The path of nearly 100 separate fires has become a representation of the city's renaissance, a flaming centerpiece for a new mall, a pocket of gourmet restaurants, and a thriving artistic community around Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design.
The number of WaterFire spectators has risen through the years, and the amount of national and international attention the event receives has increased dramatically. This year there are new events -- dance and dance classes (there will be salsa lessons next month), live jazz music, and craft events for children.
But for the most part WaterFire hasn't really changed. Hundreds of volunteers dressed in black help Evans maintain the fire, rowing down the rivers alongside fancy gondolas rented by spectators. Spectators sip Del's Lemonade on walkways lined with street performers and vendors selling sausages.
And the central element of the night -- the fiery sculpture -- is the same. Which is precisely the point, says Evans. Providence keeps evolving, but the blazing braziers that snake through the city are unaffected.
``This is a piece that's about ritual, and you don't change ritual," Evans said. ``You change. That's what makes it interesting."
Evans has perpetuated the feel of the ritual with his soundtrack, a collection of sometimes rare international tunes pumped through speakers hidden along the WaterFire path. Everyone hears the same songs no matter where they are along the display.
``We actually make it a point that the music comes from all over the world," Evans said, noting that along the WaterFire walk, one can go from hearing a spiritual to Armenian jazz to Eddie Vedder.
What's most notable about the sculpture series, Evans says, is that despite the fact that millions have visited Providence to see WaterFire, and that each lighting draws tens of thousands, it maintains a personal feel.
