Busking in Paris
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Locations in Paris for busking

" Busking worked well in many districts; we concentrated on the ones below.

Montmarte was a good dinner location. For us, it was cafés in the streets and alleys from the base of Sacre Coeur to the Boulevard de Rochechouart. There was an especially good spot in a small alleyway, the rue Briquet, where we could play softly and still be heard because of the acoustics of the alley.

Another dinner district was just down the hill a little further, which we called "Anvers", along the Avenue Trudaine, and included a small triangular park where Rue Turgot and Rue de Rochechouart meet.

The Rue Mouffetard is one of Paris's oldest and liveliest neighbourhoods with many restaurants, shops, cafés, and a regular open market. We found it to consistently be a great place to busk, and usually did so during the dinner meal. Situated in the fifth (cinquième) arrondissement of Paris, its one of those places where we had to perform in the street and carefully watch for traffic as we played, often playing our set to more than one restaurant's customers since the outside dining areas were so close together. This is where we found the buskers whose method we subsequently adopted as our own.

The Odeon was a great Sunday lunch/early afternoon area, and here I'll give you the path we would walk. We'd start at Le Bonaparte, across from the Eglise Saint-Germaine de Prés on Rue Guillaume Apollinaire. From there we'd walk away from the Eglise down Rue Guillaume Apollinaire, and turn right on Rue Saint Benoit, play one or two places as we continued to (and turned right onto) the Rue Jacob. We'd follow the Rue Jacob to the Rue de Furstemberg, turn right and walk until we veered left onto the Rue Cardinale, and follow it to the Rue de l'Abbaye. We almost always played to the café on the corner of the Rue de l'Abbaye and the Rue de Buci. If we were still looking for more spots, we'd cross the Rue de Buci and continue down the Rue de Bourbon le Château.

The streets bordering the east side of the Forum les Halles - the Rue Pierre Lescot and the streets between it and the Rue Saint-Denis - held a good concentration of cafés that were usually busy. The streets were predominately for pedestrians. Sometimes there were delivery vehicles, but the sidewalks are very wide and the deliveries didn't cause us much of a problem. We especially enjoyed playing for the diners at the Au Pere Tranquille - their huge outside dining area usually insured a better than average amount of tips.

And last but not least was a circuit in the Latin Quarter which started on the Ile Saint-Louis. Our favorite starting spot would be where the Rue Saint-Luis en l'ile met the Rue Jean du Bellay. From there we would cross over the Pont Saint-Louis (this bridge was a great spot for a "pitch" for amplified instruments), and continue up the Rue du Cloitre Notre Dame where we'd play a couple of cafés. We'd walk in front of the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris, cross the Seine again on the Pont au Double, and maybe play a couple more places on the Rue Galande or on the Rue du Petit Pont just before it reached the Boulevard Saint-Germaine."

World’s best places to busk | Matador Network

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World’s best places to busk

by JOHN HEWITT on NOVEMBER 11, 2008 · 8 COMMENTS

Feature photo by ky_olsen. Photo above by Steffe.

It’s possible to make some extra cash with a little talent. All you have to do is choose the right place.

What is Busking?

Busking is the time-honored practice of performing for spare change in public – generally on the street or in a park. Most buskers are musicians, but if you have any sort of talent, you can generally make some good money by putting on an honest performance in a high traffic and relatively affluent area.

If you’re looking to get a sense of the local culture, street performance is a great way to do it. Your status as a foreigner adds to the exoticism of your act, so it can help give you a leg up on the locals.

1. Washington Square Park, New York City, USA

During the warmer months, Washington Square Park is one of the most highly trafficked areas of the city – mostly by students and relatively well-to-do creative types. Music, magic and dance crews often pull in some significant change – and even if you’re not looking for that much money, you’re sure to at least find an appreciative audience.

2. Alexanderplatz, Berlin, Germany

The Berlin Lacht International Street Theatre Festival is held a few times every year, showcasing talent from around the world on the streets of Berlin. This great city has a long, proud history of bohemian performance art.

Germans love American music – get out there and play some of your favorite hits. Don’t worry too much about keeping a tune – your accent sounds exotic enough that it doesn’t matter.

Photo by Cormac Mulhall.

3. Dublin, Ireland

Yes, the Irish may have a long-standing reputation for being dour – but at least once a year, during the summer Street Performance World Championship, Dublin becomes an absolute busking extravaganza.

Whether you want to go and perform yourself – and hopefully rake in some coin – or merely learn things from some of the best performers on the face of the earth, it’s worth checking out. The competition can get fierce. Magicians, mimes, daredevils, jugglers and musicians turn the street into an open circus.

4. Montmartre, Paris, France

The artistic center of Paris, Montmartre is where you are likely to find some of the finest mimes in the world. If you’re interested in getting more into miming – or just want to busk in an area where locals and tourists alike are accustomed to giving money to street performers – it’s certainly worth a visit.

Living statues are also popular there – if you’re planning on taking that route, make sure that you wear a colorful, unique costume to set yourself apart from the rest.

5. Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom

Covent Garden happens to be one of the most happening street performance centers in the world, with one of the longest standing histories of providing an outlet for public performance.

Unfortunately, it’s not entirely open to outsiders – the performers negotiate with one another to set schedules, and you need to pass an audition to get through. However, that should not be a significant hurdle for you to get over if you plan ahead of time, are confident in your artistic merit, and know how to charm artists.

Photo by house.

6. Marrakesh, Morocco

Marrakesh is a city that is arguably still largely in the Middle Ages, from the architecture to the culture. It’s a prime site for beggars, street vendors and performers – mostly locals.

If you think you can pull it off and mesh well with your surroundings, the street traffic in the market squares can be totally overwhelming. If you can make it here in the old markets, you can make it anywhere.

7. The Old City, Jerusalem, Israel

The Old City is one of the most fascinating places on the planet. It’s sacred ground for three major religions, making it a year-round tourist destination.

The relatively warm weather – at least, when it’s not raining – also makes it a good place to get out some street performance, so long as it’s sufficiently respectful to pilgrims filing in and out of the various synagogues, temples and churches.

Photo by steph.

8. New Delhi, India

Indians are always moving from one place to another, either on the helter-skelter roads or the marginally unsafe train system. There’s a long-established tradition of buskers playing music and dancing near transportation hubs.

Get out your instruments at a high traffic train station and start playing – you might be surprised at how much change you’ll bring in from rushing commuters.

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Locations for Busking in Paris