Festival to bring music to life
ASPIRING singers will get their chance to shine at the city’s inaugural Toowoomba Busking Festival.
It will be held today throughout the CBD in partnership with the Streets and Lanes Festival.
The new event will be run by the team at Youth with a Mission which is already embedded in the local music culture through its regular Campfire Sessions at Bon Amici Café and Walton Stores, which provide local artists an opportunity to perform each month.
The Toowoomba Busking Festival is about filling the streets with music and creating opportunities for artists, especially locals.
Toowoomba Busking Festival coordinator Kim Startup said busking had been a key element of Streets and Lanes since it kicked off in 2016.
“Now buskers will be in the running for cash prizes as well as benefiting from opportunities to network with other artists and getting their name and sound out there,” he said.
Toowoomba Regional Council has chipped in to help get the busking festival up and running through its Event Support Grant Program.
Buskers will perform at Grand Central and Walton Stores so residents around the city are encouraged to stop and take in the live music.
Other busking locations are Ground Up Espresso Bar, Gelatissimo, The Book Tree and Cool Beans Espresso.
The official winner of the busking competition will be chosen by experienced artists acting as festival judges, but the public will also get a chance to have their say.