Downtown Cleveland Alliance Is Looking for a Few Good Buskers

In an effort to continue to “animate downtown streets” and “bring more vibrancy into its unique public spaces,” Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA) has launched a new Downtown Busker Program that encourages local musicians to sign up to perform at designated areas.

“Unique and intimate activations that are easy to engage with are just more fun and attractive to city-goers,” says Michael Deemer, President and CEO of DCA, in a statement. “Clevelanders want to be able to walk down the street at any time of day and come upon experiences that make them feel excited about their city, and buskers bring a level of vibrancy and life to our streets that other amenities cannot. We want to make this accessible and successful for our performers and pedestrians, which is why we are so thrilled about our new program.”

DCA encourages buskers to reserve one of the 20 preselected pitch locations, chosen for their potential for maximum pedestrian visibility. They can do so by filling out DCA’s online busker application. These locations, which are marked with blue hat logo stickers, “ensure prime exposure to passerby and nearby hot spots, while also fostering creative freedom of talent or performance,” as it’s put in the press release.

This article appears in Sep 7-20, 2022.