About Us
London has a rich history of street entertainment throughout the years, and it has become one of London's big tourist attractions, with people coming from all over the world and enjoying live street shows. Street performing helps create a vibrant culture of arts in the city and we are proud to keep that tradition going as we boast a strong community of talented singer/songwriters, instrumentalists, musical theatre performers and more.
Our aim is to keep street performing alive and provide quality entertainment for everyone. We created the Westminster Street Performers Association to bring performers together in one community, to share our voices with the public and to create positive change and solutions for busking in Westminster.
Our Challenge
Trying to keep the streets live!
In 2021 a license scheme was put in place during the global pandemic by Westminster Council without any communication with the busking community who play in the area. This license scheme made many of the main performance areas illegal to play in and cut down the amount of pitches in the whole of Westminster to just a couple that are playable.
The licence was framed as a way to help buskers by making official spots with more support and regulation, however, over the last few years it has become apparent that the license does not support the busking commmunity and instead threatens the livelihood and jobs of many of our performers. The pitches are often closed for weeks without warning or alternatives and the buskers are treated as a problem by the council rather than a part of the local community. We have received no support from the council and our voices go unheard when we propose ideas or changes to help improve the license scheme.
Our plan is to work with the council and business to develop a busking scheme that benefits everyone and creates an enjoyable and entertaining atmosphere in the heart of London. You can support us by coming to see our performances, sharing our story and signing our petition to keep London streets alive with culture and music.
© Westminster Street Performers Association. All rights reserved.
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