Next year’s festival marks gradual return to city centre
The World Buskers Festival will return to central Christchurch for the first time since the February 2011 earthquake.
The festival will mainly be held in a cluster of temporary venues in Hagley Park, but buskers will bring laughter to the city centre again when shows begin on January 17.
Performances will be held at a pavilion made of pallets on the former Crowne Plaza site on the corner of Kilmore and Durham streets and on two stages in the Re:Start mall.
Festival artistic director Jodi Wright said she hoped performers could return to Cathedral Square in 2014.
‘‘We are making a gradual return to the city, but it is baby steps. We are responding to what is happening in the city.
‘‘We have gone back into the city where we know there will not be disruption from the circumstances we are all living through.’’
New festival manager Leyton Tremain is keen to bring performers back to the city.
‘‘There are some opportunities and challenges as the city opens up again. There needs to be a balance between proper street performers and Hagley Park, which is access- ible and works well,’’ Tremain said.
Like last year, a corner of Hagley Park will be transformed into Busker Park for the festival. The cluster of venues has bars, a bank, catering, stages and indoor venues.
The Re:Start mall will have a music stage where Kiwi acts, including The Eastern, will perform, and a tra- ditional busker pitch near Ballantynes.
The pallet pavilion, which was built by Gap Filler, will host Keith Preene’s Golden Goose Bingo, a night of comedy bingo that has previously been held at The Loons in Lyttelton.
Wright said the 2013 lineup was classier than previous festivals.