Definitely one of the most fun annual festivals in Providence, if you have the day free, come spend…read moreit at the block party of all block parties. Free entry, live music, fun vendors and awesome giveaways -- it's the perfect combination for a great time, especially with 'Gansett putting the entire thing together. You can score everything from cool threads to vintage vinyl while you sip your beer, and learn about awesome local businesses while you stroll the block. I've been to this event three years in a row now, and can honestly say it's one of my most favorite local events. Not to be missed, especially if you love 'Gansett!

A day sporting an expertly mixed cocktail of my favorite ingredients - good music, good food, good…read morefolks, and (of course) great brews. Beer trucks galore! No one knows how to typify RI locality like the dudes and dudettes from 'Gansett beer. I'm personally a fall beer addict, and the Fest autumn brew was in full flow this day. There was also a good surplus of the Del's Shandy being dished out for those who just couldn't get enough. I coupled the copious liquid lunch with a delicious caesar wrap from Z Food truck and quickly found myself in some damn fine bliss. A quick stroll down the street (beer in hand I might add - the perks of a block party) and we found party part 2 kickin' on at the E&O Tap - a great local dive. The music selection was an amazing local variety, culminating with the amazing antics of a street marching band that struck a nostalgic cord with my inner band geek. Events like these typify the amazing Providence community that is comprised of so many crosswinds in the cultural sphere. Kudos to all those involved - let's keep 'em comin'.

Nice street festival in Cranston…read more Rolfe Square was closed for about 10 blocks and there was a large number of arts and crafts, food trucks, face painting, moonwalk for the kids, etc. There were booths from the Police and the Coast Guard to educate festival goers about their profession and also to give information to those who wanted some. There was a good size Beer Garden in front of the food truck area and it was well attended. The majority of the crafts were homemade stuff like candles, paintings, clothing, etc. I really enjoyed walking around and seeing the locals partake on a nice Spring festival.

A very Rhode island…read morefestival Johnny Cakes have been around for a while, in fact most historians say they have been around in one form or another for centuries. Even though many places on the east coast have Johnny Cakes, Rhode island is traditionally given as the place where they originated or at least became popular. So what better place than Rhode Island to have a Johnny Cake Festival Just fried corn meal with some salt, hot water and perhaps some sugar, it is amazing how many different types have showed up. Lots of subtle differences and of course everyone claims theirs are the best. Actually the festival was a lot more than just Johnny Cakes and in the whole festival I only saw one vendor actually selling Johnny Cakes. The lines were so long that we didn't even bother and stuck with the lobster rolls, clam chowdah, clam cakes and kettle corn. So much food around that there was no way you were going hungry even without the Johnny Cakes. Some cool critters like sheep, goats and alpacas were around and lots of skillful artists spinning, carving, wefting, blacksmithing, weaving, and painting. A whole bunch of very talented and fascinating folks still knowledgeable about some anachronistic arts. Some great music and several environmental groups were around to entertain and of course lots of traditional and cool food and crafts. The location was lovely with a pleasant pond and several canals and waterfalls. The parking wasn't bad because they wasn't any. Everyone parked at the old fairground three miles away and were shuttled in by old school buses. Actually made it less chaotic. A cool festival and place to learn about New England arts, crafts, history and of course food. It was kind of curious that there weren't more Johnny Cakes. This review is dedicated to Cathy S.and Shiro. I wish they could have been there with us.

As a non-native Rhode Islander I was definitely impressed with this past weekend's Johnny Cake…read moreFestival. It was great to sample some food & wares that aren't available in my part of RI. Lots of cool & eclectic vendors mostly skewered towards the uniquness of the Ocean State. Lots of food & Johnny Cakes too but I didn't have any. Two of my local favorites had a presence there: Grey Sail & Dave's Coffee. There was also live music. I got to sample some pumpkin flavored whiskey from Sons of Libtery that made me want more. I'd drink whiskey but my wife says I turn into a different person so I'll wait for them to release their Dave's Coffee syrup flavored vodka! The only drawback is that transportation to get to the actual festival. Even though you have to take a cramped school bus to get there it's definitely worth & I'll be taking my family for years to come.

