16 Focus Cities
There is a great deal of variation between the amount of regulation different cities impose on busking. There are also differences in how strictly that regulation is enforced.
In many cases there is a conflict of interest between policy makers and street performers when it comes to the policies adopted. As part of this research, we wanted to highlight the perspective of buskers towards these policies and refer to the difficulties that they face in some cases.
The following sixteen reports on key focus cities illustrate many of the different regulatory approaches to busking. They assess how strictly the regulations are applied and contain feedback on the effects of the regulations from buskers in the featured cities.
The reports are listed alphabetically. First by country and then by city for those countries in which more than one city is featured. Each city is given a grade or score which is the combined value of the factors and regulations governing busking in that city.
In general, busking is considered legal in London but individual boroughs have a large degree of autonomy in their approach to street performers. We have featured the borough of Camden as well as Greater London because Camden’s regulatory system has recently become more restrictive.
Sydney, Australia
Grade: 9 – Ranking 1st
— Busking is legal.
— Licence is mandatory at a low fee. There is an auditioning process only for dangerous acts and for safety reasons. This is conducted by a busker’s association (ACAPTA).
— There are specific pitches where artists are allowed to perform. There seems to be a problem with many good pitches being under private rights and thus stricter regulations.
— There is a busking coordinator in the city hall.
— Busking is part of Sydney’s cultural policy and city branding.
— The local busking community participates actively in the policy-making process.