{"id":17587,"date":"2016-07-29T16:00:53","date_gmt":"2016-07-29T20:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/?p=17587"},"modified":"2020-03-26T03:55:33","modified_gmt":"2020-03-26T07:55:33","slug":"buskerfest-brings-spark-to-ottawas-sparks-street-this-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/2016\/07\/29\/buskerfest-brings-spark-to-ottawas-sparks-street-this-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"Buskerfest brings spark to Ottawa’s Sparks Street this weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A<\/a>

A Spring Action performer in mid-flip. Photo by James Morgan<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Popeye<\/a>

Popeye and Olive Oyl are from England and made their Canadian debut at Ottawa Buskerfest. Photo by James Morgan<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s theater of the sidewalk. The 25th<\/sup> Annual Ottawa Buskerfest is on until Monday, August 1. For the unfamiliar, a busker is a performer, musician, or artist who performs in a place like a street or square for donations. In Ottawa, the place is Sparks Street, the downtown pedestrian mall a block south of Parliament Hill. I decided to check out Buskerfest this past Thursday when things were getting started. It was lunch hour, so lots of people had left their offices to enjoy some fresh air and entertainment. Tourists were enjoying it too.<\/p>\n

16 different performers were on the official schedule for this year\u2019s Buskerfest, but a few others always show up, too. I was there when Spring Action, a trampoline act, and Banjo Circus\/The Popeye and Olive Show were on. \u00a0There were a few other unadvertised features that were amusing, too. Other acts taking place throughout the event include contortionists, fire juggling, magic shows, and acrobats. Performances continue into the evenings. Normally busy during weekdays, Sparks Street generally gets quiet at night. That isn’t the case during Buskerfest. It adds spark to Sparks.<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n