So this is a spot that I was asked to come to to meet and decorate cars for a birthday parade for a…read morelittle girl. Her grandmother had put something on Facebook asking people if they would join the parade because their family is from other states. So I was happy to do it. Next week is my grandson's birthday parade and I know that he will have a lot of friends and family in the parade so it really hit home. I can't imagine being in this pandemic away from family almost completely. I have family in different parts of the country and some that I haven't seen in over a year and it's very hard so I was sympathetic. But this is also the place that has the Portuguese festival in August which is wonderful. They have a carnival with rides and games. Portuguese food that is homemade is served and it is wonderful. They also sell drinks and beer and have entertainment. Parking for the feast can be kind of tricky but there are back roads here that you can go and park on and walk down. They also have the traditional parade down Main Street and it's just a very nice old fashion traditional religious feast. Of course this past summer we did not attend because of the pandemic there was no feast. It was really disappointing but there were still people out with their Portuguese flags in front of their homes. They had their homes decorated and they really did their best to keep the spirit of the feast. I hope that we will be able to celebrate with them next year.

West Warwick boasts a large Portuguese community, with several social clubs. Over Labor Day…read moreWeekend, they hold a four-day extravaganza, led by the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society. I've heard or read many different names for this celebration - which includes a feast, carnival, concerts and parades - but for the sake of brevity, many locals simply call it the "Portuguese Lala" (I'm not Portuguese, so I have no idea what that means). The focal point of activity is the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society's complex, which, beginning Friday, Aug. 31, was the site of carnival rides, concerts and food concessions. Admission to the festival grounds and concert was free and open to the general public. On Saturday, my wife and I saw Dirty Deeds, an AC/DC tribute band, and they were awesome, both looking and sounding like the original band. My wife remarked that it was entertaining to see people of our generation acting like they were in their early 20s again. In order to buy food or beer, you purchase tickets, and then redeem them. Sunday's events included a parade (procession) in the morning, followed by an auction later in the day, and the Parade of Lights at night, with participants throwing candy from floats. My family watched the parade on East Main Street, near Providence Street, as Town Councilman Jay Messier recorded the event and pumped up the crowd. We later watched fireworks from a parking lot near the town's public works garage. All in all, it's a lot of entertainment for little or no money, and also an opportunity to sample some Portuguese food.

Mayor Brett Smiley and the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture and Tourism sponsored…read moreProvidence's annual Independence Day Celebration. This celebration was held at India Point Park in partnership with Narragansett Brewery on Wednesday, July 2 2025 and it started at 5:30pm with food trucks and selected events. The fireworks display was held from 9:00 PM until about 9:30 PM. The main stage kicked off at 6:00 PM with a live performances by Big Lux and The Hype. Free parking and free to attend, the event was a blast....

The October Waterfire showcases Breast Cancer Awareness…read more The Flames of Hope is an event that comprises several different segments, one of them is the Waterfire event, which includes the Illuminations of Life Ceremony and Torch Procession. The celebration also takes place in Station Park for food, a free concert, dancing and family-fun activities. There are also two ticketed events to help further support the Foundation--the VIP Pink Party and the Taste of Hope Food and Wine Tasting. The Waterfire event is free to attend. Lots of beautiful torches and dancing at the Waterplace park stage.

Held on the weekend of September 8-9, this was the first year for the Arts Marketplace, and I'm…read moreglad I came upon the flyer for it earlier this week. Held in the same space as the Foundry Holiday Market, the Arts Marketplace has the same vibe: artists ranging from painting and photography to jewelry, clothing, and sculpture. What I liked about this event was that it showcased different artists than most of the art festivals I have been to. I think in the end I only recognized 2 of the vendors. I was happy to see new life breathed into the Rhode Island arts scene. I also found that most of the vendors had more reasonable prices than the Foundry show and other arts fests. I don't know if this is because they are newer artists or what. Some of my favorite vendors included the handwoven rugs from Flying Shuttles (made by weavers with intellectual and developmental disabilities) and the wood cutting boards of Michael Gadsby. I look forward to the 2nd annual Pawtucket Arts Marketplace next year.

As an artist at the event, I found the founders to be organized and helpful at every turn. Set-up…read moreand tear-down were easy and fast. The entry fee was reasonable. The event itself was well attended (Saturday better than Sunday). I sold smaller items (around the $30 price point) and was happy with my success. I will do it again.

Haffenreffer is a tiny and FREE museum of anthropology on Brown's campus that my friend and I…read morevisited during our weekend of exploring Providence and Newport. When we visited, they had some very interesting exhibits. The one that interested me the most was "Sacred is Sacred: The Art of Protecting Bears Ears." It was very interesting and well-displayed. Why only three stars for this interesting and free museum? Well, it's tiny. It's essentially a single room. And I would think (given the size) that the likelihood of someone enjoying the museum is very dependent on the quality of the exhibits at the time of the visit. But it's free - so if you're walking around Brown, stop in! You never know what you'll find!

Free admittance but really not worth going out of your way to see anything here. If you're at Brown…read moreor in the general area and have an interest in anthropology, you'll do well to stop in. I would not make special trip. My favorite items here were some Taino figurines.