What: Downtown Victoria Buskers Festival
Where: Centennial Square, Market Square, and Bastion Square
When: Thursday through Monday
Admission: Free
Balmy weather, picturesque settings, and robust audiences play important roles in the success of any outdoor festival. But for the second annual Downtown Victoria Buskers Festival, these are more than key components 鈥� they are vital elements.
The four-day event, which gets underway Thursday, attracts international street performers with the promise of nice weather and receptive audiences. Those are appealing aspects for the performers, as audience donations represent their sole means of payment at the Downtown Victoria Buskers Festival. If the weather co-operates, audiences will stay engaged. And in most cases, where busking is concerned, happy audiences are generous audiences. The festival offers its programming free of charge, so some attendees tip generously.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big logistical exercise,鈥� said Jeff Bray, executive director of the Downtown Victoria Business Association, which produces the event.
鈥淯nlike other types of performances where there is some agreement where you鈥檙e paying a performer an upfront fee or they get a percentage of the house, we provide their accommodation and transportation. They get paid by the people who are watching their performances, so it鈥檚 important to make sure that we鈥檙e providing good venues and good scheduling so that they have an opportunity for a good weekend take.鈥�
Performers from sa国际传媒 and the U.S. 鈥� in addition to those from Sydney, Australia, and London, England 鈥� are on tap through the weekend at Centennial Square, Market Square and Bastion Square. The festival is down a few stages from last year, the DVBA鈥檚 first attempt at staging a buskers festival of its own. The event is run in partnership with Tourism Victoria, the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority and the Hotel Association of Greater Victoria.
The 2017 event was under the stewardship of Kerry Milton, who exited as general manager of the Downtown Victoria Business Association soon after last year鈥檚 event. Bray, who was not involved in last year鈥檚 instalment, said his team learned a lot during its inaugural edition, and will operate with more efficiency in year two.
鈥淲e have a lot more experience under our belts in terms of the community and logistical things that one needs to know about in order to put on a free street festival.鈥�
All 10 of the performers are new this year, Bray said, which keeps the programming fresh. While the festival is not using Ship Point as venue this year, due to nearby construction, there will be plenty to offer audiences roaming the downtown core.
Rhythm Works from Toronto is a drumming collective, while Boston鈥檚 Alakazam is a daredevil contortionist. There鈥檚 also a one-man band and comedic juggler (Australian entries George Kamikawa and JP Koala, respectively), along with hoop-spinning from Quebec and a bullwhip specialist from Edmonton. Bray said the festival was careful not to step on the toes of local performers who make an income busking on the streets, and did its best to offer programming not offered at the previous Downtown Victoria Buskers Festival.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e a performer, you don鈥檛 want to see four other jugglers like yourself. You want to have a unique niche, because that is what鈥檚 going to create the greatest excitement for the audience that gathers around you. Part of the experience, both for locals as well as tourists, is the top-notch street performers. It adds to the feel, the vibe of downtown for sure. It is a little bit different. You don鈥檛 quite know what you鈥檙e going to see with each of these performers. It adds that element of surprise and vibrancy and energy.鈥�
