(SACRAMENTO) Watch out San Francisco. The California capital is taking measures to encourage buskers and street-performers to entertain their fair city. Dozens of new murals have been painted on buildings around midtown and new legislation allows for more of the performing arts both inside and out.Buskers were once pushed out of Sacramento and other downtown areas pressured by frustrated business owners and residents who complained about the noise or said the musicians were blocking sidewalks. But as Sacramento’s urban core continues to develop and momentum continues in the local creative community, bringing back the buskers has become a hot topic around town.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission as well as the Creative Economy Pilot Project will soon receive funding for projects over the next two y...

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(NEW YORK) Central Park buskers at the Bethesda Fountain Terrace have been booted off their long-standing pitch by an effort to establish a food and booze court. The city has posted a new "Quiet Zone" sign there and have been ticketing performers - even handcuffing one opera singer and taking him away.

Parks Department spokeswoman Vickie Karp said the musicians are the problem and have "completely blocked the stairs. The public wants quiet zones and have repeatedly requested quiet places for passive enjoyment of the park."

The food court and bar will feature $8 to $10 beers, $8 glasses of wine, and $7 to $9 sandwiches.

More...

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(YORK) City Halls often see busking as a potential problem to be managed and restricted. The victory with the York City Council resulted in a document designed to encourage and welcome buskers from all over the world.An online petition was started by the Keep Streets Live Campaign. It was signed by over 4000 people and called on York to scrap their restrictive policy and work with the busking community to produce new guidance. It seems while one town is outlawing busking and street performing, another is begging for buskers to revitalize their historic and shopping districts.

The York document may influence London's policy that criminalizes street musicians. A campaign has been set up to challenge it and protect Britain's public spaces. The Camden dispute has organized buskers consulting in the House of Lords, taking the...

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(CAPE TOWN) Buskers and street-performers are busy celebrating City Hall's decision to legalize performing in Cape Town.The South African city made news earlier this year when blind busker Lunga Nono was beaten by metro police for busking in St. George's Mall.

Charges against the busker have recently been dropped in favor of new legislation. Nono's guitar was broken in the melee which took place in front of his family and onlooking tourists. A music shop donated a new guitar to Nono who has filed a lawsuit.

Now that the city has come to it's senses about the performing artists and tourism, just about anything goes. This includes street musicians, acrobats, clowning, comedy, contortions, dance, singing, fire skills, mime, living statues, music performance, puppeteering, storytelling, poetry, painting,...

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(KEY WEST) It may be lights out for buskers and street performers on Florida's popular and most southern island. Key West city commissioners on Tuesday approved the first reading of an ordinance that would put stricter controls on where some 220 license-holding street performers set up their act or wares on Duval Street.

Performers also would not be allowed at Mallory Square. Other restricted areas: Wall Street; in front federal, state or local government buildings; in front of churches and theaters; the Key West Bight harbor walk; the Truman Waterfront; and the Southernmost Point.