Cambridge Buskers Festival returns to city this summer
The Cambridge Buskers Festival will take place at some of the city’s leading music venues this summer, each of which will host a rota of buskers throughout the day.
The festival began on the streets of Cambridge in 2008, but in recent years has become the Buskers Showcase Stage at Strawberry Fair on Midsummer Common.
Following the cancellation of this year’s Strawberry Fair, Cambuskers Community Group has decided to run the Cambridge Buskers Festival on the same weekend the fair would have been held (7-8 June), as a fundraiser for Strawberry Fair itself.
Cambuskers are asking for a donation of £200 from each venue taking part, which will go towards next year’s Strawberry Fair.
Cambridge music venues interested in taking part in the festival should contact Greg Butler by email at greg@strawberry-fair.org.uk.
Volunteers wanting to help should contact volunteers@cambuskers.org, and any acts, musical or performance, wanting to take part should email contact@cambuskers.org.
Greg Butler, chair, Cambuskers, said: “The last time we held the festival around Cambridge, we had 17 busking spots mostly on street locations around the city, and 90 acts taking part over the two days.
“With the disappointment of Strawberry Fair and the Folk Festival not happening this year, we wanted to provide an alternative event that performers could take part in, and at the same time help towards ensuring we get Strawberry Fair back next year.
“We expect the demand for performance slots to be high and feel this will be a fun and interesting alternative festival for them to be part of.”
The Cambridge Buskers Festival began in 2008. The initiative was devised by Heather Bevan-Hunt at Cambridge City Council, which ran an additional four festivals.
When Heather left the council in 2014, friends joined her to establish the Cambuskers Community Group (CBCG) to sustain the festival's legacy.
In 2016, the festival moved to a collaboration with independent arts and music festival Strawberry Fair. The Buskers Showcase Stage has since become a popular feature of Strawberry Fair.
For more on Cambuskers, visit cambuskers.org.
