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What are the good pitches for Ft. Lauderdale, FL and which require permits? I'll be down there for Feb
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Dude, I would love it if someone had a good answer to that question. I was born there and still haven't found a decent pitch to work while I'm home visiting my family.
Cate -
se fl
go south!!! that's all i'm gonna say. not far south, but south.Comment
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South in Ft. Lauderdale? Are you allowed to on the Isles or the Harbors?
Unless you're saying go further south in FL, which doesn't help since I'll be in Ft. Lauderdale for a month and would prefer to busk there.Comment
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Last time I tried Ft. Lauderdale (busking) i got shut down. However the City has paid me for several events.Comment
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Ah ok. Thanks Dallas. Maybe I'll buzz the city hall and see if they have any suggestions.Comment
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Per the guy at City Hall in Ft. Lauderdale, they do NOT allow street performing anywhere in Ft. Lauderdale & there is no permit you can get. He suggested going to Hollywood, FL which is about 20 min south. He said he's street performers there often. I'll check with them when I get a chance and post back.Comment
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Here's a park in Hollywood, FL that allows Buskers w a Permit.Comment
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There is an option to Busk, get permission to do so by an owner of a property or the property where the store has sidewalk rights. In Saint Petersburg the police do sometimes go after Buskers I am in a strip mall in front of two strores that gave me permission between a busy Publix and Target Stores in front of Party City and a Bath, Beauty and Beyond. Its legal since I'm entertaining on private property even though the city has no laws against it but it avoids issues with the police or county sheriff.
So check to see if this is an option it helps if your looking like a professional street performer and serious.Comment
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So, I looked into this and it doesn't seem exceptionally promising. The park is very pretty, with a nice playground, all the facilities are new and modern, but it's in the middle of a traffic circle. I went there around five on a Tuesday and there were people there. There were also people consistently coming into the park however, it wasn't a lot. It was mostly families with children playing on the playground, teenagers hanging out and some homeless folks camping in the bushes.
It might be ok if they were having some kind of event or crafts market, but otherwise I can't really see a good reason for people to gather there. It's not really a touristy kind of place and you have to cross a busy street to get there. There is a nice strip of pedestrian friendly boutique shops and restaurants on Hollywood Blvd, which I think does get a lot of traffic, but the park is kind of at the end of that strip so if you were just on a stroll to shop and eat you probably would pass through the park.
I spoke to the guy who was in charge of the program and he said they don't have any buskers currently working in the park. He said it has been done, but he doesn't sound super enthusiastic. He said that some vendors will work the park on the weekends but not how many. He said about 1000 people/day pass through the park on weekends, which doesn't sound super amazing to me.
It's 75 dollars for a license and they have to approve you. Right now since they don't have any other performers, I think that if you have a promo and look mostly professional, you'd get approved pretty quickly. The website also says that they'll schedule you for slots, but when I talked to the guy it sounded like you could probably pick your own time slots (due to the lack of performers)...
I think I'm going to swing by on a weekend to see what it really looks like, but right now it doesn't seem like an overwhelming opportunity. Even for a performer on vacation just looking to work in her home town for fun...
Cate E.Comment
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Thanks for the info Cate! Gives me something to think about w my partner. Since I'm very far away right now, scoping it out myself isn't something I could do. I appreciate the info! I'm trying some other towns too.Comment
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I still say find out the wording of any ordinance banning Busking if its only on public areas you can get around that, I do its called getting pro-active and finding nice locations and then seeing if a business owner will let you use his nbit of sidewalk in a stripmall or other location. That's how I work I have permission in a nice spot with good traffic flow in earshot of a supermarket entry/exit point, two downtown spots on museum property and am alwayslooking for others. In Florida you just need to try harder and have to do things like have the willingness to do parties, other gigs, go to churches having events and hit them up for approval and other things. I manage to pull in enough to live on modestly and save something in an retirement account after paying taxes.
Note Busking is not illegal in St. Petersburg but the police can have issues with you if you look like a homeless person and its not a clear costume effect, but using private property offers me blanket protection from them. I note to critics I could be begging or on government handouts but no I work for my money entertaining folks.
So find out what is illegal about Busking if its limited to public spaces try my approach.Comment
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Kazoo, it sounds like you're a solo musician and Cate is a circle show. Big difference in traffic needed and size of show space. While your approach is awesome for a solo musician--and more power to you!--it's not practical for a circle show. And I think the vast majority of the performers here do gigs in a wide variety of venues, not just street busking. But you make an excellent point, we should always remember that the city doesn't control private property, and it's worth it to be proactive and ask!Comment
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True, so if he needs a crowd then he will need to approach malls or other major locations. Ft. Lauderdale has touristy places such as boat piers used for tourist trips, lots of people in season and they must have likely right of way privileges. If a group of them say ok perform you can have a captive audiences as the tourists wait for the boats to leave and they return. Its a matter of needing to find big enough venues. And I did circle shows and still do at major city events with some others but its only a matter of size. You need to have people that need to stay long enough for a show and find private property that will allow that. Churches and other venues might also hire them for a show for a bit of money up front and the right to collect tips, perhaps enough up front to pay for the travel.
I might suggest mix it up do a circle show that is shorter than usual and more intimate performances one or two entertainers at other venues to optimize profits. It just takes more work and effort in Florida its not always easy, when I toured Europe on my own I had to avoid major cities due to the best spots taken. So I went to smaller places towns and villages, made likely less money and had to work harder but had the benefit of no major Busker presence if any.
Thinking outside the box is what I'm good at this would just take more planning and maybe one person with a DVD and mini-player with a show on it to scout out spaces getting permissions. And yes I prefer to be solo I have more options and can play more places easier BUT for a serious act like this footwork and calls are demanded. I know that area and you can't just pop in and perform, I can't see that as an option in most of Florida if its a circle show. There are exceptions but as a guideline we locals work alot harder or end up flipping burgers.
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