Seventh annual event introduces new after-hours market while continuing to showcase international talent at Riverside Park
The Kamloops International Buskers Festival is set to return to Riverside Park from July 24– 26, bringing three days of live entertainment, international performers, and family-friendly fun to the city.
Now in its seventh year, the festival has become a staple of Kamloops’ summer events calendar. Professional street performers from around the world will gather in Riverside Park to entertain audiences with acrobatics, juggling, magic, music, hula hoop performances among other acts.
Festival programming will take place on outdoor stages and at busking locations throughout the park.
For event coordinator Lucas Sweet, the festival’s uniqueness is one of its biggest draws.
“It is a three-day festival free to attend and family friendly so it’s good for anyone to come to and we have shows happening throughout the day,” Sweet said. “It will be filled with Buskers who are from around the world and are the best at what they do.”
Sweet noted that the festival stands apart from other events in the province. “It is unique to Kamloops because there is no festival like this anywhere else in the province. We are the only festival of its kind here in B.C.,” he said.
Admission remains free, although audiences are encouraged to support performers directly if they enjoy the shows. Unlike many festivals, the performers rely on voluntary contributions from spectators.
“At the end of their show they are going to ask for tips, and it is up to the audience to decide whether they want to give something or not,” Sweet said. “There is no mandatory tip. You give what you would like and that’s it.”
Over the past seven years, Sweet has seen the festival grow beyond attendance numbers. He believes local understanding and appreciation of busking culture has increased significantly.
“I think it’s grown in popularity. We obviously have a lot more people attending the festival now than we did seven years ago,” Sweet said. “The community is really starting to understand it, get behind it and really have a love for it.”
This year’s festival will introduce a new event called Buskers After Hours, a neon-themed night market taking place following Music in the Park on July 24. The event will be held in the skating loop at Riverside Park and feature vendors, entertainment and activities.
“This part of the festival is more geared towards adults,” Sweet said. “We are going to have vendors, really cool entertainment from buskers, and some other fun activities.”
Festival organizers have also assembled a lineup of international performers. Sweet said all this year’s featured acts are travelling from outside Canada, including performers from Europe, the United States, Mexico and Japan.
Among those returning is Pancho Libre, a performer from Mexico who was a crowd favourite during last year’s festival.
“We have brought him back again for this year and are really excited for him,” Sweet said.
The festival will also feature a Japanese acrobatic duo and hula hoop performer Lessa Hoops, both of whom come highly recommended by other busking festivals.
As the event continues to grow, organizers hope to build on the community support that has helped sustain it for seven years. For anyone still undecided about attending, Sweet believes the festival’s appeal is straightforward.
“It’s free to attend. It’s fun,” he said. “There is really no better way to spend an afternoon in July than at the park watching fun performances that you cannot get anywhere else.”