Nowadays, town and city councils are clamping down on unauthorized busking in an attempt to clear the streets of unsavory types hassling people for money. You often need a permit to perform or busk and if you don’t have one you will be removed by the police, even if you are really good.
These permits can generally be obtained from the local borough council and are either free or will cost between £10 – £20. You will most likely need a couple of passport size photo’s and you may have to audition in front of a judging member of the council to prove you are good enough before they issue you with one. Once you have been issued with a permit, you will have to sign something saying you will abide by the rules imposed on street buskers and performers. The licence could be valid for a year or more, depending on the local authority.
The rules generally imposed on buskers in the forms you sign are usually along the lines of – don’t make a nuisance of your self, don’t stay in the same spot for more than 45 minutes and don’t start begging for money etc. There are also hundreds of other minor regulations in there as well but the main ones are just common sense.
You may also be provided with a map of the town centre areas you are permitted to busk in.
Some boroughs still allow you to perform without a licence, but the police may move you on if you are really awful. It can be down to the discretion of the officer who questions you.
Most indoor shopping arcades will not allow you to busk on their premises, but if these complexes are outdoors and made up of a network of local streets, then you may be able to obtain permission from the shopping centre manager to busk on their grounds. Again you will probably have to audition in front of the manager and may need to ring and ask permission every time you want to play there.
If you are planning on going to a city or town you have never busked before, it is definitely a good idea to ring the local authorities before you go, as you could find you have a wasted journey.
First ring the town or city’s police station and ask if you need a licence to busk. They might say you don’t need one or they may point you to the local council. Then give them a ring and ask if you need a permit and what the process is to apply for one. If you are busking on private property or in a shopping centre, ring the centre manager. Be extremely polite and if you are lucky they may give you a trial run.
Be positive about your playing skills and don’t get upset and give them a load of abuse if you get turned down. The chances are they have already had to deal with many other so called ‘buskers’ on their territory begging for money, being a nuisance and playing the same song all day long on a clapped out guitar with three strings.
Remember you are trying to add something positive to the dynamics of the street or place you are busking in, and it’s your job to portray the image of a busker in the best light possible, so don’t let the side down, even if you get turned down.
Keep trying and sooner or later you’ll get lucky.
If you are going busking, then there are a few things you may need to take with you.
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Relly helpfull website but could do with some lists of councils and what there policy is.
Good idea, but there are hundreds of councils in the U.K and thousands more around the world, it wouldn’t very be practical for me to do all that…if anyone’s up for it give me a shout !
I’m trying to raise money for an ipod and i thoughti could busk. i play trumpet and my mum wouldn’t let me busk unsless i got a licence on my own. can you tell me how i actually get one
i want to busk in south kensington
That’s cool, I used to live there. Ring the police station and ask them whether you need a permit from them or from the council and they should point you in the right direction. If they don’t, just ring the local council and ask their licencing department if you need one.
They might go all ‘health and safety’ on you and insist you have public liability insurance, but to be honest I doublt most buskers have, I expect they just go out and do it anyway.
I hope you get your ipod without too much trouble.
Hi
I wanted to Busk in chichester, and I have looked around the city council websites, and cant find anything useful? I would just like to know where I am meant to go now to find out 
THank you x
Just ring your local council offices and ask for the licencing department, they will tell you of any requirements they have regarding buskers. Then ring the police and see what they have to say.
You might find you don’t need anything from the council and it is down to the discretion of the police as it is in Colchester, or you might find it you need to pay for a licence or be vetted by the council. It differs widely from place to place.
Good luck
It’s actually Chichester, and thanks for the advice
xx
Hi Ella, yeah, I mean in Colchester where I used to busk a lot, there is no legislation, it’s basically down to the police to decide if you’re good enough to play without annoying the public. If you are making a nuisence of your self they move you on, if you’re good enough they let you stay. It’s great, no hassles with Counci licences.
Cheers
Hahahahah, I SO knew that! That sounds great! Maybe I should move to Colchester…..
No, I think I’ll just ring the police and check it out some more x Again, Thanks for your help 
xx
Excellent ! I hope you do well. Give us a shout when you’re up and running.
