges at RISD and along the Canal Walk . If you get there early , you can snag a seat on the side of the canal . Also , with an outdoor theater-like setup , Waterplace Park is a great place to catch the initial lightings and see the river aglow .
GET ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE : To get even closer to the action , take a romantic ride down the Providence River during WaterFire . Boat rides from Providence River Boat Company and La Gondola Providence both last thirty minutes . providenceriverboat . com ; gondolari . com
Check waterfire . org for more events and details .
YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO RHODE ISLAND RHODE l FALL-WINTER-SPRING ISLAND MONTHLY l l JULY 2023 2023 – 24 29