Violinist Joshua Bell was left shocked and disappointed when he realised parents don't like their children paying attention to street musicians during a recent busking experiment.The acclaimed classical musician dressed down and wore a disguise for his odd free show at the Washington D.C. Metro (subway) station - and was surprised no one recognised him.

Reporting back to editors of the Washington Post newspaper, who came up with the ruse, Bell confessed he was appalled to discover so many adults don't like their children to stop for buskers.

He tells WENN, "I had a baseball hat on and tattered clothes, so, if there was anyone who had been to my concerts, they would not have known it was me.

"It was sad and interesting because children tended to want to stop and listen and parents...

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(LAWRENCE, KANSAS) It's hard to believe the Lawrence Busker Festival is celebrating it's tenth year keeping Lawrence weird. The festival will host over 50 difference acts on it's five downtown pitches. Included are fire displays, pogo stick acrobatics, break dancers, aerial artists, rubber chicken tricks, musicians and much more.The Great Escape will kick off the festivities where an escape artist will replicate Harry Houdini's feat of escaping from a strait jacket while hanging upside down two stories above the crowd. Other events include an attempt to to set the Guinness World Record for the most people attempting a water bottle flip. And it gets even better.

Street performers will soon become a regular sight in Lawrence. Thanks to a $5,000 City Hall grant, the city's Community Arts Grant Competition's...

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(MASSACHUSETTS) Beginning today, the fair city of Cambridge is making it easier for performing artists to express themselves. The city wants more buskers so it's eliminating permit fees. The Cambridge Arts Council announcement is meant to offer more opportunities for artists to showcase their talents without having to pay a fee.Believe it or not, one doesn't even have to be a resident. It's open to all. The only slight catch is they want to see your act first before they waive the $40 fee. The performers must stick to the city’s street busker ordinance which sets parameters on performance times, locations, and noise.

The process just highlights the differing states of confusion when it comes to busking and street performing. While one city is busy regulating and restricting - even outlawing busking, t...

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The Galway, Ireland busking community has published their own code of conduct ahead of the implementation of city council bylaws to regulate the activity. The code is being launched as part of the ‘We Support Friendly Busking’ campaign.Galway Buskers Community argues there is no need for busking bylaws, stating its new document promotes positive and responsible practices among street performers.

The group is also promoting a new slogan ‘Our Art, Our Streets, Our Responsibility’.

The initiative aims to improve the relationship between buskers and the business community with focus areas including noise levels, duration of performances and crowd obstruction.

The group says any move to rollout bylaws or permits would seriously impact Galway’s reputation as a major arts and culture hub. New bylaws to...

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(CHRISTCHURCH) Comedians, daredevils, dancers, singers and acrobats will hit the streets in January to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the World Buskers Festival. Fifty-five performers representing 14 countries will descend on the city for the annual 10-day festival from January 18-28.To celebrate 25 years, there will be five headline shows. After making it through to the America’s Got Talent final last year, The Boy with Tape on His Face is coming home to premier his new ideas. Urzila Carlson will perform her new show Unacceptable and the Topp Twins will entertain the crowds with their classic Kiwi humour. A Night at the Musicals, featuring Le Gateau Chocolat, will bring musical entertainment, as will Crossdresser for Christ, featuring Ginger Minj from RuPaul’s Drag Race.

New features wil...

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