Burning of the Gaspee

As the last blow in the celebration of Gaspee Days, a reenactment will take place of the event that started it all. A symbolic burning of the Gaspee will happen at 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 15, in Pawtuxet Cove.

Burning of the Gaspee

During Gaspee Days, the symbolic burning of the Gaspee brings history to life. Reenactors in colonial dress gather along Pawtuxet Cove as a full-size replica of the British schooner HMS Gaspee floats offshore. As the crowd watches, colonial rebels—portraying Rhode Island patriots—storm the shore, fire muskets and row out to the ship. They then capture the crew, set the vessel ablaze and cheer as flames engulf it.. Cannons boom, actors shout and the fire crackles, drawing cheers from spectators lining the waterfront.

Westbrook (Connecticut) Drum Corps at tje 2023 Gaspee Days Parade, Pawtuxet Village, Rhode Island.

Local families, visitors and history lovers celebrate with food vendors, music and storytelling that honors the spirit of defiance that set off the American Revolution. The burning concludes the festivities with drama and spectacle, a reminder of Rhode Island’s bold stand against British rule and its crucial role in the birth of American independence.

About Gaspee Days

Whether historic Pawtuxet Village is your lifelong home, you’re new in town, or perhaps just visiting there’s sure to be something you love about Gaspee Days! Each season offers fun, family-friendly and mostly free events for all to enjoy. Never been? Check it out! Been coming for years? We’re glad you keep coming back. Supporting our events means supporting our 501(c)(3) all-volunteer non-profit.

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Learn more Revolutionary history in this complete guide to Revolutionary War Sites in New England. Brought to you by the New England Historical Society. Click here to order your copy in paperback, here to order an ebook.

Images: Gaspee Days parade by By Kenneth C. Zirkel – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=132924266