BuskFest is an international busking festival which takes place in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland. The event comprises an outdoor daytime busking competition followed by a prize giving ceremony in Banbridge town centre.

Busking Competition – 2 pm – 5 pm

Every year the streets of Banbridge town centre are full to capacity with hundreds of musicians, singers, bands, solo artists and street performers from across the globe entertaining large family crowds in the hope of winning a prize from the £3000 cash pot. 

The categories are as follows:-

• Overall winner
• Best Individual – Adult
• Best Junior
• Best Band
• Best Performance
• Spirit of Buskfest

Ralph McLean

‘If you haven’t yet visited BuskFest you are guaranteed a fantastic family day out. Enjoy the great atmosphere of the live music, dynamic street theatre, comedy and entertainment. As a music lover, I am delighted to be associated with BuskFest again this year.’

Ralph McLean BBC Radio Ulster, Buskfest Judge and compere.

MISSION STATEMENT

BuskFest showcases the wealth and diversity of musical talent and performing skills thriving from the local area and further afield.

We aim to make BuskFest the leading busking festival in Ireland through our professional approach to the organisation of the event and by proactively seeking innovative ways of developing the event.

We work in partnership with all sectors of our local community to ensure that the BuskFest event remains fully inclusive to all.

The event is organised by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.

Congratulations to the winners of BuskFest 2023:

Overall winner                Eva Kearney

Best Individual                Rosie McWilliams

Best Band                        The Dukes

Best Junior                      The Mullholland Sisters

Best Performance          Rock Soul Down

Spirit of Buskfest            Benedict Grapes

It couldn’t be easier to get to Banbridge, conveniently located just off the main A1 Belfast / Dublin route, 12 miles from Newry and 22 miles from Belfast. The town centre is easily accessible by car and public transport from Northern Ireland and the South of Ireland.

Buskfest 2024 will be held on Saturday, 22^nd June in Banbridge town centre.

Please find below the link for registration

https://armagh-navancentre.ticketsolve.com/shows/873644502/events

Junior Competition
Entrants must be 17 years and under

Individual Competition
Entrants must be aged 18 +

COMPETITION ENTRY
1.Buskfest 2024 will take place on Saturday, 22^nd June 2024.
2. Any performer arriving later than 12.30pm will not be judged as part of the competition but may be allocated a pitch to perform, if available.
3. Children must be accompanied by an adult at the time of registration and throughout the event.
4. Competitors may enter the Junior competition only if the oldest performer in their group is 16 years of age or younger.
5. No act can be entered in both the Junior and Open competitions.
6. No act can enter either competition more than once. For example a competitor may not enter the competition as a soloist and then also enter the same competition as part of a group.

BUSKING
7.You are required to busk from 2pm – 5pm at your pitch
8. The content of your act must not be in breach of any law or copyright and should adhere to the rules of common decency.
9. Any act that the judges deem to be dangerous, offensive or otherwise inappropriate will be asked to stop and will be withdrawn from the competition.
10. No mains powered amplification is allowed. The judges may ask buskers using battery-powered amplification to turn down their volume.
11. No pre recorded backing tracks are permitted.

JUDGING
12. You may not be aware that you are being judged as this will be done anonymously at different times throughout the afternoon.
13. The judges decision is final. No discussion will be entered into.

PRIZE GIVING
14.All competitors must be at the Prize Giving Ceremony in the town centre at 5.30 pm to take part in the prize giving event.
15. The Winners may be invited to perform on stage so please ensure that you have your instrument(s) with you.
16. All Junior performers must be accompanied by an adult to allow the prize winning cheque to be issued.

Be part of BuskFest!

Buskfest 2024 will be held on Saturday, 22^nd June 2024

There is a panel of judges who will individually judge buskers at their pitches.  We want to see you perform naturally and how you entertain the public so you may not know when you have been judged and it may be on more than one occasion throughout the afternoon.

Each judge will shortlist their favourite performers and the judging panel will re-visit each one to select the finalists.  At this stage you may or may not be told you are being judged.

WHAT THE JUDGES LOOK FOR

MUSICAL ABILITY:
Skill in your chosen instrument, voice or performance.

PASSION:
Do you enjoy performing? If so that will clearly come across.

ENJOY YOURSELF:
Pick songs that you know, that suit your voice or style or that you simply enjoy.

Just be yourself !  – that is what works best, if you are puttting on an act, it will show…

BE PROUD:
Busking is not easy. It takes real guts, so don’t worry if you’re nervous or make a
mistake. Your performance is what makes BuskFest a success – never forget that!

MISTAKES:
To err is human so if you falter, forget the words or drop your juggling balls, just carry on.

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE:
Show off your personality and remember to just be yourself.

AUDIENCE INTERACTION:
Be friendly, polite and show your sense of humour.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Buskfest 2024 takes place on Saturday 22 June 2024 in Banbridge town centre.

Please see information as detailed below which should assist with any queries you may have in relation to the competition. If you still have further queries, please email buskfest@armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk for assistance.

1 COMPETITION ENTRY

• On Saturday 22 June, it is essential that all entrants must make their way to the Old Town Hall, 1 Scarva Street, Banbridge BT32 3DA between 10.30am – 12.30pm to get their pitch allocation. Online registration will close online on Friday 21st June at 4pm however, subject to availability, late entries may be accepted between 10.30am – 12.30pm in person at the Old Town Hall.
• If you have made an error in registering e.g. entry for the wrong category, this can be amended on arrival at the Old Town Hall on Saturday 22 June.
• Any performer arriving later than 12.30pm will not be judged as part of the competition but may be allocated a pitch to perform, if available.