Speaking of Colchester, it’s the only place I’ve ever busked where the locals start filling your case before you’ve even started. I wish they did that in my home town.
Take it easy.
Anyone know what the licensing laws are for busking in Alnwick, Northumberland?
Sorry Dex, best give the council and police a ring, you’ll get yourt answers immediately.
Government approved busking is disgraceful. It turns out that there isn’t one single activity that the government can’t regulate and ask for money for. If I want to play a guitar in the streets for money then its none of their concern. How about using the governments power to run the country and police power to go catch the real actual criminals.
That’s right, but there is an argument that there needs to be some sort of legislation to stop any old tramp making a racket and hassleing people for cash. Many people pose as buskers as a guise for aggressive begging.
I suppose if people didn’t cause trouble in the streets, they wouldn’t have an excuse to licence street performers.
@ Gordon –
That’s a bit of a blind argument… the government, specifically local councils, STILL regulate street performance anyway. If someone is found to be swearing or making too much noise or being otherwise offensive, who do you think receives the letter of complaint?
In Newcastle, there is no individual license required to busk as the council have a blanket-license in place to cover all buskers. This means that they could technically ask for a percentage of my intake while I’m out to cover street-performance licensing costs. The fact that this has NEVER happened in the 10 years I’ve been busking doesn’t make it any less true – it just means that the local government have found a loophole which allows more people to culturally richen our city, but have decided not to start taking money from the buskers their town’s inhabitants have learned to love. How is this a bad thing?
If anything, there should be MORE control in place, at least in the form of auditions – thus eliminating “aggressive begging” and not allowing someone with one guitar string to atonally wail and screech at the top of their voice, as opposed to entertaining, which is what we’re supposed to be doing. Playing the same 2 bars of accordion music over and over again for 4 hours should be knocked on the head too – it makes a mockery of the people who take pride in their work and actually put an effort in to learn their art. Stopping this before it happens, in a government office somewhere, would mean less police time is wasted on complaints about noise, begging or… well, accordions.
The government are ELECTED to regulate different aspects of how the country works. It’s their job. If that includes drawing a line between busking and begging, and eliminating the latter for being a nuisance, I say so be it.
Thanks for your comments Dextrous.
I was chatting to a busker in town last year who was fed up dealing with all the different licencing laws, permits and regs that councils make street musicians adhere to which always differ in each town and county you go to.
He was an advocate of having one official licence that covers the whole of the U.K which would have to be paid for and auditioned infront of a governing body. It would save a hell of a lot of hassle for musicians and give us more freedom to take our music to new audiences all over the country, without worrying if we were going to be thrown off our pitch without a licence.
It would also seperate the serious musicians who have something to offer the public from the 3 chord buskers and those who sit in the same place, day in day out playing the same 3 songs on the pennywhistle for their next hit.
A blanket licence gained through audition seems like a good idea, as long as it doesn’t cost too much and deter new talent and fresh ideas from the street.
Hey
Me and my friend are thinking of Busking in Cardiff.. Where could we get a license? 
x
Hi Lucy, first ring the council and see if they have any legislation on busking, usually the licencing department. If you don’t need any permissions from the council, ring the police and see what their requirements are. Then you’ll have covered all bases. If you are lucky, you may be free to do what you like, at worst you may have to audition in front of a council member or pay £10 – £20 for a year licence.
Cheers
I was just wondering, is there any kind of age limit on busking?
Hi Tara, I think if you can play an instrument and are good enough to sing a few songs without getting on people’s nerves, then you are good enough to busk, whatever age you are.
In fact, really young buskers often make more money than middle aged musicians due to the cuteness factor and alternatively, the oldies would probably love seeing someone their own age singing a bit of Sinatra in the street. Music has no age limit.
i’m putting together a tour of england (i am paying for my travel and digs in advance) and was hoping to busk in each town I stay in. i was wondering if there was much call for a one off permit? (as some places will just be fly-bys where i’ll spend 3/4 hours) i’ve passed the busking tests in my local town of Halifax and wanted to spread my wings and spread the love!!! or shoul i just risk it and run away if i get chased by the cops (although this may damage buskers reputations in whichever town which is something i would strive to avoid)
any help on this would be greatly appreciated
Hi Rick,
It’s a gamble really and depends if you want to do it properly and prepare with a dozen phone calls or just go ahead and risk it. I very much doubt you’ll be fined if you get stopped without permission, you’ll just be asked to produce a licence and move on if you haven’t got one.
