As the lead image indicates, there’s more than busking going on at Dundas’s Buskerfest.
Buskerfest is a street festival on the first weekend in June where around a dozen or so buskers from around the world perform in Dundas. I can’t think of the last time I attended this event, kind of like the Victoria Day fireworks, also in Dundas… I went for the opening on Friday evening and got some decent, if predictable busking photos:
Above the Checker Board Guy juggles while balanced on a non-self-standing ladder. Below, Brant Matthews, The Fire Guy, performs his finale for awestruck kids and adults alike. One of the things that struck me while editing the photos was how the kids were pulled into the acts much more deeply than adults. I guess I don’t hang around with kids enough to appreciate this, but it was interesting to see, and here The Fire Guy definitely succeeded. Plus his adult focused jokes at the expense of kids was also a nice twist:
There was one particular performer named Lurk, a clown/joker character on stilts that was kind of creepy, at least to me, probably because I don’t like clowns and haven’t since childhood. I vaguely remember going to a circus as a kid and that might have turned me off. This guy lived up to his name perfectly, waiting for an ambush:
As I wandered around and watched the acts (they were all pretty good), I began paying more attention to the spectators than the performers. In a way, the spectators were just as interesting, if not more so.
And there were a lot of teens hanging out and not really paying much attention to the acts. Pretty soon I also wasn’t paying attention to the acts and was instead drawn into the interesting teen social dynamics on display.
The angle wasn’t perfect for the shot above, but I liked the moment, as well as the out of focus couple in the background. This guy was trying pretty hard for a kiss and the girl wasn’t very receptive, though I’m not sure if it’s because she didn’t really like him, or was just playing hard to get.
I found the following sequence interesting. Another guy came by and hugged her, then the guy also tried for an embrace, but she resisted. He took off in a huff, she called after him, he came back and tried again…
And there was plenty more to observe…
Here’s Lurk again. While it was still light out he wasn’t having much luck sneaking up on people from his hiding spot between two buildings, but here he lucked out with a trio of girls were weren’t paying attention. He got them good:
Playing telephone tag:
Then the rain started and most people headed home, except the teens…
Lover’s gaze while waiting out the rain that wouldn’t stop:
She caught his eye:
So here’s a question: If it’s raining hard and a bunch of teens are getting soaked while hanging around with heavy looking backpacks, what’s in those backpacks? Probably not raincoats or umbrellas. Here one guy was busted (for those not from Ontario (or Canada), drinking in public places is not allowed, except in licensed venues, and then one must be 19 or over), though he was let off with a stern warning…
Believe it or not, there are more photos from Buskingfest and can be viewed on my Flickr photostream.