Food Truck Friday, WaterFire boat rides, exhibition receptions, and more.
Happy Friday, Providence. You know the drill – grab your coffee (or whatever you sip in the morning), kick back, and let PVD Current serve up everything you need to know for the weekend ahead.
📰 In the news
Local happenings: International film showcase at Providence Performing Arts Center, colored windsocks reveal Providence port’s air quality, and a fully electric elementary school reopens after a $7.5 million upgrade — catch up here.
State-level stories: State overhauls hotel shelters with per bed cost limits, councilor sweeps Senate seat, and players can find over twenty free pickleball courts statewide — see what else is brewing.
National headlines: Federal judge orders fresh review of gray wolf safeguards, OPEC+ output increase pushes oil under seventy dollars, and a mislabeled pasta recall — peruse the best of the rest.
Highlights this week
- Dine, dance, and support survivors in denim
- Build social skills at sensory-friendly Lego club
- Tour the Hunt House Museum with docents
- Earn a badge using library equipment
- Compare home equity loans for free
🫶 We got your back
Pizza: Providence takes its pies seriously, with everything from classic New York slices to inventive mashups firing up ovens across town. These pizza spots serve up slices you’ll be dreaming about.
Golf: It might be small but delivers windswept oceanside holes and century-old Ross courses at every turn. These top public courses bring the coastal thrills and historic charm you crave.
Organization: Ever spend a weekend lining up matching containers only to find chaos three weeks later? These sustainable organization tips are proof they work with your messy, beautiful life.
Florist: In need of a last-minute gift, a romantic gesture, or just some color in your life, Four Buds Floral Studio arranges petal-powered masterpieces that speak volumes without saying a word.
Family: An emergency vet visit could cost you $7,000+ (ask me how I know 🙃). From the initial fee just to be seen to x-rays, surgery, medicine, and aftercare, it adds up quicker than a chew toy turns into a crime scene. The good news? You could get up to 90% cash back on your vet bill with this pet insurance plan.
👀 Why just read it when you could be in it?
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📆 Around town this weekend
All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirely outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.
Today
🚚 Food Truck Friday | Friday (8/8) at 5:00pm – Every Friday, Food Truck Friday sets up shop at Carousel Village, serving everything from gourmet sliders to fusion tacos that make your freezer meals feel sad. It’s the perfect end to the work week with live tunes, good company, zero dishwashing, and top-tier people-watching.
🎷 David Hillyard & The Rocksteady Seven @ The Parlour Providence | Friday (8/8) at 8:00pm – Ready for some offbeat grooves and unexpected sax solos? David Hillyard & The Rocksteady Seven spin ska, jazz, and sheer fun into something you didn’t know your feet needed. Pack your best moves, bring a friend, and let’s pretend our knees can still keep up.
This weekend
💡 Full Lighting | Saturday (8/9) at 6:30pm – Looks like your kayak got invited to the party, as Clear Currents floods the river with glowing installations for a community night paddle, minus timing chips and coaches. Shore life has local vendors, quirky pop-ups, and enough snacks to justify that inflatable flamingo.
🚤 WaterFire Boat Rides | Saturday (8/9) at 7:45pm – Nothing beats floating through Providence’s torch-lit waterway, pretending you’re starring in an indie film noir. Our boat captains steer you past glowing braziers, nighttime tunes, and dancing reflections that make the cityscape look like it’s auditioning for a fire-themed play. Perfect for date night.
🏝️ Island Saturdays: Paul Michael’s Birthday Bash @ Alchemy | Saturday (8/9) at 10:00pm – Crack open your island vibes at Paul Michael’s birthday blowout, with NYC’s RFB, Talented & Axe, and Hypa Squad spinning dancehall, soca, Afrobeats, and reggae like they’re saving your summer. Early birds score a ten-dollar cover, no VIP velvet rope needed to have fun.
🖼️ August 10 Exhibition Receptions @ Providence Art Club | Sunday (8/10) at 2:00pm – This Sunday, clear your plans and head to College Hill for three bites of summer art at the Providence Art Club. Bert Crenca’s solo showcase, a faculty invitational by your old professors, plus tiny 4×4 miniatures guarantee something witty to gab about over coffee.
🎞️ Flickers’ RI International Film Festival | Sunday (8/10) at 6:00pm – If you’ve grown weary of the same summer blockbusters, clear your late nights for our beloved RI International Film Festival, where Flickers floods local screens with Oscar-nominated shorts, globe-trotting documentaries, and the next wave of auteurs you’ll claim you discovered first.
Next week
🎭 Elf the Musical Auditions @ Stadium Theatre Performing Arts Centre & Conservatory | Monday (8/11) at 6:00pm – Think you’ve got the pipes and pizzazz to play everyone’s favorite North Pole misfit? Belt out 16 bars, survive the dance call, and you just might land a spot on stage in this toe-tapping holiday romp. Kids, adults, and Santa believers of all ages are welcome. Bonus points if you already know the best way to spread Christmas cheer.
🛠️ Open Studio for All Ages @ Providence Public Library | Tuesday (8/12) at 2:30pm – Tuesday afternoons are for finally putting those Pinterest boards to work. The library’s makerspace is open to anyone with a glue-gun fetish or 3D-printing dreams, offering sewing machines, laser cutters, and helpful guidance to rescue you from your own craft disasters.
🌇 Sunset Celebration @ | Tuesday (8/12) @ 6:30pm – Tuesday nights in the park have morphed from leftover casserole pity parties into neon drum circles with dancers and fire-twirlers. Providence Drum Troupe rolls through every week with illuminated beats and circus flair, so grab a blanket, ditch your to-do list, and pretend you’re artsy.
Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →
🎶 Live music & entertainment
- 8/8 Fruit Bats @ Fete Music Hall – 8 pm
- 8/9 Dyan Kane @ Myrtle – 2 pm
- 8/9 2000’s Day Party @ LivePVD – 3 pm
- 8/9 Grave Next Door and more @ Alchemy – 5 pm
- 8/9 The Pitfalls @ Nick-a-Nees – 9 pm
- 8/10 Rick Maguire and more @ Myrtle – 2 pm
- 8/10 Buffalo Nichols and more @ Alchemy – 6 pm
- 8/11 Bill Harley @ Seekonk Public Library – 6 pm
🏠️ Price is right – Providence edition
How it works: We’re going to give you some facts about a home for sale, including a picture of the outside, the kitchen, and one additional room. Your job? Guess how much it’s listed for (preferably before you click to find out).
Listed by: Fava + Vieira Group (Compass)
Classic triple-decker style meets modern comfort in this West End three-family, where double and triple parlors offer plenty of room for impromptu dance parties or Sunday sprawl sessions. Original hardwoods run throughout, kitchens are freshly updated, and every unit comes with in-unit laundry plus central heat and AC for year-round coziness.
A three-car garage, bonus off-street parking, and a shared crushed-stone patio make city living feel easy. Just blocks from Dexter Park and a quick hop to downtown, this spot has a knack for keeping tenants happy and the rental calendar full.
Make your guess, then (and only then)… see how much it costs →
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