Street performers can help draw crowds to festivals and marketplaces.
Street corner performers are more accepted and welcome throughout Europe, but are also gaining prominence in many areas of the U.S. Sometimes referred to as buskers, street corner performers can be musicians, jugglers, dancers or nearly any kind of artist who performs in a public forum. While large parks are key places to find street corner performers, such performers must go where they draw the largest paying crowds.
Income
Some street corner performers can support themselves by just performing.
Some performers support themselves solely with their craft, while others use the work as a supplement to their income. How much a performer makes largely depends upon the performance location and ability to draw a generous crowd. While most performers will admit that some days are more lucrative than others, the goal each time they go out and perform is to provide an exciting, high-energy act that makes passing crowds stay, watch and show their appreciation through donations.
Dwelling
Street corner performers are not homeless panhandlers.
While some people assume performers also live on the street or follow a more nomadic existence, most performers can have a personal residence -- a home or apartment of some kind. Performers who prefer to travel to venues each year may choose to maintain a primary residence in one city while taking temporary accommodations in each of the cities in which they perform. For performers who have regular jobs and only supplement their income with street corner performing, they typically will have a primary residence.
Career Opportunities
Although many performers are content to offer their craft in an outside forum as their career choice, other performers use the opportunity to hone their skills for more professional opportunities, or they hope to be discovered during one of their performances. The famous performing group Cirque du Soleil was once a band of 14 street corner performers who entertained crowds on the streets of Montreal, Canada. Today, they pack formal, indoor venues around the world.
Legal Issues
Not all city law enforcement welcome street corner performances.
Performers in the U.S. must be careful to observe the laws of the cities in which they perform. Some cities have regulations against street performing and can arrest violators for blocking sidewalks, disturbing the peace or panhandling. In other cities like Venice Beach, California, or Chicago, Illinois, street performers are encouraged in appropriate areas. In cities that allow such performances, the performers must be registered by the city.
