Latest news with #buskers
CTV News
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘We're in Quebec,' responds Quebec City mayor about buskers forced to sing in French
Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand says he was surprised that a pilot project demanding buskers sing only in French has received such intense criticism. 'We're in Quebec City here,' the mayor tells Noovo Info. 'It's not everywhere. Those who are unhappy can go to other sites.' In May, the city modified its regulations regarding public entertainers in the Petit Champlain area, particularly Félix-Leclerc Park and Place Royale. Marchand says he was 'flabbergasted' when opponents criticized the measure on the pretext that 'English attracts tourists.' 'We are not subject to an Anglophone diktat,' he insisted. 'Quebec City is French. We will embrace that. French is part of our culture.' Quebec City officials note that the pilot project is a trial and does not prevent Indigenous artists from singing in their native language.
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Covent Garden performers mark 50 years of self-regulation
Street artistes at London's Covent Garden are marking 50 years of performing in the location varies from the others in the city in that it has never required a licence or a permit to get a City Council brought in a borough-wide scheme in 2021, but the Covent Garden Street Performers Association (CGSPA) decided not to be involved, instead relying on Less, from the council, said licencing ensured "fair treatment for all performers" and hoped to work with the CGSPA to develop guidance on regulation in the future. For 50 years, the performers have managed themselves without formal permits, programming teams, or external regulation. Melvyn Altwarg, a CGSPA spokesperson, said the current system had worked well for decades."Covent Garden works because we built it. "No one had to come in with a policy document – we figured it out on the cobblestones."He added: "We developed our own system for rotating pitches, drawing lots for performance times, and resolving disputes collectively." Street performing in the square dates back to at least 1662, when Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary about a marionette show. Modern-day artists to have cut their teeth in Covent Garden include Cirque Du Soleil, STOMP and Dynamo. The regulatory scheme brought in by Westminster City Council has largely been complied with in other in Leicester Square were recently subject to a noise abatement notice categorising music played by buskers as a statutory nuisance and akin to "psychological torture". Aicha Less, from the council, said it was very supportive of "the immensely talented street performers who bring joy to tourists and residents alike". She said the aim of regulation was to "balance the needs of businesses and residents while ensuring street performers and buskers can continue to do what they do best."There are no informal agreements with any performer associations, and our licensing scheme aims to set a level playing field - ensuring fair treatment for all performers whilst allowing others to live and work without excessive crowding or noise."
