Agents Butterfly and Honeymoon from Her Majesty’s Secret Service perform at the Halifax Busker Festival on Thursday on the Halifax waterfront. The festival, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, continues through Aug. 3. Photo by Ryan Taplin /The Chronicle HeraldArticle contentThursday’s inclement weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of Halifax Busker Festival organizer Christian Edwards, following a stellar opening the previous day.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentThe 40th edition of the busker festival opened on Wednesday on the Halifax Waterfront, with four stages from the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic down to the Halifax Seaport.Article contentArticle content“The starting day went fantastically; the crowds were out, and the artists were so happy with the crowds,” said Edwards, a senior event director for Premiere Entertainment Group.Article contentArticle content“They always say how generous the audience is in Halifax, and it makes them love the city more and more every time they come.”Article contentThe festival features nine acts, with a total of 15 performers and dozens of vendors from around the world.Article contentAfter the rain cleared on Thursday, the shows resumed. The festival runs until Monday.Article contentPerformances all on Halifax waterfrontArticle contentThe performances this year are all on the Halifax waterfront, after a funding cut by the provincial government forced organizers to pull shows from Dartmouth.Article content“On average, all the festivals that I’m aware of, we all on average lost 20 per cent.Article content“The decision not to go to Dartmouth was made mainly because of the budget cut with the provincial government and the cut of funding that all festivals and events seem to have experienced this year,” said Edwards.Article content“So, looking at a festival that is free, we don’t sell tickets to the event, so we are limited on what we can do for funding.Article content“We’re maintaining where we’ve been in Halifax the last several years, so that hasn’t changed.”Article contentArticle content Mexico’s Pancho Libre performs at the Halifax Busker Festival on Thursday. Photo by Ryan Taplin /The Chronicle HeraldArticle contentArticle contentFestival draws large crowdsArticle contentEdwards said the last few years have brought record numbers to the waterfront for the shows and she is expecting another stellar turnout.Article contentShe said last year, pedestrian counters located at Bishop’s Landing and Cable Wharf showed that over 402,000 people came to the waterfront over the six days of the festival.Article content“That is a 45 per cent increase in pedestrian traffic from the previous week and the week after the festival,” said Edwards.Article content“So we can pretty much guarantee that we will almost double the crowds on the waterfront during the festival.”Article contentPerformers love Halifax crowdsArticle contentThe husband-and-wife team of Brent and Maya McCoy, better known by their stage names of Agent Honeymoon and Butterfly of Her Majesty’s Secret Circus, are performing for the third time in Halifax.Article content“We feel very lucky to be here,” said Brent McCoy, who said they perform at festivals all over the world.Article content“Halifax is amazing because the whole province knows about the festival and this is 40 years old, so there are multiple generations of people who come out for it.
Halifax Busker Festival opens strong despite funding cuts and rainy weather
