BIA funded buskers to play downtown Windsor street corners Saturday nights this month

When he first heard of the idea, Bilal Nasser says he was a little thrown off.

The musician was approached about being part of a new Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association (DWBIA) initiative that puts paid buskers on street corners every Saturday night this August.

"I was a little bit concerned just because I know there's been a lot of discussion about panhandling downtown," said the Windsor resident. 

"I was concerned that potentially there would be competition between the musicians and the panhandlers and that is definitely something that I wouldn't want to see."

But after talking to different musicians and people from the BIA he said believes it's a "really good initiative" and program. 

"I'm happy to be a part of it. I think that it could be a good thing by bringing more people downtown and making people feel more comfortable."

The Buskers on the Block pilot project, which is set to start Saturday, Aug. 5, is meant to bring a "rhythmic boost to the downtown," according to the DWBIA's executive director.

It will see eight buskers spread out across the core every Saturday for the month — with performers positioned on various blocks of Ouellette Avenue from Riverside Drive to Tuscarora Street. Performance times will start at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., lasting until 10 p.m. 

Debi Croucher says the BIA has set aside $10,000 for the initiative and is partnering with local musicians — putting out calls to other street performers to sign up.

"We're looking for everything from seasoned professionals to those that are emerging artists," she said. 

"We want to give them a platform to perform and an opportunity for visitors to the downtown to really enjoy the cultures that we have to present and to have a captivating audience as is essentially what we're looking for."

Croucher says they're targeting the early evening dinner crowd who are strolling downtown.

"We want to show that the downtown is really dynamic and exciting. It is always later in the evening on a Friday and Saturday night, but we do like to bring new audiences downtown early evening as well."

Buskers will be vetted through an online application process. 

The 32 who are selected will be paid an honorarium by the BIA, with the performers busking for the difference, according to Croucher.

The pilot project did not require formal city council approval, but Croucher says they've been working closely with the city on things like permits and waivers.

"They gave us their blessing this morning and we're really excited to get going."

Windsor Ward 3 Coun. Renaldo Agostino says the idea for the busker project came up in discussions about ways to activate spaces in the city's core.

"Many people on the [DWBIA] board have a lot of experience when it comes to entertainment and certainly when it comes to music and live music, so we thought it'd be interesting to look at some programs such as this," he said.

Agostino adds it's great for both the downtown area and for local musicians.

"We want to add an element of fun. And that's what we've done. I think anytime you can add live music to a street corner, it's a phenomenal experience. It's a great thing to happen downtown."

Organizers say if the initiative is deemed successful they'll consider extending it into September of this year and rolling it out every summer but with an earlier start.

And its success will be gauged by feedback from visitors, BIA businesses, residents and the busker themselves, says Croucher.

Nasser says judging by what he's heard from other local musicians, there's excitement brewing around the project.

"As a musician in Windsor, there isn't a lot of opportunity for paid work in general. And for this, we are getting what I consider like a fair wage for musicians. And that honestly, that's extremely rare in the city."

He also says hopes the busker project can help destigmatize the idea of panhandling in the city.

"At the end of the day, like what we are doing and are going to be doing is panhandling. And it isn't that different from what a homeless person on the street is potentially doing." 

"I think that just having something like this would be really beautiful and potentially just bring a lot more people down. People might feel safer, people might be in a better mood. And like, music just kind of makes people feel better and it improves their mood, right?"