For four days every August, Toronto closes down Union Street for the annual Scotiabank Buskerfest to benefit Epilepsy Toronto. Buskers (or street performers) from all over the world perform incredible, funny or sometimes just plain zany acts for the crowds that gather. This year’s festival was a wildly successful program, made so not only by the talent that the event drew but also the commitment of the organizers to create an event that was dynamic.
Perhaps the best act was Alakazam, also known as Al Millar, from Australia. Mr. Millar has won the festival’s Best Act prize two years in a row. With his mix of stunts and humour, Alakazam wowed audiences with sword juggling and a trick where he turned his arms around 360 degrees and back again.
My own personal favorite, however, was Clan Ketchoz out of Montreal. The group is a duo made up of a core of Lysanne Richards and Tom Cholot, but includes other performers depending upon the event, plus their son Luca. I can’t give you much background, as their website is in French, and I don’t read French (but take a look; there are some clips and other goodies worth seeing). For the Buskerfest, they set up some trampolines and performed an acrobatic act that was laced with the perfect note of humour and fun.
Grammy award winners Samba Squad performed a number of incredible percussion numbers that just simply blew me away. Their music was full of energy as always, but there’s something special about hearing them play on the street as opposed to on an album or in a music hall. The music becomes part of the air in a way that it doesn’t within the confines of other settings.
Of course, all of the acts were amazing, and I don’t mean to imply that these acts were the only ones worth mentioning. Stop by the Buskerfest website and browse through the performer’s list. You’ll find something you enjoy. The organizers did an excellent job of drawing talent from across the world and creating a festival that is both unique and fun. Coming from the Writing Outside the Margins festival with its flaccid effort, it struck me just how much the success of an event is tied to how well the organizers embrace the theme with which the respective festival springs. The Buskerfest rates a World Class for its dazzle and fun. --Robis
