Stormwater Innovation Center to Host Rain Harvest Festival

A Community Celebration of Water, Science, and Art
Roger Williams Park Botanical Center Pavilion, 1 Floral Ave., 02905
September 29, 2024, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Festival Information at the Botanical Center Pavilion
Free and Open to the Public

Providence, R.I. (August 20, 2024) – Join a celebration of water, science, and art at the fifth annual Rain Harvest Festival hosted by the Stormwater Innovation Center and City of Providence Parks Department. This free community event in Roger Williams Park will feature environmental activities and workshops, performing artists and musicians, a rain barrel raffle, a mural unveiling, animal encounters, arts & crafts vendors, free food, games, and more! All ages are welcome.

Performances by Rhode Island Black Storytellers (RIBS), Circus Dynamics, and folk musicians Atwater-Donnelly will engage and entertain audiences throughout the festival.

Environmental scientists, educators, and stormwater experts will share their knowledge and encourage public participation with tours of stormwater projects, hands-on workshops, demonstrations, walks, tours, and more.

These science-based programs and workshops will be led by experts from the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, The Nature Conservancy, Save the Bay, Below and Above Collective, US Fish and Wildlife, Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, 15 Minute Field Trips, Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, Roger Williams Park Natural History Museum, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Providence Streets Coalition, Dwell Lab Augmented Reality, and others.

Festival attendees will have a chance to win painted rain barrels for their homes and explore a “Vendor Village” comprised of local arts & crafts businesses. Encounters with both land and aquatic animals will be offered by the Roger Williams Park Zoo and Save the Bay. An environmentally centered mural designed and painted by artist Savonnara Alexander Sok will be unveiled to attendees.

Explore the park on a guided walk led by staff from the Roger Williams Park Natural History Museum or hop on your bike for a ride led by the Providence Streets Coalition.

Food from local vendors will be available to all attendees free of charge.
The City of Providence Parks Department’s investment in over 40 projects to clean polluted stormwater runoff within Roger Williams Park has inspired this yearly event, which highlights the importance of clean water and climate resiliency in our communities.
For more information and a complete schedule of the Rain Harvest Festival performances, workshops, and tours, please visit:
https://www.stormwaterinnovation.org/rainharvestfestival 


The Rain Harvest Festival is made possible by a Rhode Island Department of Transportation partnership.



About the Artists:

Rhode Island Black Storytellers (RIBS)
RIBS is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the awareness, appreciation, and application of Black Storytelling in Rhode Island through performance, as well as through educational and cultural experiences.

Atwater-Donnelly
Award-winning, internationally acclaimed duo, Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly present delightful programs of traditional American and Celtic folk songs and percussive dance. Elwood and Aubrey blend gorgeous harmonies and play an astonishing array of instruments including guitar, Appalachian mountain dulcimer, mandolin, tin whistle, harmonica, banjo, limberjacks, and other surprises including a thrilling interpretation of freestyle Appalachian clog dancing. Their performance is appealing to all ages, and with humor, audience participation, and a relaxed stage presence.

Circus Dynamics
Casey and Maurice met at Rhode Island College in 2009. Both passionate about the performing arts, their infectious energy and dedication to learning new skiIIs sparked peopIe’s curiosity and drew so much interest that they started a student circus organization. In 2014 they co-founded Circus Dynamics, the Providence-based circus entertainment company. They continue to coIIaborate with a variety of taIented artists and push themseIves to create new acts, Iearn new skiIIs, and astound audiences throughout New EngIand and beyond.