arts

International Busking Day Is Back

Now in its seventh year, International Busking Day will return on Saturday 16 July with big names sharing the stage alongside up and coming artists and grassroots acts. The festival, supported by the Mayor of London, is presented by Busk in London and in 2021 scooped up an award at the prestigious Music Cities Awards, a global competition designed to reward the most outstanding applications of music for social and cultural development in cities all around the world.

With over 120 performers in total, International Busking Day is a great opportunity to support some of the hottest home-grown talent. This year’s line up includes British country duo The Shires and folk singer songwriter Seth Lakeman, alongside electric swing quartet Stringfever, Malawian busker Gasper Nali and Swedish street magician Charlie Caper. Little Stars Circus School is bringing their entire school plus professional performers to provide a whole day of aerial performance, and Leeds based indie band The Dunwells will be performing on the Main Stage to get the crowd going before the soon to be announced headliners. All the Wembley Park Live Academy performers will be performing, showcasing the best local talent.

Created by Busk in London in 2015 as a hashtag campaign to help raise the profile of street performance and celebrate talent, it has grown and developed into a musical highlight in London’s most iconic destination for music and live entertainment.

With 10 outdoor stages and performance locations in close proximity to Wembley Stadium and the OVO Arena Wembley, International Busking Day will also feature street performers across a variety of disciplines, including music, dance and circus arts. The capital is renowned for its vibrant and diverse busking scene, and this free festival enables communities and musicians to celebrate one of the many things that makes it such an exciting place to be.

Since 2018, when International Busking Day moved to Wembley Park from its original Trafalgar Square location,over 20,000 attendees have been entertained by 166 performers, including previous headliners and special guests such as Nile Rodgers, KT Tunstall, The Noisettes, Newton Faulkner, and Nina Nesbitt.

KT Tunstall is a Busk in London Ambassador and was the IBD 2019 headliner. She says:
"Busking will always be the foundation that my career in performing is built upon. International Busking Day is a fantastic celebration of it in an amazing location and just hands down a brilliant day out! Do support buskers - however you can- when you see them out and about."

Fast establishing itself as London’s most exciting new neighbourhood, and only a twelve minute tube ride into central London, Wembley Park will feature International Busking Day in its exciting roster of events this summer. Through International Busking Day and its annual free cultural programme, Wembley Park is providing opportunities for the community to participate and engage with live experiences across different artforms.

Josh McNorton, Cultural Director, Wembley Park said:
“Wembley has a rich heritage of hosting performances across many artforms, and busking is an incredible platform to launch the legendary acts of the future. Alongside musicians, International Busking Day will feature a range of street performers. Circus acts, dance troupes, graffiti artists, and more will be popping up around Wembley Park, entertaining everyone throughout the day.”

Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, said:
“I’m delighted to see the return of International Busking Day to Wembley Park. London is renowned for its thriving busking scene, and this global celebration provides an incredible platform for new and established artists. Nothing is more thrilling than experiencing a live performance, close-up on London’s streets. With ten stages, and over 100 talented artists from the UK and around the world, International Busking Day will be a highlight of London’s summer of culture.”

Kate Jones, Found in Music, added:
”International Busking Day is a celebration of a global art form.Whether it is undiscovered talent performing on the street, or artists who travel the world entertaining audiences of all ages, busking has the ability to surprise, delight and entertain all who see it. We are thrilled to be bringing International Busking Day back to Wembley Park, showcasing emerging artists alongside big names and home grown talent next to international performers in what is our biggest International Busking Day event to date.This will be a highlight of a fantastic summer of music and entertainment at Wembley Park and one not to be missed.”

wembleypark.com/international-busking-day-wembley-park