Fund a Busker (Beyond Busking Project)

The Cape Town Arts Festival is proud to offer you a wonderful opportunity to sponsor 6 buskers in our Beyond Busking Skills Development Program. The 12 week training and mentorship program improves professional capacity in participants to help them become more skilled and have greater market value as artists, thus creating sustainable income and restoring their dignity as artists.

The programme culminates with showcasing their work at the annual Beyond Busking Festival on 29 October 2022 at the historic Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town.

The programme was conceptualized and developed against a backdrop of socio economic suffering caused by the Covid pandemic and subsequent adverse economic conditions.

While busking is welcomed and encouraged in Cape Town it does not share the same status as busking on the International Arena. Our research amongst local Buskers tells a story of being seen as second grade artists who cannot make it on the big stage as musicians. The Beyond Busking Skills Development Program is designed to meet the day to day needs of street performers, giving them the opportunity on bigger stages both locally and abroad. 

The programme includes the following :

1. Assessment of each individual busker and creating a support programme according to their needs

2. Provide master classes on stage presence

3. Provide professional vocal training

4. Put qualifying buskers through an accredited song writing course to encourage original work

5. Identify those buskers who will benefit from a looping pedal and provide training and master classes with professional looping pedal musicians.

6. Provide buskers who qualify with looking pedal training with equipment upgrades including looping pedals, mics and portable speaker systems.

7. Provide professional guitar lessons with top guitarists. .

8. Provide free studio, composition, arrangement, recording and production of original songs.

Our budget for 2022 has limited us to fund part of the Beyond Busking Development programme but we would like to fund the 6 buskers who demonstrated the talent and commitment to become successful performers on any stage. We would like to support them further and create ambassadors for South African buskers .

We kindly request your consideration to support these buskers. 

The cost to fund a full program for each busker is R50 000 with the option for sponsors to support any or all of the development elements:

Funding required per Artist : R50 000

Sound equipment (looping pedal, sound mixer, mic and mic stand, speakers and cables): R12 000

Equipment training and master classes : R 6000

Songwriting course and music production : R 6000

Stage presence and vocal training: R 6000

Song composition, arrangement and production R20 000

PS. Each Busker will be filmed from the auditions stage through all the training sessions to their final performance at the Beyond Busking Festival.

Funder Benefits for Individual Buskers

Mention on the chosen buskers film

Company logo on the chosen buskers film

Corporate Benefits for full program benefits

Company logo on all marketing material

Company logo on the Beyond Busking Film/Documentary

Mention at the Beyond Busking Festival

Company logo on all Beyond Busking marketing material including flyers, banners and posters as well as digital marketing material.

Mention in all media releases and interviews