No Mimes please. For the love of god no more mimes!

Seattle Parks and Recreation is launching its Busker program for spring/summer in Center City (Downtown) Parks.

Who can apply? Buskers, artists, mimes, jugglers, minstrels, musicians, actors, and other individual street performers interested in committing to scheduled, two-hour performances in exchange for a stipend of fifty dollars per performance. (Tips and cd sales allowed.) Performance will be in specific locations at the following downtown parks:

Freeway Park http://www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/FreewayPark.htm
Hing Hay Park http://www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/hinghaypark.htm
Pioneer Square Park http://www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/Pioneer
WestlakePark http://www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/westlake.htm
Waterfront Park http://www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/WaterfrontPark.htm
Occidental Square http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=323
Victor Steinbrueck Park http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=338
Counterbalance Park (Queen Anne) http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=4438

For those of you who participated last year, please note that the program has changed (and grown!) since the 2007 pilot.

Busker/artists will generally perform between 11:30 a.m.and 1:30 p.m.with two 15 min breaks. One or more parks will provide an opportunity to busk in the evening between 5:30 p.m.and 7:30 p.m.

Applicants must participate in an audition. The audition panel will include representatives from the arts community and from our partnering community organizations. Auditions will be held Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4, 2008 between 2: 00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. at the Lake Union Park Naval Reserve Building at Lake Union Park, 860 Terry Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98109. Additional auditions will be held monthly through July 2008. This will allow new performers who wish to be a part of the program to able to participate in the coming months.

The selection process will be based upon the quality of the performance and the appropriateness of the artistic expression as it relates the parks and their surrounding communities.

If you are interested in applying to participate in this program, please click to download the application(PDF / Word) and return it via e-mail, adrienne.caver-hall@seattle.gov, or fax, 206-684-0766 or mail to:

Seattle Parks and Recreation
ATTN: Adrienne Caver-Hall
100 Dexter, Box #5
Seattle, WA 98109

The first round of applications must be postmarked no later than Monday March 31, 2008 or dropped off by 5:00 p.m., Monday March 31, 2008 at our office, 100 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA

Please help spread the word by forwarding or sharing this information with any artists, organizations, or networks that you think might be interested.

For questions and/or additional information please contact me using my information below.

Adrienne E. Caver-Hall
City of Seattle, Department of Seattle Parks & Recreation
100 Dexter Avenue N. Box# 5
Seattle, WA 98106-1211
206-684-7710 (phone)
206-409-5237 (Mobile)
206-684-0766 (Fax)
Adrienne.Caver-Hall@seattle.gov