Performers busked, danced, and sang at the first annual Buskathon, founded and organized by SFU philosophy student Samantha Dowdell.
According to Dowdell, the idea arose from her prior musical interests and through her band Alluvium. As a result, the day-long Buskathon occurred on May 31 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody.
Dowdell explained the nature of the event: “Busking is simply taking your talent out on the street, laying out some sort of spot where people can drop money for you, and sharing whatever with the world. If people like it, people will give you something.”
She described the event as a genuine “opportunity for the new and unknown artists to have a voice and present their work.” To make the event happen, Dowdell approached local artists, “seeking them out, [and] bringing them out into the open.” She continued, “Not a lot of people know this small community exists.”
Dowdell used her musical connections to put together a lineup: “I [asked] my musician friends, my band Alluvium, and another band called Blue Smoke.” Most of the bands in attendance were acoustic. “We [didn’t] want them to blow out the park,” Dowdell said, laughing.
She also reached out to local high school music programs, with which she was involved before coming to SFU. “I [had] been trying to contact them and have them and students do promotions,” she explained.
Many places in the Lower Mainland require a license to busk, and only allow musicians to perform in a spot for one hour before requiring them to move on. There are exceptions when iat comes to certain side streets, parks, and the sea wall. However, Port Moody supported Dowdell’s event by relaxing its restrictions.
To keep costs down, Dowdell decided to keep things simple. “It was funded by the city, really simple.” she said. She also reached out to many businesses such as COBS Bread and David’s Tea for sponsorship.
She explained, “[The community has been] printing posters for me, helping me out with contacts. [There’s been] a lot of email communication with people involved with the park — not much from the province, mostly from the city of Port Moody.”
Dowdell explained to The Peak that community building was her primary focus. “I plan to make [the Buskathon] an annual thing, building it up,” she said. In light of the support she received from the community, she feels this could be a reality.
