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Chris.Z Regular user 141 Posts |
Hey guys I'm planning to take a road trip this summer and I'm going to bring my rig. I intend to busk along the way (not out of necessity but for the experience). My question is how do you decide where to busk. You're cruising down the highway, and thinking "next town, I'm looking for a motel 6" You crash out wake up the next morning with a day to kill, where do you even start? What do you look for?
You've landed in podunk USA and you want to hit the streets, I guess start asking around? Hotel clerk, travel guides? I appreciate any and all input. |
MagiCol Special user Dargaville, New Zealand 929 Posts |
You've got to have a decent pitch, and that is usually where there are a lot of walkers, preferably not rushing to and fro.
So the central downtown area and bigger suburbs are the places to locate and drive to and at least take a look while driving past to estimate their worth. Use a map, a Google Earth satellite view to even look along streets. Use an Information Centre that publicises a city's features. As you suggest, ask a hotel clerk and use travel guides. Record or mark the areas on a map etc. You can get started on this before you leave home. Then visit on foot those likely places and take a closer look around. Take your busking gear with you. The presence of other buskers can be a good guide. There is the difference that musicians and the like usually sit on the buildings side of the pavement, while a Street Magic Show shouldn't block the flow of pedestrians so is more likely to have its pitch on the traffic side of the pavement. Once you've been out working on the streets for a while you get an idea of how good a pitch could be by watching the number of people passing a likely pitch. I've sometimes thought that a site could be evaluated by how many pedestrians pass a certain spot per 5 minutes. I did sit in my vehicle one time and do a count of pedestrians, using a pedestrian crossing as my mid-point that people passed by. I haven't gone any further than that because foot traffic flow varies during a given half hour or so - in fact all day there are surges and quiet times of foot traffic flow. Talk about that, if you set yourself up near a hole-in-in the wall money machine, or a bit back from a pedestrian crossing those are places where people congregate or pause. It comes down to your estimating of the flow and speed of people on a pavement. Until you set up and spend an hour or two at a place you don't know how it turns out. There is so much uncertainty in busking, which is part of the lifestyle of working on the streets. You could try asking at private malls and food shops and supermarkets about setting up at/near there, but you'll probably get told NO. Still, worth trying. Saturday morning markets could be a good site; turn up with your gear ready to go. Many of them prefer you to apply for a site beforehand, but you can sell them on the novelty of your entertainment. And nobody can stop you setting up outside it a few yards from the main entrance. If the main car park is across the street you can set up outside its gateway and try busking there to people going back and forth to the market.
The presentation makes the magic.
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Yellowcustard Inner circle New Zealand 1334 Posts |
I do this type of thing a lot. I travel around New Zealand delivering Science Shows in schools. And on free days and weekends I like to busk. Here is the kind of steps I take.
1- As I drive around day to day I take note of people about and there whereabouts, 2- Find the hang out places near shops - Coffee shops, Café and seating areas, 3- I find local information - Tour groups coming in, local markets, cruise ships in town, 4- I also take note of where the family restaurants are and set up around there about 5pm, 5- Where the bars are and set up after the family restaurant usual about 7pm and go till people are to drunk. I also have a 45min circle show, a 20min door way show and 15 min trickle show which just repeats. Some place I go I find a pitch and do a few big circle shows while heaps of tourist are around. Other times I set up in a door way and do small shows for a few hours. Take note and record where you been, what you done. Hope this helps
Enjoy your magic,
and let others enjoy it as well! |
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