• Bands may enter the Junior competition only if the oldest performer in their band is 17 or younger, or you may enter the ‘Band’ category but not both categories. 

2 BUSKING

• You are required to busk from 2pm – 5pm at your allocated pitch – please note that you can play the same song/s more than once throughout this time period.
• No mains powered amplification is allowed; only battery operated systems. The judges or stewards may ask buskers using battery-powered amplification to turn down their volume.
• No pre-recorded backing tracks are permitted for any individual or group performer.

3 PRIZE GIVING

• All competitors must be at the Prize Giving Ceremony in the town centre at 5.30 pm to take part in the prize giving event.
• The Winners may be invited to perform on stage so please ensure that you have your instrument(s) with you.

4 FILMING/PHOTOGRAPHY

• Throughout the day, there will be videography and photography taking place. Should you prefer not to be included, please state this at Registration in the Old Town Hall when you are completing the Photography Consent Form and also to the videographer/photographer. Photography will be taken of the winning buskers. In such instances, we will capture names/band name of those participating.
• The images and film we take will likely be placed into the public domain. This can and may include placement within Council publications, printed media, on the ABC Council/Buskfest/Visit Armagh websites and other related owned websites, ABC Council, Buskfest, Visit Armagh social media accounts, other public domain advertising, and within adverts placed with specific third parties, (e.g. Google, Facebook and Instagram).

We wish you every success in Buskfest 2024.

The following guidelines have been prepared to help you to have a safe and enjoyable day.

YOUR BUSKING PITCH
* Remain at your allocated pitch for the duration of the competition, unless instructed  otherwise by an event official.
* Please consider using reusable drinks containers – glass is not permitted.
* All rubbish should be disposed of safely in waste bins.
* Ensure that cases, instruments or other pieces of equipment do not become an obstruction or trip hazard.

AMPLIFICATION
* Only battery powered amplification is permitted. Respect your fellow performers by keeping the volume at a level which is safe and acceptable to event officials.

TRAFFIC
* Be aware that Banbridge Town Centre will remain open to traffic for the duration of the event.

WELFARE
* Dress appropriately and protect yourself against all kinds of weather which could be changeable throughout the day.
* First Aid Units will be located in the town centre.
* In an emergency contact the nearest steward. Alternatively make your way to the Control Point.

PHOTOGRAPHY
For publicity purposes, photographs will be taken throughout the day of the event.  All buskers will be required to sign a consent form when receiving their pitch allocation and under 18’s will require parent/guardian consent.

STEWARDS
* Event Stewards will be on duty throughout Buskfest and will be wearing highly visible jackets.
* For Health and Safety reasons you must comply with the stewards instructions at all times
* Report anything suspicious or inappropriate to the nearest Event Steward.

Health and Safety is the responsibility of everyone, please ensure that your own actions promote a safe and enjoyable day for all those taking part.

PRIVACY NOTICE FOR:  Buskfest

Privacy Statement

Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing your personal data is to register your details to take part in Buskfest and to be able to allocate a space for you/your group to perform; also to be able to update you in case of e.g. event cancellation or similar.

The lawful basis we are relying on to process your personal data is Article 6 (1) (a) of the UK GDPR, which allows us to process personal data when the individual has given clear consent for us to process their personal data for a specific purpose.

What we need
When asked to register for the event, you will be asked to provide your name, email address, contact phone number, and name of band, if appropriate.

What we do with it
Council will use names and contact email addresses for two purposes. Firstly to allocate a space to you/your group to participate in Buskfest. We may also forward an email to you as a reminder for future Buskfest events and provide you with the opportunity to sign up and we may share your details with other internal ABC Council departments to keep you informed about relevant upcoming events. You may unsubscribe to any mailings at any time, following the link provided on the email or by contacting us at info@buskfest.com

How long do we keep this information?
The event registration opens on Monday 8 April and closes on Friday 21 June 2024.  We, with your permission when you register for this event, keep this information for a period of up to 5 years, as required. This may be to alert you to new Buskfest opportunities which may be of interest.

What are your rights?
If you have any questions regarding the registration or data collection, please contact info@buskfest.com

For more information on your rights, please refer to the Information Commissioner’s Office website please see ‘Your data protection rights’.

If you are unhappy with the way in which we have processed your personal data then you have the right to complain to the ICO as the UK supervisory authority.

Do we use any data processors?
Ticketsolve is the company used by Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council to provide an online ticketing service. Ticketsolve maintains the ticketing system which you will register your details for event sign up in.

Armagh Banbridge Craigavon Council is the Data Controller, Ticketsolve is the Data Processor and Rackspace Limited, which hosts the platform, is a Sub-processor.

Privacy statements relating to Ticketsolve’s service to its customers and their privacy policy can be found here Privacy & Cookies – Ticketsolve

Do we transfer data overseas?

Ticketsolve utilises Amazon Web Services (AWS) as our hosting provider, ensuring that all customer and company data is securely stored in the cloud. Our data is specifically hosted in AWS’ Dublin Data Centre, which is fully compliant with all Data Protection legislation. Ticketsolve is fully GDPR compliant, and we recognize the significance of data privacy and security for our customers, and we are fully committed to complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This legal framework is designed to safeguard the personal data of individuals in the UK and European Union (EU). We have implemented various measures to ensure that our platform adheres to GDPR requirements, prioritising the protection of personal data for all our users.

Ticketsolve does not transfer personal data outside the EEA. The platform is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), and all of Ticketsolve’s data is stored within the AWS data centre in Dublin, Ireland.

If you wish to contact the BuskFest team please email buskfest@armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk and a member of the team will get back to you.