(DENVER) What was once America's largest busker festival has risen from the ashes to entertain and educate the masses. Recently renovated, Union Station is the historic main railway station and central transportation hub built in 1894. It boasts an eclectic array of the city's top restaurants, bars, and shops in addition to The Crawford Hotel.As tourists got off the trains, they were greeted with buskers and street performers mid-act. Energy flowed between the streets, sidewalks, stations and parks creating a place where people naturally gravitated, connected, and wanted to be.

Jugglers, stilt-walkers, hula-hoopers, pole-climbers, fire-twirlers, oriental drummers, guitarists and more were among the chosen to represent this version of Denver's famed buskerfest.

Coverage by Busker Central reporters...

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(GERMANY) Behold the best busker in the world...or is he? We'll let you be the judge as they say. What we have here is Schrotti, possibly the largest one-man band in the universe. Along the Rhine in Düsseldorf plays this extraordinary busker...but is he the best?Full Story & Video

(PHILADELPHIA) Let's take a trip down the way to see the 10 best buskers Philly has to offer - at least that's the working theory.Although some are wondering where Gregory Underwood, the U of Arts students, and the B-boys-breakers are, it's a safe bet that these street-performers represent the city well.

Relax watching the "King of the buskers" featuring street-musicians doing what they do best - covers. But not all buskers featured fall into this category. There are rappers, guitarists, hang drums, and crooners. There is hip-hop, classic folk, and upbeat, jazzy wooden flute styles.

Songs include, "Eat, sleep, sh!t, work", "Smoke on the water", “A Change Is Gonna Come”, "Counting Your Curses", and "Fanfare" among others. But don't take our word for it. Go ...

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(SEATTLE) Believe it or not, buskers can end up in the strangest of good fortune. It's happened before and it will happen again. All it takes are some good busking skills and a little luck.Enter Whitney Monge - a busker in Seattle's famed Pike Place market. She soon found herself making more money busking than working at the big corporate coffee shop down the street.

Whitney spent over eight years at the market and, although having moved on, still considers it "100% home". She also had to weather the pandemic experience.

What's Whitney doing these days? Nothing much - just singing and playing guitar with the Seattle symphony as part of their Essential Series.

Check out the interview and video at KNKX public radio station's website through the link below.

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It's survival of the fittest as some resort to dirty tactics in face of stiffer competition.

Outwit, outplay, outlast.
That motto from TV reality series Survivor also holds true for the buskers in Orchard Road.

The current economic downturn is certainly not music to their ears as they have seen takings drop in recent months.

If that's not enough of a worry, they also have to fend off competition from both legitimate and illegal buskers.

But more of that later. For now, the downturn is a more worrisome test of survivor skills.

Take the case of Mr Donald Wee, 51, who strums the guitar near Shaw House.

'More people are donating coins instead of $5 or $10 notes,' he lamented.

He used to earn about $100 in two hours but can net only $40 now. The former security guard went into busking four years ago when he could not find another job after he was arrested for fighting....

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