Busking zones from April, starting with Singapore River and Ang Mo Kio
SINGAPORE — Starting with the Singapore River and Ang Mo Kio, busking zones will be gradually introduced in Singapore, alongside initiatives that will make it easier for performers to busk.
“Each zone comprises a cluster of busking locations, allowing buskers the flexibility to move between them. This offers a more varied busking experience for audiences and ensures equitable access to popular busking spots,” said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng in Parliament on Friday (6 March).
Speaking in Parliament during his ministry’s Committee of Supply (COS) debate, Baey said that buskers will be able to access the first two busking zones from 1 April.
Buskers at the Singapore River will be able to busk at both locations at Read Bridge (along Singapore River) and Clarke Quay Central, instead of just a single location.
Buskers in Ang Mo Kio have the option of busking at three designated locations: outside Ang Mo Kio Hub (between Ang Mo Kio Hub entrance and McDonald’s), open area between S11 food centre and Jubilee Square, and space near hawker centre (Blk 724).
Busking@*SCAPE
Meanwhile, the National Arts Council (NAC) is partnering *SCAPE to roll out Busking@*SCAPE. This will allow Singaporean youths between 15 and 35 years old to busk at *SCAPE without having to go through auditions or to be endorsed under NAC’s Busking Scheme. Inter-generational groups with at least one member between the ages of 15-35 are also encouraged to participate.
This provides an opportunity for youths to experience busking, showcase their talents in a supportive space and network with like-minded peers, said Baey.
A pilot run of Busking@*SCAPE has been conducted since October and will conclude at the end of March. About 63 youths, who are non-endorsed buskers, have participated in the scheme.
Following the successful pilot, Busking@*SCAPE will now be a regular fixture every Friday to Sunday, from 12pm – 10pm, with two hours per slot.
NAC will work with *SCAPE to offer capability development workshops for youths to hone their skills in performance and audience engagement. Efforts will also be stepped up to encourage youths from CCAs and performing arts groups to participate.
Digital scheduling tool
NAC will also progressively introduce a digital scheduling system for buskers to ballot for busking slots. This will provide buskers with fairer access to busking locations, especially popular ones, and allow members of the public to enjoy a greater variety of busking acts.
An ongoing pilot for the digital scheduling tool kicked off for Clarke Quay Central in end-November 2019. About 47 buskers have utilised 87 of 100 available busking slots.
The digital scheduling tool is in beta-testing and will be rolled out progressively to other key locations.
More Parliament stories
$100,000 fund for Singapore athletes, sports facilities upgraded
Singapore Philatelic Museum to become children’s museum in 2021
12th public general hospital to be built in the east by 2030: Gan Kim Yong
More than $60b over next decade to expand, renew rail network: Khaw
Transport projects may be further delayed by COVID-19 outbreak: Khaw
More than 1,300km of cycling paths islandwide by 2030: Lam Pin Min
Priority cabins on NEL trains for vulnerable commuters by end-2020
