LOCAL

Downtown seeks street performers to enliven Main Street

Wayne Risher, wayne.risher@commercialappeal.com
The Main Street Busking Challenge Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 is a new effort to animate Main Street.
  • Prizes include a five-hour studio session at Ardent Studios and $200 and $100 gift cards.

Downtown officials are calling on musicians and bands to help liven up a stretch of Main Street on two upcoming Friday nights.

The Main Street Busking Challenge is set for 5-8 p.m. Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 on Main between Peabody Place and Jefferson.

The Downtown Memphis Commission-sponsored challenge is open to amateurs, students, and professionals in all genres. Busking is street performance.

The audience will pick winners of a grand prize, a five-hour studio session at Ardent Studios, and $200 and $100 gift cards.

DMC president Terence Patterson said the challenge is part of a strategic focus on the heart of Downtown and the Main Street Mall. 

"The challenge is a creative approach for increasing the vibrancy of Main Street in a way that supports our local music community while reinforcing Downtown’s character and unique sense of place," Patterson said.

More information is available at www.downtownmemphis.com/busking-challenge.