In a typical year, WaterFire Providence attracts between 60,000 and 100,000 for each river lighting in the capital city. Visitors fill local restaurants and hotels, contributing to an annual economic output of about $114 million that helps support nearly 1,300 jobs.
The brainchild of photographer and installation artist Barnaby Evans, WaterFire grew from its first local lighting in 1995 to become the face of tourism in Providence. It was so successful, lightings were also held in other cities across the country and overseas. Then came the 2020 pandemic and a shutdown of all large-scale, public events across the state and much of the nation.
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WaterFire’s annual revenue was cut in half. The WaterFire Arts Center that hosted art exhibits and events since its opening in a renovated factory in 2017 was temporarily closed to the public. But the nonprofit, led by Evans, adapted, hosting virtual and in-person events, including a luminaria lighting in the center honoring the people who have died of COVID-19. The organization also hosted the Wilbury Theatre on an outdoor stage, an effort he said was less about generating much-needed income than keeping “art going and alive.”
WaterFire rebounded in 2021 with a much-anticipated return of lightings, albeit on a limited schedule.
“With the community’s ongoing support, we pledge to be here to literally keep the home fires burning,” Evans said.
