Busking blues: Hong Kong street performers hope for better times, bigger crowds, but rules still get in the way
- Thin crowds since pandemic leave buskers wishing they had more freedom to choose when, where to perform
- Performers say they must end early to avoid noise complaints and city’s ambitions to revive nightlife must consider buskers
At a recent Friday night gig in the heart of Hong Kong’s bustling Causeway Bay shopping district, busker Jay Lee Kwun-kit sang to a thin gathering of fewer than 30 people.
Back in 2018, before the city was hit by social unrest and then the Covid-19 pandemic, he performed regularly at the same spot on East Point Road and had no trouble attracting 200 people, sometimes even 1,000.
At the time buskers also competed for limited spots to perform, sometimes having to negotiate among themselves when they stood too close to one another.
“Busking was quite a scene back then. But sentiments towards busking have changed. Maybe the social-distancing measures have trained people subconsciously to avoid gatherings,” said Lee, 34.
The scene may pick up once more after a government pledge to boost the night economy and post-pandemic recovery, with city leader John Lee Ka-chiu to unveil the first series of activities around the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 29 and the National Day holiday on October 1 and 2.
Businesses welcomed the move and large developers such as New World Development and Henderson Land have promised more nighttime activities in their shopping centres, including live performances.
Buskers interviewed by the Post were confident that street performances would increase foot traffic but said performers needed more than access to free spaces.