Cooma will be ringing to the tunes of buskers’ music when the Australian National Busking Championships (ANBC) Grand Final arrives back in town on Saturday November 26.
Now in its 11th year, the ANBC is expecting 30 finalists to perform on the streets of Cooma in what has become an iconic community event for the town and region. The artists will be competing for a total of over $10,000 in prizemoney, the open winner receiving $3000.
The ANBC celebrates the rich diversity of Australian music and street performance culture and is held in nine locations around the country, each a satellite busking festival culminating in the national grand final in Cooma. The winners of each regional competition are invited to compete for the title of Australian National Busking Champion along with substantial prize monies and a chance to perform at the prestigious Gympie Muster.
The national final festival commences at 9.00am on Saturday morning with artists performing around town, the final judging to be held at 2.30pm on stage in Cooma’s Centennial Park.
Markets, street entertainers, free workshops and a Snow FM outdoor broadcast will add to the Cooma festive spirit with spectators having the opportunity to buy tokens and show their support for buskers.
Vote For People’s Choice - Busker Tokens
Spectators have loved the busking concept and have supported this emerging pathway for artists, wandering from one performance to the next and listening to the next crop of potential professional artists and superstars.
You can also vote for the People’s Choice Award by purchasing Busker Tokens and gifting them to the artists in their collection tins while they play. The artist with the most Busker Tokens will claim the prize for the People’s Choice with proceeds donated to Cooma Community Chest.
Guests who purchase tokens also are entered into the raffle draw for 2 X 4 day passes to fantastic Gympie Muster 2023. (1 raffle ticket per 10 tokens)
The Busker Tokens can be purchased by the public during the ANBC competition from volunteers.
The tokens cost $1 each. There is a limit of 50 tokens per customer.
People can vote for their favourite busker by tipping them with Busker Tokens.
The Busker Tokens are tallied up at the end of the street performances and the buskers that get the most tokens will win cash prizes.
1st $500
2nd $400
3rd $300
4th $200
5th $100
Proceeds of the Busker Token sales will:
- help with the running costs of this event,
- help with prize money for the buskers
- raise money for ANBC's favourite charity, Cooma Community Chest.
Follow Busking Championships Facebook here
Alpine Hotel Concert Saturday Evening
Join James Blundell, Lily Grace and winning buskers from the Australian National Busking Championships as they perform and we celebrate at the Alpine Hotel.
Doors open 5.30 live music from 6.30.
To avoid disappointment book now - your $10 will be donated to the Cooma community chest charity. Or you can take a risk with FREE entry on the night! Don’t miss this special festival of music!