SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, October 24, 2009

Designed by award-winning artist Barnaby Evans, WaterFire Kansas City is a unique, multi-sensory experience of music, fire and water. Now in its third year, the moving art installation features more than 55 floating bonfires on Brush Creek. This year's festivities will take place Saturday, October 24.

WaterFire was originally created by Barnaby Evans in 1994 on the three rivers of downtown Providence, Rhode Island. The living fire sculpture has become a signature event for the city, attracting more than 10 million visitors and drawing praise as a moving symbol of Providence’s renaissance.

The event begins with a series of boats that travel along Brush Creek through the darkness. They make their way with torches aflame in an enchanting display to ignite the braziers and bring all 55 pieces to life. Throughout the evening, boats return to the braziers, constantly feeding them with new wood and keeping the sculpture in its original form for the duration of the evening.

This powerful visual is reinforced by the fragrant scent of aromatic wood smoke, the flickering firelight on the anchored bridges, the silhouettes of the fire-tenders passing by the flames, the torch-lit vessels traveling down the creek, and the enchanting music . Food will be available for purchase from Plaza restaurants.

• For sponsorship opportunities, contact Susan Blanco at 816-691-3879 or sblanco@visitkc.com.
• For volunteer information, contact Gil Brenis at 816-421-2341 (ext. 103) or gbrenis@evenergy.com.

Planning Information

• Date: Saturday, October 24
• Time: 6:25 to midnight
• Location: Brush Creek on the Country Club Plaza
• Entertainment:  Stay tuned for a detailed performance schedule.

Food Booths

• Several Plaza restaurants will set up food booths along the WaterFire route.

Music & Dance

• The fires will be set to music. Local performing arts companies including Vesuvius fire dancers, “Night of Song” ensemble from the Lyric Opera and Quixotic Performance Fusion will perform. Check back closer to the event for a detailed performance schedule.

Rain Date 

• If there is a forecast for rain on Saturday, October 24th, the rain date of Saturday, November 7, 2009 will be in effect.

WaterFire Map

Photos Courtesy: Jenny Wheat