Celebrate the 2024 Gaspee Days with this list of events around Rhode Island

Amy Russo, Providence Journal
Updated ·3 min read

Rhode Islanders will gather in the coming weeks to remember once again the 1772 burning of the Gaspee, the British ship Rhode Islanders set ablaze in an act of defiance that served as a prelude to the Revolutionary War.

To mark the occasion, Rhode Island's Gaspee Days Committee is rolling out nearly a month of events, among the most notable being the parade on June 8 at 10 a.m. in Warwick. The tradition of more than 50 years will run along two miles of Narragansett Parkway where the committee says to "watch for fife and drums corps, the fire trucks or the Shriners in their miniature cars."

Dean Scanlon, owner of Cranston's Revolution American Bistro, will serve as the parade's grand marshal.

Here's a look at the full lineup of events from May into June.

A depiction of the burning of the Gaspee in Narragansett Bay, a militant act of rebellion that predated the Boston Tea Party and the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
A depiction of the burning of the Gaspee in Narragansett Bay, a militant act of rebellion that predated the Boston Tea Party and the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

More: RI patriot says "cease and desist" to those denying Revolution's first shot was fired here

Everything to enjoy during this year's Gaspee Days

  • Proclamation Day: May 18 from 12-4 p.m. at Pawtuxet Park in Warwick. Music begins at 1 p.m.

  • Block Party: May 24 from 6-11 p.m. at Pawtuxet Park in Warwick. For a $5 admission, enjoy music and festivities. Drink tickets sold separately.

  • Arts and Crafts Festival: Throughout Memorial Day weekend at Narragansett Parkway in Warwick from May 25-27. Festival runs each day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for May 27, when it ends at 4:30 p.m.

  • Symphony in the Park: June 1 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Pawtuxet Park in Warwick. The Warwick Symphony Orchestra will play along with a group to be determined.

  • Fireworks: June 1 at dusk, around 8:45 p.m., at Salter's Grove in Warwick

  • Ecumenical Celebration: June 4 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church in Cranston

  • Gaspee Days 5K: June 8 at 9:30 a.m. at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Cranston. More than 1,600 runners expected. Register online at https://www.gaspee.com/events/5k.

  • Gaspee Days Parade: June 8 at 10 a.m., Narragansett Parkway in Warwick

  • Colonial Encampment: June 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pawtuxet Park in Warwick. Expect a 1700s-era encampment and a volunteer colonial militia, but neither electricity nor running water.

  • Blessing of the Fleet: June 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Rhode Island Yacht Club in Cranston. If you have one, it's BYOB. That's bring your own boat.

  • Sunday in the Park: June 9 from 12-4 p.m. at Pawtuxet Park in Warwick. The planning committee says expect "live music performances, colonial maneuvers, and the famed reenactment of the burning of the H.M.S. Gaspee." More on that below.

  • Burning of the Gaspee: June 9 at 4 p.m. sharp at Pawtuxet Park in Warwick. This will directly follow the Sunday in the Park festivities. See the famed annual reenactment of the burning of the Gaspee.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 2024 Gaspee Days: When is the parade, burning of the Gaspee and more