The first festival is always the most challenging because you're dealing with City Hall. It's always best to start with contact to the almighty, especially the Mayor. The city will need specifics and decide how much it will cost them. Show photos and video of your planned event and receive your permit. You may ask what "official" support the city can offer such as:
1) Pitches
2) Street barracades/closures
3) Foot patrol
4) Parking
5) Signage/Lighting
6) General attitude (at this time)
The staff will be responsible for fund-raising after all signs are go. You may find Local, State, and even National support when pitching your festival. You've got the following facts that support:
1) Fun for the whole family
2) Children love it
3) Adults are amazed
4) Merchants love it
5) TV crews love it
6) Newspaper reporters love it
7) The community loves it
The staff shall find and raise sponsorship which will determine the festival's capacity and advertising schedule. The sponsor's donation will be the overall factor reflecting the actual community interest in the festival.
Advertising, as you may suspect, plays a critical role in getting the word out on the streets. The budget must be large enough to support newspaper and television ads which will be about 50% of the total cost.
1) Television ads (local news stations)
2) Newspaper ads (including local colleges)
3) Internet promotions
It is better to shout from the top of a mountain than tell each person about the festival. Advertise your 30-second spot on the local media's news hour, perhaps even getting a deal. Utilize free advertising by listing your festival with local newspaper's website and community event sections.
Most busker festivals have posters of artwork displayed around the city that is associated with the festival. They usually just include the art itself, name of the festival, and dates. Sponsor's logos are included on any flyer, poster, newspaper, website, or television promotion. Start your final advertising campaign 6 weeks before the festival.
The central hotel will serve as base of operations and Busker HeadQuarters providing food, lodging, conference, and transportation to and from trains and airports. It is the drop-off point for all performers. You will want all non-local acts to arrive at the hotel the night before the festival.
Booking 5-40 rooms at the closest decent hotel to the pitches may be a challenge. It's best to check the hotel's schedule first to make sure you're not booking on the same days a major convention is in town. Check group-rates for five nights and see if the hotel can sponsor the festival by offering free parking.
The budget will have to determine whether funding allows meals to be included and for whom. A fine meal at the end of the day may be what's in order for all artists.
Each performing guest will be transported in a safe manner to and from the festival. The hotel transport and taxi-stand will provide all transportation.
Local performers receive a limousine (or taxi) from their homes to the sponsored hotel and back. The morning after the festival, the hotel transports the non-local performers back to the train station and airport for their return trips.
Free-standing signs (vertical banners) proclaiming the pitch an official "BuskerStop" or "Street Performer Stage" should be made for each pitch. Other signs can be made pointing the ways to the next pitches. It will be the TA's responsibility to gather these signs each night after the festival and replace them the following morning.
The Grand Finale includes a special horizontal banner hung from a backdrop with the vertical banners now displayed along both sides of the stage.
Selecting and booking the buskers and street performers should be fun for the whole staff. By utilizing trains and planes, adding state and national performers to locals can truly display a blend of pure performing talent from around the world.
To have an International festival, it is only necessary to have a few buskers from far-away places. You may be able to find exotic foreign performers already in your very own nation.
Most performers will send a press-kit including some actual video of their performances. It will be up to the staff to select 10-40 buskers they think may interest the audience and hold them spellbound. Check your local, state, and national databases for entertainers. If you're looking for themed street performers (i.e. Firejugglers), announcing your festival online may have more specialized results.
The performers should encourage the audience to visit the surrounding shops having their sidewalk specials. Buskers should actively "pass the hat" after each performance. The scheduled buskers start performing at noon until around dinner time each day. After-hour performances are up to the individual street performers.
You will need the performers to commit themselves legally to insure they follow through with the contractual agreements and requirements of the festival. They will each need to sign a committment, a relief from liability, and proof of insurance if fire or dangerous objects are used.
Besides passing the hat during and even performing after-hours, the buskers will also be compensated with a standard common to other busker and street performer festivals. They are to receive $100 US per day with accomodation and transportation all inclusive. For a four day festival, each will receive $400 due after the closing ceremony. All checks can be picked up at the sponsored hotel after the festival with proper identification.
Some festivals even have a Master of Ceremonies award a trophy to the best act in the Grand Finale. A large, well-lit stage is set up for the night-time closing ceremony. The MC will announce the three best buskers and ask them to each perform. With the crowd being the judge, the MC presents the Best Busker trophy and invites everyone to return next year. Usually, the festival invites only the winner back the following year as the Guest of Honor.
The staff will be responsible for scheduling all acts on all pitches each decorated with an official "Buskerstop" or "Street Performer Festival" banner.
Merchants will be encouraged to set up a sidewalk sale to accompany the street festival. Restaurants are encouraged to set up soft-drink bars outside their business and offer specials inside.
Once the first few festivals are a success, you may get some competition from additional vendors. Everyone wants to be a part of the festival.
We certainly hope you start your own Busker & Street Performer Festival! Some festivals start small and, by popular demand, expand into the planet's biggest. The master plan above is modeled after the largest Buskerfests in the world. This information is free to all Busker Central members.