I have found that in just about every street you busk in, if you need a licence and there is a passing council worker or bobby on the beat, sooner or later they will undoubtedly ask and if you can’t produce one, you won’t get away with it – even for one day. Having to pack up and go somewhere else can be a real pain when you’ve just spent the last hour finding a decent spot and setting up.
On the other hand, some town centres are more lax and you’ll get away with it without a problem. Although I think it is becoming more common place to need a licence nowadays so the ‘easy’ towns will be fewer and further between.
I think to save disappointment, spend an hour on the phone to the local councils/police depts of the towns you intend to busk in before you go, then you’ll be armed with all the info you need to either risk it, or play it safe.
The council in my home town don’t like buskers and will refuse permission if asked, but on the street there are many musicians and no enforcers, so it’s a free for all. The police and shop owners are also fine with it, so don’t necessarily be put off by a miserable licence department. The next town council a few miles away are happy to accommodate musicians but require a £10 licence, so it’s a different story everywhere you go.
Information is the key and you may find new opportunities if you speak to the council or local organisations. Shopping centres and pedestrianised shopping streets often take up big chunks of a town’s centre and are mostly privately owned so you may be able to call the managers and arrange appointments to busk in prime spots rather than being denied permission on the day and left on the outskirts or in an empty subway.
I think a bit of research and a few phone calls may be the best option.
I hope that helps.
Cheers
Hi
I was just wondering what the minimum age for busking is? My sister and I would like to busk but she’s only fifteen and we were wondering if she is too young?
Thanks!
Hi Kier, just wondering (being Essex-based) what your experience of the local area is like? I know you touched on Colchester, what about Chelmsford and other such nearby places? Basically just trying to tap into your experience and knowledge really, if poss!
Just found this site there are some intresting views here, i do regular busking tours mainly south west,south, and the south coast, it’s getting more difficult to maintain a liveing from busking in this country, how ever i see myself as
a trubadore {traveting musician, and i dont recive any state benifits,live and travel in a van,
Iv’e already got one audition licance,iv’e had for 6 years,its free and only applies to one place, councils could except others licnces but they dont, there 150+ licances out there why do i need all thoes licances? im trying to campain for a national liance but councils want to keep them seperate, so the only way to got them working to- gether is to go to court that means being arrested. so far iv’e have tryed 4 times simply by saying to council officials call the police
nothing has happend im still wating?
I think that if its the only way you can feed yourself they they cant stop you working,also theres a EE.U. directive that
say” NO RETRICTION ON GOODS AND SERVICES” councils could be brakeing the law if you were claming benifits you would’ent have aleg to stand on.
I think that all councils could have the same standard, audition liances,and that pitch times of 2hrs is the standard
with no retun within 4 hrs, this maens designated pitches with parking type metors, call them”PLAYING METORS”
then on one could exceed the pitich times and the money given to specil needs kids for music sessions, also sponsord stages, this is the way forward, any thoughts or comments from any one else?
I live in Norwich what about there
Hi Morgane, sorry, I thought I replied to this one months ago and just found it while skipping through my comments. Please accept my apologies.
I think if you are old enough to play an instrument and have the nerve to go out there and stand in the middle of town and do your stuff, you are definately old enough to busk.
As long as you and your sister can hold a few decent tunes and will add to the dynamics of the street then go for it. Don’t expect to earn a fortune and you might be surprised. Make sure you’re ready to deal with a few idiots that may come your way and enjoy the good comments that people will undoubtedly give you. I’m sure you’ll be fine. Busking will give you and your sister a great confidence boost and you’ll find it’s pretty much addictive once you get over your first session.
Get out there and knock ‘em dead.
Hi Chris, sorry for such a late reply, I’ve not been monitoring my comments lately and have been pretty much overwhelmed with my other work commitments.
I’m not based in Essex but travel here often for family reasons but I usually do quite well in and around the area.
I always love busking in Colchester and normally have a few coins tossed in even before I’ve set up, but you’ll need permission from the shopping centre manager before you can busk in many of the more central streets.
