Busking is “the activity of playing music in the street or another public place for voluntary donations” as defined by Wikipedia.  And beginning Friday, May 17, downtown Dover will allow busking by community members. 

Dover City Council President Tim Slavin, initiator of the program, along with members of the Downtown Dover Partnership will launch the program at 11:30 in front of the Dover Art League on Friday. Featured musicians will be Mike Miller and Rick Hudson, both from Dover’s Friends of Folk. “Busking is a way to bring more arts into the city. And while this activity typically focuses on musicians, we are encouraging street performances by poets and plein air artists, as well,” Mr. Slavin noted, mentioning also that busking not only creates a welcoming, lighthearted outdoor setting for visitors, shoppers, and anyone walking and driving through downtown, but it also provides a venue for artists to showcase their talents and in turn, receive gratuities from appreciative patrons. Musicians and performers will typically be “unamplified.”

The program will be piloted between the library and S. Bradford Street and will feature musicians from Dover’s Friends of Folk, with Dover High School and the Inner City Cultural League soon to follow. While the program will gently roll out Wednesday’s through Friday’s from 11:30-1:30 for the lunch crowd, it is anticipated that hours and locations will soon be expanded expand to include late afternoons, weekends, and during downtown events. Pre-selected spaces for buskers to perform have been approved for use by the business or property owners and will be identified by a unique graphic. Those spaces are sizeable enough to allow for pedestrian flow and many of them feature overhangs or canopies for poor weather conditions. 

“Recent First Friday events have offered a taste of the playfulness of the downtown setting that can be created when we use the arts as a ‘placemaking’ tool,” said Diane Laird, Executive Director for the Downtown Dover Partnership. “Plein air artist Dennis Young provided an outdoor pastel demonstration to engage passersby, and music flowed on the streets from saxophonist Welsey Melvin at House of Coffi and instrumental jazz and blues from open doors at the Dover Art League.” 

For more information, contact Diane@DowntownDoverPartnership.com