(SCOTLAND) Over the past few years, local fringe festivals have taken on a life their own. Although starting small, some have now grown to enormous sizes.Take the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for example. Believe it or not, over 500 buskers and street-performers have registered to perform in the festival making it the world's largest.

"Artists and performers take to hundreds of stages all over the city to present shows for every taste. From big names in the world of entertainment to unknown artists looking to build their careers, the festival caters for everyone and includes theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, circus, cabaret, children's shows, musicals, opera, music, spoken word, exhibitions and events.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, a registered charity, is the organization that underpins...

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(SAN DIEGO) Believe it or not, California's only busker festival will celebrate it's 14th year at Seaport Village in San Diego. This year features 24 eye-catching acts including knife throwing, sword swallowing, pogo stick tricks and juggling on unicycles."Happening Saturday, March 7th and Sunday, March 8th, the Busker Festival at Seaport Village celebrates the fascinating and unique talents of street performers who come from across the world to entertain us here in San Diego."

As an added attraction, this year introduces Busker University. Learn tips and tricks of busking from the professionals.

If you happen to be in southern California, be sure to check it out. This may be your only chance to experience these bloody buskers. As usual, it's free and open to the public. Be sure to bring lots of...

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(WWW) Our Founding Fathers...who art in Heaven...
Explore the History and Cultural Impact of Street Performing in America.Ben Franklin on the Streets of Boston in 1718 and Patrick Henry and Sam Adams on the Revolutionary Streets are just a few that used their talents to influence the making of a nation. Street performances were a part of colonial American life as evidenced by these observations of Hanover and Williamsburg, Virginia and Boston. Nathaniel Hawthorne, anyone? Here's a history of busking in the new world.

Americana at it's finest.

Follow the link below for edification.

American Street Performing

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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(ARIZONA) You wouldn't think Arizona would have come this far - but Downtown Phoenix, Inc. thinks the time is right. Lo and behold, there's music and performing where there once was none. It seems the desert southwest has caught the busker bug.

From flea markets to sporting events to outdoor malls, there are buskers plying their trade and free to now express themselves artistically. The times - they are a changin'.

And why not? Making a more vibrant community can only enhance revenue for the cities thru increased sales in shops and restaurants.

The atmosphere is rhythmically changing into something we can all appreciate when we try. Add a dash of interviews and you've got a nice recipe for explaining Busker Nation.

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