Chelmsford town centre is a good place to busk and apart from being hassled by the odd drunk which is a rarity, the people there can be quite generous and appreciative. As usual, earnings vary dramatically and I’ve returned from a 3 hr. guitar session with anything from £50 to £15. Speaking with other buskers there, one guy I met used to busk regularly on a Sunday morning, playing the Beatles and would bring in £45 for about an hour and a half.
I’ve had good results from Braintree also, and busking smack in the middle of the shopping centre does attract a good crowd but there are often charity group or people doing promotions there so you must get permission from the centre manager if you’re planning on playing there.
I think for most places in and around Chelmsford, Braintree, Colchester etc., you generally don’t need permission from the council or police but if you are busking in an open area that belongs to a shopping centre, you’ll always need permission. It’s a hassle but usually worth it as you’ll have a more captive audience and less competition.
I hope that helps a bit.
Cheers
do you need a license to busk in croydon?
I’m twelve, but I’ve busked (guitar and singing) in my local music centre. I know what you said about no age limit, but surely there are boundaries? what do you think?
Hello,
I was going to ask the same question as Chris! I’m also based in Essex.
Thanks for the advice; it gives me a starting point.
Regards,
Angela.
AGE: From what I have seen legally you need to be over 14. BUT then whats to say you’re busking and not just playing your instrument? (Spot the police, just kick your case closed).
Interesting that you think the three chord tricks shouldn’t be allowed. Especially when there are well known performers playing away to three chord tricks.
Also as far as national permits and auditions go….. Personally I think its wrong. I am new to playing guitar, I don’t have a particularly good voice (I wouldn’t say its hurts the ears either). So far I can only play and sing four songs. I’ve played in the street just for fun. With auditions you’d prevent or at the very least slow me down from getting experience and developing the confidence to play in front of people.
how old do you need to be to busk?my son asked me to find out.he is 11.
Hi Kier, I’ve been busking in Wimborne Dorset, playing sax, the police have told me I need a licence,I went to the council and they said I only need a licence if I was doing it for charity which I’m not. The police have been back since, and I explained this to them, they let me stay, but said they would have to look into it. What is the law then, cheers Bob.!!
Actually, it’s not always the case that you have to move on after 45 minutes. We have a slot in town that we use all day and occasionally for two days. Sometimes you can be invited to play and the council will pay you for being there.
During these sessions we have had to put up with the ‘licensed’ buskers who hurl abuse at us for ‘taking their spot’ or ‘drowning out’ their ‘music’. You have to be a diplomat as well as a proficient player to busk. And even professional musicians resort to it through necessity. On the whole, though, your information is very useful.
The best advice I can offer is to get to your spot early. Set up well before the shops begin to open to give you time to sound check and tune your instrument. That way, you don’t annoy the public before you even start. Don’t use playback. It’s cheap and makes you look fake. Don’t wander off your spot or get in the way of people passing by. And involve the listener, take requests, and smile a lot.
Thanks for posting.
thanks for the advice. does anyone know about the busking laws in Stirlingshire in scotland?
Jake, try this site:
http://www.vocalist.org.uk/directory/category/Busking/location/UK/Scotland/Stirlingshire/
Apply directly to the town/county council where you intend to play before you busk. Hope that helps. Good luck
Hiya! I want to busk to earn some money seeingas it is becoming increasingly hard to find a job…
What do I have to do to busk in camden/watford?
Also, do you kow if there are any specific requirements for opera singing or not? (I have a loud voice…)
Thanks
Hi KIER,
Now i’ve had a chance to look at some of the other comments and your’s too i can see why councils are introducing
licenseing to our towns, its because people are unaware of the basic rules for street entertainment, these have been
passed on from other professionals 2hr pitches are what we call showes and you may do 2 shows a day if your lucky if no other entertainers are around, its polite to ask when the pitch is next avaible, its polite not to spoil someone else show by seting up withn hearing distance, unfortunatly shops are complaning to councils of constant noise, Because buskers are playing for far to long,or there are to many have-a go-types who do not have a show hence the introduction of licenseing, i can see you dont do street entertaining for you liveing if you did you would be encoruging those basic rules!
