Great Barrington — The downtown area will be filled with musical performances and performance acts as this year’s season of Berkshire Busk! continues.
The second season started in late May and will continue until Saturday, September 3.
The event will continue on Fridays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Saturday afternoons from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The term “busk” or “busking” comes from 1860s England as a term for street performers performing in public spaces.
Over the years, communities throughout the United States have started their own busking programs and events.
As part of the event, performances will be held all through downtown at various locations including Railroad Street, The Triplex/Barrington Courtyard, the Berkshire Co-op Courtyard, the First Congregational Church, and in front of multiple businesses on Main Street.
The event was founded by event co-organizer Eugene Carr who told The Berkshire Edge that he came up with the idea during the pandemic.
“We needed something that would be a great opportunity to bring people together and a way to have performances safely outdoors,” Carr said. “The idea was to have an outdoor festival on the streets and to invite local talent to come and perform for the community. When the event was started last year, there was this explosion of interest, and we received 100 applications to perform.”
Carr said that over the past two seasons, the event has attracted all types of performers, including musicians, aerialists, dancers, and magicians.
“The idea is to create a new kind of artistic community to bring people downtown,” he said. “This type of event helps to bring customers to stores and restaurants who have lost some business during the pandemic.”
During the Saturday, July 16 event, Railroad Street was closed off to traffic to allow for performances by The Fremonts and magician Darren Yong, and throughout the downtown area, there were performances by the band The Secrets of French Girls, Christina Dellea, Aimee Van Dyne, and Jerry Posner.
“Great Barrington is an extraordinary community,” Carr said. “We have a community of performers and artists that live amongst us that are all extraordinary. The Berkshire Busk! is a celebration of a great town.”
For more information about The Berkshire Busk!, including its weekly schedule, go to the event’s website.
See photos and footage from Berkshire Busk!’s Saturday, July 16 performances below. Photos and video by Shaw Israel Izikson.
