What It’s Like Performing On Street Corners For Millions of Tourists: a blog about street performers and the life, as well as what it’s like performing on American street corners for hundreds of thousands of people, as well as how to make it if you’re looking to become a street performer.
This is an online blog that is dedicated to the street performers and the life, as well as what it’s like performing on American street corners for hundreds of thousands of people, as well as how to make it if you’re looking to become a street performer.
The goal of this blog is to share stories from street performers around the country and around the world, and also to provide tips and tricks for those who want to become a street performer.
The website is divided into sections that include “Street Performers”, “Performers in the News”, and “Street Performers in the News”.
I’ve always wanted to do something that would make me feel like a street performer. It just sounded so romantic, so exciting. And I always thought of myself as a street performer too.
So I decided to do it. I spent six months learning how to play guitar and piano, and then another six months learning how to sing. Now I’m performing on street corners in San Francisco for tourists who come from all over the world. I play for about 15-20 minutes at a time, and then I pass out my tip jar, which usually gets filled with $20 bills and change.
I’ve been doing this for about two years now, and it’s been a lot of fun! There are definitely some challenges, but overall it’s been an amazing experience.
Here’s what it’s like performing on street corners for millions of tourists:
The best part is when people come up to me and say “I love your music!” Or “You’re the best thing I’ve ever seen!” Those moments make me feel like a street performer too!
It doesn’t matter if they don’t speak English or anything else; they can still understand my music. They just have so much love for what we’re doing that it comes through with every note we play
My name is Kevin and I perform on the American street corners for hundreds of thousands of people. I have performed on street corners all across America, in every single state, for a total audience of over one million people. I have also performed at festivals in Canada and England.
I’ve been performing since I was 15 years old, and have been performing professionally since I was 18 years old. My show is a combination of comedy, magic, juggling, and unicycle skills.
I started my career when I was 15 years old in San Francisco, CA. I would take the bus down to Fisherman’s Wharf (Pier 39) every weekend with my friend Ryan, and we would perform on the street corners for tips from the tourists that were walking by.
About a week ago I got an email from someone named Chris who said he’d just read my blog and that he, too, was a street performer looking to make it. He asked if we could talk on the phone sometime in the next few weeks. I said yes. Fast forward to this past weekend, when I happened to be in San Francisco for a wedding. I took a detour to Pier 39, where I’d been told there was a street performer playing the flute instrumentally. “Chris?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said.
I introduced myself and we talked for an hour or so about our experiences performing on street corners across America, as well as how Chris got started performing and what his goals are going forward.
It was great talking with Chris because he’s at an interesting point in his life: he’s just quit his job, moved out of his apartment and is now couch-surfing while he travels around the country busking full-time. He and his girlfriend have been traveling together for several months now, and they’ve made their way through Portland, Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans and various places in California (including Santa Cruz and Napa).
I’ve been a street performer for over 10 years now, and I have to say that it’s one of the most rewarding careers I’ve ever had. It’s not easy, and there are a lot of challenges along the way, but if you love what you do and enjoy working with people, then it’s definitely worth it.
I started performing on street corners when I was 19 years old and living in Paris, France. My parents were visiting family in Provence and I was left alone to explore the city on my own. That summer, I saw a man playing a song on his guitar while sitting outside of a cafe in Montmartre. As I walked by him, he looked up at me with his sad eyes and said “I wish someone could buy me lunch…”
I didn’t have any money but I wanted to help this man out so badly that instead of giving him cash for food; I offered him an apple from my backpack instead. He smiled at me gratefully before biting into it and then continued playing his guitar for another hour or so until we both packed up our things and went on our way.
For some reason, this experience stuck with me for many years afterwards
Street performing is a trade. The performers and the money they earn are part of America’s history, culture, and economy. In this blog I’m going to talk about street performing as it relates to my life.
I started out in San Francisco on the Fisherman’s Wharf, making the most of my body to earn a living. I performed for tourists and locals on the corner of “Pier 39” for six years, from 1989 to 1995. In that time I became one of the top grossing street performers in San Francisco, bringing in thousands every day.
I was also active in the street performer community, which is an industry that has its own rules and traditions. There was a written code of conduct, and if you transgressed you could be fined or have your license revoked.
I’m a street performer at Pier 39 in San Francisco. I juggle fire, play the drums, and sing songs. But more than that, I’m also a tourist trap. I’m a walking advertisement for all of the stores and restaurants around me that pay me to be here.
I make my money by forcing people to smile. It’s not easy, but it’s lucrative.
My day starts around 11:30AM when I wake up in the backseat of my van, which is parked on Lombard Street in Russian Hill (the most crooked street in the world). One of the first things I do is make a cup of coffee–a process that takes about 20 minutes–and then I head over to Pier 39 to find my spot for the day.
Once there, I start setting up right as the first groups of tourists are arriving at 12:00PM sharp. I make it a point to always be set up before they arrive so they don’t see me put my stuff out and think that they have to tip me if they want me to perform for them.
