Busking on the seafront - yes please

Brighton’s seafront busking tradition has long been part of its festival character, with musicians and street performers enlivening the promenade, the piers and the Lanes. For decades it has operated largely on a basis of informal tolerance, supported by a voluntary code rather than formal regulation. The city council’s guidance confirms that no licence is required, but it sets limits: no amplification, no drumming, and no more than one hour in any spot between 10am and 10pm. Enforcement has tended to be complaint-led rather than systematic. (Here is Unörthadox playing Madeira Drive earlier this year.)

In 2018, attempts to restrict busking in Pavilion Gardens provoked strong public reaction. Proposals to ban amplification or to introduce audition-based access were criticised as undermining the spontaneity that has always defined street performance. Buskers themselves have often tried to ease tensions by informally sharing pitches in high-traffic areas. Films such as Between Two Piers (see film still below) and networks like Brighton Beach Busking have documented the scene, showing how performance has become embedded in seafront life.

The latest dispute - see Brighton and Hove News - centres on a sign erected by the Upside Down House on the seafront, which warned against amplification and percussion and even threatened instrument seizure. This triggered a petition signed by nearly 600 people, calling for the creation of permanent busking zones, including the right to use amplification and percussion, and for some sheltered performance spots to be introduced. Petitioners also asked for a more explicit recognition that busking is an asset for local businesses and tourism.

When the petition was presented to full council on 13 October, councillor Birgit Miller, with responsibility for culture and tourism, acknowledged the value of busking but said local businesses had complained about excessively loud or prolonged performances. She promised a review of the situation and a reconsideration of the current voluntary code. The debate reflects a familiar Brighton tension between protecting a vibrant cultural tradition and addressing concerns about noise and public space management.