Busk! Blog

Study participants rated areas with buskers 10% higher in terms of comfort, 7% higher in activeness, and 6% higher in overall liking.

Al writes to me that he “love(s) the authenticity of street performing, it tells you the brutal truth about your performance and teaches you how to improve.”

“Busking allows you to have a lot of interactions with the audience and to make them part of the show,” she explains to me. “There’s a bit of magic when it comes to the audience changing.”

While seeing such a variety of costumes, ages, and skillsets, the one thing I kept thinking was, “How does someone find their way into busking, and what does it take?”

Jon B. Woodin (left) and Ryder Cooley (right) are two members of the Dust Bowl Faeries.

Ida Rosenstein Busker Daring Coyotes, photographed by Eltavious Johnson Street performers, otherwise known as “buskers,” have been...

Ida Rosenstein Dylan Patrick Ward busks in 2022 If you’ve ever seen someone playing an instrument in a local park or singing on the...

Abby Hanna Catherine Flaherty grew up climbing trees in her home state of Florida. She was a competitive swimmer in high school, but felt...

Abigail Hanna, Social Media & Content Editor ***My name is Abigail Hanna and I am the social media coordinator for BerkshireBusk! For the...

Ari Jewell, Festival Storyteller Last Friday was my final night at Berkshire Busk! (The festival isn’t over, I just have to go back to...

‍ Zarina Levitsky The sheer curtains effortlessly dance in the air as the breeze swirls into the room, the stars twinkling faintly in...

Ari Jewell, Festival Storyteller As I approached downtown Great Barrington on Friday night, it occurred to me that I have been entering...

Ari Jewell, Festival Storyteller On the first day of Berkshire Busk!, Tante Friedl’s Dan Wall told me the story of Joshua Bell’s...

‍ Zarina Levitsky Barely one year old, you crawl into your mothers lap, reaching your small hands towards what she is holding with a...

‍ Zarina Levitsky Deep within the mountains of Italy, a small village resides. A close community of shepherds, merchants, mothers, and...

Ari Jewell, Festival Storyteller On Friday night, Mary Ann Palermo sang a swinging cover of Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” her eyes on...

Ari Jewell, Festival Storyteller I met someone on Friday, a Great Barrington resident named Jackie. We met on the sidewalk, standing...

Ari Jewell, Festival Storyteller There’s a way that Friday evenings feel when you have somewhere to be. When some crowded room is waiting...

‍ Zarina Levitsky Sitting down in anticipation in a dimly lit room, butterflies will flutter in your stomach as you wipe your palms on...

‍ Zarina Levitsky Let me ask you: What is your favorite childhood memory? While you think about this question, I’m going to reminisce...