From kites to yoga to food fests: Fall River's waterfront 'should be celebrating itself'

FALL RIVER — On Friday evening, Ponta Delgada Boulevard was alive with the beat of drummers, the music of children’s laughter, the hum of conversation — another party thrown by the city’s cheerleaders had drawn hundreds of happy visitors, proving that the waterfront revitalization long promised is happening now.

The 3rd Fridays event, held from 4 to 8 p.m., was the first in a new series held at the Gates of the City on Ponta Delgada Boulevard. Held under the soaring arches, the mixture of shopping with local craftspeople and vendors, food, beer, wine and a show was intended to be “a gateway to nightlife,” according to Patti Rego of Viva Fall River, one of the event’s sponsors.

“We’re just trying to change it up down here,” Rego said. “My hope is that people from Providence and even Newport perhaps will see this as more of a nightlife thing — or a gateway to nightlife.”

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Co-sponsors Viva Fall River and the Fall River Arts and Culture Coalition lured in entertainment in the form of the Providence Drum Troupe, over a dozen members strong, who performed a high-energy interactive show that thrilled the crowd with infectious rhythm. While a belly-dancer wove colorful scarves through the air, the troupe’s leader whizzed through the crowd on a combination hoverboard and percussion kit, asking everyone from kids to adults to help him keep the beat.

Rego said she’s bent on bringing different kinds of entertainers to Fall River’s waterfront. “Not because I think we don’t have entertainment here. It’s more so that other places can see how good Fall River is and want to book gigs here," she said. “We’ve proved in the last couple of years we’re better than whatever people think we are. ... You don’t need to go to Providence, you need to come here.”

Remember Fall River Celebrates America?

For 24 years, from the mid-1980s to 2009, the city’s premier waterfront event was Fall River Celebrates America, a multi-day festival with concerts, a parade, fireworks, carnival rides and more. Fall River Celebrates drew crowds, but not money — which is why it's has been shelved ever since.

Periodically, locals will lament the loss and suggest its return. But in recent months, the city’s waterfront has been more alive than ever.

Monday nights, Yoga on the Pier is free — and Rego said only the first installment drew a crowd of 70, a number she hopes grows even further with word of mouth. Picnic Performances on the Pier brought music, food trucks and hungry fans to the riverfront. Kite Night on July 13 drew hundreds of people to the city’s shore to sail kites before a dazzling evening sun.

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“Kite Night blew my mind,” Rego said. “Whole families building kites together, giggling, laughing. It was so Americana."

With so many parties on the city’s waterfront drawing customers, a Fall River Celebrates America may not necessarily be the way forward — instead of luring a big, often unmanageable crowd for one festival a year, the city is luring smaller crowds every week, creating repeat business.

“Fall River should be celebrating itself," Rego said. “I think this is a celebration of Fall River. We always use as many local vendors as we can.” 

The secret to Fall River's recent waterfront success

Vendors are happy, too, from Party With Primo catering, to food trucks like The Friendly Fizz to craftspeople like Little Miss Art and Paixao by Xtina — as long as the weather holds out.

“The waterfront in the summer is just better because it’s cooler,” said designer and crafter Katherine Paige, noting that wet weather and high winds have put a damper on shows at other events. Though the sky on Friday was mostly cloudy, she said, “It doesn’t need to be sunny to be beautiful.”

Weather in Southern New England is one thing out of a party-planner's control. But Rego said Viva Fall River and FRACC seem to have cracked the code for everything else when it comes to outdoor events. "We know what works. We know what people like," she said. “And you’ve got to do the right mix. There's got to be stuff for adults and kids.”

The building of the city pier has helped, but just as helpful has been a new way of understanding the waterfront as a tourist draw.

“It’s a bunch of grass, some water," she said, “the same water that’s been there the whole time, the same sunset.”

Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River waterfront kite, yoga, food truck events spark new optimism