Street performers festival kicks off 42nd year at Churchill Square
42 artists from eight countries, including 10 making their first Edmonton appearance, perform free shows through July 12 at Churchill Square.
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Churchill Square has transformed into an entertainment hub as the 42nd annual Edmonton International Street Performers Festival kicked off July 4.
The festival features 38 artists from eight countries, with 10 of them coming to Edmonton for the first time. Street performer Bob Palmer, known as "Flying Bob," who has performed for over 40 years, emphasized the importance of live performance. "As street performers, we have a mission. To reintroduce live performing to people. There wasn't any live performing for years with COVID, and a lot of kids grew up not experiencing that, and it's our job, our duty to revive and make people understand the impact of live performing," Palmer said.
Liz Hobbs, with the Edmonton International Street Performers Festival, noted the relief of good weather after weeks of checking forecasts. "We're so happy! All I've been doing for the last week is checking the weather every 5 seconds. So this is beautiful. Summer! We have summer!"
The festival is free, so performers don't receive payment from the organizers. Instead, they earn money directly from audience tips. Hobbs encouraged attendees to support the performers: "This is their living; they're also struggling with the ridiculous grocery bills that we're all dealing with at the moment. If you can give, please do."
The Edmonton International Street Performers Festival runs through Sunday, July 12.
