CLEVELAND — From sporting events to concerts, there’s typically no shortage of activities going on in the city of Cleveland, but a new program is making downtown itself a performance venue. 
 

The Downtown Cleveland Alliance is inviting musicians and other entertainers to take part in their busking program. A “busker” is a street performer who entertains for tips. 

What You Need To Know

  • "Busking" is another term for street performing

  • The Downtown Cleveland Alliance created a guide for entertainers to try their talents in the city, including identifying specific pitches or locations to play

  • Busking is legal in Cleveland as long as it's in a public location, out of the right-of-way and between the hours of 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday

  • On Fridays and Saturdays, performers can play until 11 p.m.

“Everyone has a talent, everyone has a thing,” said Brent Kirby, the program’s coordinator. “It doesn’t matter what walk of life or where they’re at, if they can go on the street and perform it, we want to see it.”

Kirby said there are more than 50 performers currently registered for the program, including Davidione C. Pearl. 

Pearl’s been playing the saxophone most of his life. 

“I’m 47 now," he said. "I started when I was 12." 

In fact, the Cleveland native comes from a long line of musicians. 

“It’s something that’s been in my blood the whole time and I just can’t shake it,” he said. 

Pearl said he’s toured with bands and played venues filled with thousands of fans, but performing on the street is different. 

“There’s something about folks that are smiling just as they pass by,” he said. “This fleeting connection that just, you know, you’re connecting. You’re toasting hearts.”

He performs at one pitch, or location, identified by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance for playing his music for tips. 

“To take their hard-earned money and put it in there,” he said. “Literally, thank you for doing this. You don’t get that from a big stage.”

“To walk down the street and see something that’s gonna kind of take your mind off what’s going on in the day and make you feel present in the moment, I think, is a really important thing for anybody,” Kirby said. 

It’s even important for Pearl. 

“It’s an opportunity to connect with the people, connect with the city I love so much,” he said. 

Seeing someone enjoy his melodies makes it all worthwhile. 

“Regardless of politics, regardless of where we land with anything else, we can all land on the universal love conscience around music and how it makes us feel inside,” Pearl said. 

There’s an application for the Downtown Cleveland Alliance Busker Program online and accepted entertainers are paid a nominal fee to help launch their busking careers and get used to street performing. 

Program organizers identified several high-traffic locations for busking, but as long as it’s on public property and out of the right-of-way, busking is permitted anywhere in Cleveland during designated hours.