World busking record attempt at Bedford Park Festival

On Sunday 12 June at noon, musical charity Musequality will attempt to break the record for the largest co-ordinated busk in the world.

Chiswick in London is Busk Central, where David Juritz will be organising a mass busk at the Bedford Park Festival on 12 June. Local school kids will be singing and a speed busk will take place at noon to coincide with the attempt on the record.

In 2009, the first year of its World Busk event, Musequality set the record with the help of 483 buskers in 14 countries. Musequality’s founder, the violinist David Juritz, said: ‘We were absolutely blown away by the response to the first World Busk. There were buskers on all seven continents, including a rock band in the Antarctic, and we even had an aircraft carrier, HMS Illustrious, joining in. We think that’s a first!’

This year the charity wants to do even better. On 12 June at noon, local time, Musequality invites buskers everywhere to take to the streets and create a continuous busking chain around the world.

This is Musequality’s third World Busk, which will last from 12 to 18 June 2011, and it is expected to be the biggest, best, most fun and most productive yet. Already people have signed up to play in Bolivia, Australia, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, Lebanon, Canada, Costa Rica, Goa, Nigeria, South Africa, Japan, Brazil, the US, and the UK.

Hout Bay Music Project, South Africa

Musequality is a charity which takes music projects to some of the poorest children in the developing world, helping to change their lives. Last year it raised funds to support the Holy Trinity Music School in Haiti. This year’s event aims to support ten existing projects as well as raise money for several new initiatives.

One new project at the Good Shepherd Home in the Mengo slum of Kampala, Uganda, brings music to physically disabled and special needs children, many of whom have arrived there after their families could no longer afford to support them. A second project has just started in Thailand at the Huay Nam Yen School close to the Burmese border. The children at the school are mainly from the Shan and Lahu hill-tribes; communities which have been marginalised through border unrest, people trafficking and poverty.

‘We’re looking for musicians of all kinds and any level, age, shape or size. Whatever kind of music you play, whether you’re plucking a ukelele or have a 100-piece orchestra behind you, what really makes the difference is enthusiasm,’ said Juritz.

Anyone who wishes to take part is invited to register now at www.worldbusk.org. For the attempt on the record, buskers only need to busk for half an hour, but they can, of course, busk for as long as they like, raising more money and entertaining more people.

May 30, 2011