I have just sent an email to the Art’s Minister pointing out the introduction of Audition Licenseing and “Play Meters” with sponsord Stageing,for “Prime Pitches” so street entertainment can be taken to a pro level,
with the introduction of a national database for proffessional street entertainers so we could have a “NATIONAL LICENSENCE, bring all the Adution licensence’s together YES it means haveing to do an adution yes it means only 2HR “pitches” Yes it means you will “PAY TO PLAY” but at least the tradition of busking will continue, if the councils continue the with the line they are takeing Not only will THEY KILL OFF THE TRADITION OF THE TROUBADOR, BUSKING WILL STOP TOO.So bad is the state of our high street therewill be nobody left to entertain jools baker last of the troubadors THE ASCENDANCE.COM
Hi Joolsax,
Brilliant idea. That way there would only be one audition and one license, national database to, presumably, play anywhere?
I’d favour that over turning up to play on an already booked, clearly marked, pitch, only to find six unlicensed ‘buskers’ in the vicinity and spending an hour of pitch time asking them to play (and I use the term loosely for some of them) somewhere else.
There is a clear dividing line between buskers and professional street entertainers, but I don’t think there should be. Everyone should have the same rules and the same opportunities. One audition, one license, play anywhere. As long as you have prior consent from the council you’re planning on visiting, and you can put on a good show, two hours should be plenty long enough.
Hopefully you won’t be the last troubador, jools. It’s a tradition that is worth saving.
Hi Zuleika,
YES, i think we could help the councils create a system where by it enables street entertainers (buskers ect) to still
have a spontainous situation, eg. the introduction of “PLAY METERS”
PLAYMETERS, are just car parking meters, but used by entertainers to play> you pay eg £2.-2.50 per HR for a 2HR pitch
max no RTN within 2hrs THE MONEY from the meters go to say ” special needs groups” for music sessions so there would be a way of giveing back to the community, NO NEED TO A, book the pitich B, fillin forms, C, self regulating
you can see when the pitich is next avaible from the “DISPLAYED TICKET” and also the DISPLAYED NATIONAL LICENSE OF THE ENTERTAINER USING THE PITICH.
THE NATIONAL LICENSE. A ” NATIONAL LICENSE” requires an AUDITION LICENSE issued by one of the councils across the country who are part of the scheme they are free , on loan, and carrie an I.D. number and photo.
This adution license I.D. number is confirmed with the NATIONAL data BASE, to give you a national license which will also enable you to sell your own C.d.’s
IT COST eg £100.00 PER YEAR thats £25. PROSSEING TO BRITISH ARTS, and £75 TO THE COUNCIL who owns your license, Thats better than haveing to pay every council on a daily bases,which i feel would be kill off the street entertainment sean altogether, i feel this is what councils are going to introduce,THATS WHY they want to keep them SEPERATE and stop a National Licance from happening
This system shows It possible to have a national license, for entertainers, where its still spontainious,self regulating,
where it is a way puting something back in to the community, the COUNCIL’S GET MONEY PAID TO THEM PER YEAR
as long as you keep your license going, and “THE PUBLIC” GET BUTEER QUILITY ENTERTAINMENT BY COMPDENT PEOPLE
IT would be intresting to know what other people think, i hope you can see it would still give anybody axcess to becoming a street entertainer and still hold on to the troubador tradition
AND TO ANSWER YOUE’RE QUESTION “YES PLAY EVERY WHERE” totaly free sperit thinking
Hey there! Everyone I know says I can sing well, and my family is looking at a sharp decline in money, and I had though about getting a license to perform on the streets, but I have 1 problem.
I am 12.
Any advice?
hello every one just wondering if anyone could help me i live in stevenage(england) and i was just wondering how much it is to busk,where i can busk and if i need a licence my neibours little girl has had lukimia since she was 1 and shes 3 now and i wanted ot earn a bit of money for them so she can get all the treatment she needs to live the long happy life she has ahead of her, im a 14 year old girl who has been playing guitar for 2 years now im not the most amazing guitarest but im getting better as i have the most amazing teacher and i really want to help her please if anyone can help me please email me on (email removed for users protection – please post below) thank you in advance