Buskers can now perform together under NAC pilot; new spots added across Singapore
Visitors at the Singapore Zoo and Rainforest Wild Asia have been able to enjoy street performances in recent months.
Busker Bryan Wong performs a circus act at Rainforest Wild Asia in Singapore.
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SINGAPORE: Singapore’s busking scene is set for a major boost, with licensed buskers being able to perform together from Monday (Dec 1) to February next year under a pilot by the National Arts Council (NAC).
Up to two acts will be able to collaborate with each other, as part of NAC’s efforts to encourage creativity and keep the scene vibrant.
The pilot builds on changes to busking rules that were rolled out last year – specifically, a time-sharing function on the busking e-service portal that lets buskers share their slot with another street performer.
Buskers in Singapore must use a balloting system to book performance locations.
MORE LOCATIONS
The authorities have also increased the number of busking spots around the island to more than 90, including tourist attractions like Rainforest Wild Asia and the Singapore Zoo for the first time.
Larger spaces at these venues make them especially suited for street theatre and acts that require more room to perform.
This has helped Mr Bryan Wong, who specialises in circus performances, earn up to 30 per cent more this year compared to last year.
“It’s easily going to be a top three location because there's so much footfall here and everything,” said the 29-year-old.
He added that the new collaboration feature will allow buskers to have more chances to perform and fully utilise their slots.
“Buskers like myself only need 30 minutes to do a show, so we can share our slots with other buskers and give them more opportunities to busk. And given that there are over 500 buskers now, every opportunity to busk is a very important one,” he noted.
NAC said the expanded busking spaces came after consultations with the Busking Consultative Committee and other partners.
“They wanted an opportunity to share slots with other buskers, particularly if they wanted to rest and another busker could come in and take over the slot,” said Mr Patrick Piay, deputy director of access and community engagement at NAC.
During the upcoming festive period, NAC said it has worked with the Singapore Police Force to preserve busking locations along Orchard Road, such as two new pop-up spots on Christmas Eve.
APPROVAL FROM VISITORS
Busking has been trialled at the Singapore Zoo since October and at Rainforest Wild Asia since March.
Mandai Wildlife Group, which manages both attractions, first started with the entrance of Bird Paradise before selecting an area near the entrance of Rainforest Wild Asia for its good traffic flow and shelter.
The group’s vice president of retail and lifestyle Daisy Tan said visitors have been “giving us a thumbs up”.
“They didn’t expect that surprise performance, and they always look forward to that in the weekends (now). If the weather permits, we hope that buskers will always be coming every day and bring joy to the community and guests,” she added.
Ms Tan said Mandai Wildlife Group has also started to open busking spaces at River Wonders, and it is “constantly looking” for more appropriate performance areas.
CALL FOR MORE HEARTLAND SPOTS
While Mr Wong cheered the expansion of busking locations, he said he would like to see more venues made available for busking, such as shopping malls in the heartland areas.
Some popular locations now include Ngee Ann City, Suntec City, Kampung Admiralty and Ang Mo Kio Hub.
For traditional Chinese musician Tan Chu Yuan, being able to perform at new spots like a hawker centre in Ang Mo Kio allowed him to increase his earnings by about 50 per cent over the past three years.
It also brought the 34-year-old closer to his target audience – the elderly.
Mr Tan said some of them stay for his entire time slot, which can go up to four hours.
“I think they find a lot of nostalgia in this instrument,” he added, referring to the guzheng that he plays.
“A lot of them told me, they don't see this kind of stuff anymore. They feel very happy when they see something like that … I (also) see a lot of kids stop. Even though the parents want to go, it’s the kids holding them back (to watch),” said Mr Tan.
