BUSKARAMA: A Busker Festival celebrating street performers

BUSKARAMA is a brand-new Busker Festival that honors performing artists of the past, present, and future at Pike Place Market and across the region. The inaugural event took place the day before Fathers’ Day on Saturday, June 15, 2024, with the opening of the Public Market. The daytime portion of BUSKARAMA wound down around 5 pm as craft people, fishmongers, and shops closed up for the day and foot traffic abated. 

In the evening, BUSKARAMA presented a special showcase at The Rabbit Box, where we celebrated the 50 years since Jim Page helped change the laws for street performers throughout the city of Seattle. He was joined by his longtime collaborator and friend Artis the Spoonman, along with an array of troubadours that reflect the diversity and promise of our unique and storied busking community.

The goal of the first year's event was a bold but realistic vision. BUSKARAMA aims to entertain the tens of thousands visiting Pike Place on the day by encouraging licensed buskers to perform at all 15 designated locations through the 7-acre historic district. Some of the spots marked by stenciled red music notes are iconic, such as The Cave, under The Clock, and in front of Starbucks. 

Each painted note also indicates the number of performers sanctioned at each location. These red notes inspired the festival’s logo, as well the dream of BUSKARAMA as a new word with ancient meaning, “Two musicians performing together, as witnessed by two others.”

BUSKARAMA is not the first busking festival. The late Jim Hinde, and his pals Jim Page and Spoonman, led a wonderful festival that fell silent with Hinde's passing in 2008. For decades at Pike Place Market, performers of all kinds have transformed street corners and alleyways into stages and have inspired millions of visitors from all over the world with their charisma and creativity. 

Now, we look to bring the energy and excitement of BUSKARAMA to new communities across the state, country, and world, with the next event slated for September 20-21, 2024, in Pateros, WA. Learn more about all the festival happenings and how you can get involved