WaterFire Providence making cuts in programming due to lack of funding

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Big changes are coming to WaterFire Providence, as the duration and number of events at the locale are being cut.

“Coming post pandemic, it’s been very challenging, not only for WaterFire Providence, for the whole arts and culture sector,” Managing Director Peter Mello said.

Mello explained sponsorships are a major driving factor to put on the WaterFire shows and over the last decade, they’ve seen a major decline in support.

“We cut back the budget and announced fewer fires,” he said. “One other thing we did was make the show one hour shorter every day.”

Mello said the nonprofit did “everything [they] could” at a team meeting with the Rhode Island General Assembly, hoping for a bill that would increase the state-designated grant from $400,000 to $750,000.

“We tried getting an allocation from ARPA funds because Rhode Island was one of the few states that did not designate ARPA funds and COVID or recovery funds to the arts and culture sector,” he said.

Mello added that a typical WaterFire year generates $162 million for the state economy.

Some New Englanders said they were “upset and scared” for what could come with less WaterFire events.

“This area will then be inviting for some of the problems I am seeing right now,” Massachusetts resident Marvina Wilkes said. “It will be a spot for the drug scene, be a spot for people to hang out, and when there’s a lot of hanging out and kids, crime is going to come.”

The event draws in large crowds from near and far year after year.

“They make this an all-day trip. They bring picnic baskets and they sit on the water, they come early so they can get a good seat. It’s something positive,” Wilkes said.