PEI·NewWhen the Busker Festival rolls into Charlottetown this weekend, there will be circus stunts, magic tricks, comedy acts and acrobatics — but no flames.’Safety of our community, performers and province always comes first,’ organizers sayMarilee Devries · CBC News · Posted: Aug 27, 2025 12:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes agoPerformer Kobbler Jay juggles fire at the 2021 Charlottetown Busker Festival. Due to the ongoing fire ban in P.E.I., organizers say fire events have been cancelled for this year’s festival, which runs Aug. 29 to 31. (Tony Davis/CBC)When the Busker Festival rolls into Charlottetown this weekend, there will be circus stunts, magic tricks, comedy acts and acrobatics — but no flames.Organizers say the “Fire Spectacular” event, which was set to take place Saturday night in Victoria Park, will not go ahead.”Due to the ongoing fire bans — and in light of the devastating wildfires affecting so many communities — we know this is the safest and most responsible choice,” they said in a statement Tuesday.”The safety of our community, performers and province always comes first.”While the event was set to be one of the highlights of the weekend, there is still plenty to see during the three-day festival, including the Grand Opening Stunt, scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m. at Peake’s Quay. “It’s usually a really big stunt, something really, really interesting to watch and something that’s going to be not something that you’re going to see the rest of the day,” said Dorothy Fairbairn, one of the festival organizers. “I’ll leave it at that and get people to come out and see what it’s about.”Entertainer Derek Derek will perform at the Charlottetown Busker Festival this weekend. He said his audiences can expect ‘a comedy show with a surprising amount of acrobatic skill.’ (Charlottetown Busker Fest/Instagram )Entertainer Derek McAlister, known by his stage name Derek Derek, is one of the performers who will have to adjust their acts to remove fire — in his case, fire juggling. But he’s still got a number of tricks up his sleeve, and said he’s hoping for a large crowd. “The bigger the crowd, the better the situation, the more likely it is to be fun for everybody.”And everybody is welcome, he said.”It is a busking festival, so we are going to be passing the hat. But I think something that’s so important for people to realize is whether you have money or not, it’s amazing for you to show up,” he said. “Street theatre is available to everybody.”Human connection At a time when many experiences happen through a screen, McAlister said festivals like this are special.”Being able to experience something live, I think, is one of the most valuable things we’ve got as a human race currently — being able to really connect with people and share laughter,” he said.The Charlottetown Busker Festival runs Aug. 29 to 31, with open-air shows happening at Peake’s Quay, Victoria Row and Founders’ Food Hall & Market.ABOUT THE AUTHORMarilee Devries is a journalist with CBC P.E.I. She has a journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. She can be reached at marilee.devries@cbc.caWith files from Mainstreet
P.E.I.’s burn ban will extinguish fire acts at Charlottetown Busker Festival
