Street performer spotlight: 40+ buskers to attend 1st Asheville BuskerFest

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The inaugural Asheville BuskerFest will bring over 40 different street performers to Asheville this weekend. The event will also spotlight displaced River Arts District artists with booths around several stages in the RAD.

When is Asheville BuskerFest?

BuskerFest will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, May 2 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, May 3 at stages in Pritchard Park, 67 Patton Ave., and at All Souls Pizza, 175 Clingman Ave., Wedge Brewery at Foundation, 5 Foundy St., and RAD Brewing Co., 13 Mystery St.

The festival is free and family-friendly, though carrying cash for tips is encouraged.

What is a busker?

A busker is a street artist who performs an act for tips. While buskers are often musicians, there are many types of buskers, including magicians, mimes and performance artists.

What should I expect at Asheville BuskerFest?

Bryan Matheny, organizer of BuskerFest, said he wanted the event to platform the artistic spirit buskers bring to Asheville.

“I love our buskers, and I wanted to give them a chance to, you know, sort of like the Oscars, [have] an annual celebration,” Matheny said. “We’ll put a spotlight on them once a year, and they can perform in front of bigger crowds, hopefully, and people will realize how important the busking scene is to our city, because it’s quite literally the vibe on the streets.”

At the event, there will be over 40 performers taking the stage, including clowns, old-time musicians and even an a cappella group. Find the full schedule here. In true busking form, there will also be opportunities for spontaneous art to take place.

“There will be an open mic at the end, at Pritchard Park on Sunday. We thought the best way to do it was to have both scheduled acts and an open mic,” Matheny explained.

However, even outside of the open mic setting, the nature of busking guarantees some spontaneity, Matheny said.

The festival will spotlight two major groups of Asheville artists. One is the Asheville Buskers Collective.

“It’s an activist organization to protect busker rights,” Matheny said. “There’s a balancing act there, of course, because buskers need to be cognizant and aware of their surroundings, and if they are being a nuisance, then they should be dealt with. And the buskers know that. So then, the dialogue continues between the city and the buskers, because we need the buskers, but at the same time we want them to be recognized and appreciated.”

Matheny thinks that the festival will be a solid foundation for drawing more awareness to buskers and the positive contributions they bring to Asheville culture.

BuskerFest will also benefit RAD artists, many of whom remain displaced after Tropical Storm Helene.

“All of these locations, we’re going to have mostly displaced artists displaying their wares, and so we really want people to support them,” Matheny said.

Matheny promised that the festival will reflect the uniqueness of its performers.

“Buskers are weird in the best possible way. Like, the kind of weird that I wish I was weird, like that. That’s why we love them so much,” Matheny said. “We’ll capture that spirit for sure.”