Rethink restrictive busker rules in Minneapolis parks

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board wants to see more vibrant parks, bustling with street performers of every variety — musicians, caricaturists, balloon artists, jugglers, mimes.

So, of course, the way to do this is to create a strict program that charges $40 per permit, imposes a two-hour limit, and restricts entertainers to just 10 designated spots across the park system.

Sigh. Make it make sense.

Street performers, also known as buskers, can be found in many major cities. They have become a staple of farmers markets and other outdoor venues. Whether it's an organized band, an emerging singer trying out an act, a caricaturist honing her craft with quick sketches, or perhaps an aspiring rap artist, such activities add greatly to life in the city.

But the board's new system, in an attempt to enhance those opportunities, appears to be a misfire.

"Anyone is free to express what they want in our parks," Stenzel said. "It's the moment you ask or receive money that triggers it. We have lots of groups that collect money for things like yoga in the park, etc. All of those pay within our fee structure. We don't issue a free permit if someone is generating revenue."

But street performers are not like "yoga in the park" or food trucks or any other fee-for-service operation. Street performing is artistic free speech and should get greater consideration.

In addition to the other limitations, busking is prohibited outside of the 10 spots, which include high-traffic areas such as the Stone Arch Bridge and Loring Park. It will be permitted only May to October.

Does such a rigid system truly recognize the "life, color and interest" that parks officials say they want?

Earlier this spring the Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra decided it would be fun to do essentially a flash mob performance in a Minneapolis park. Its members gathered under a bridge on a Sunday morning in early May, to better surprise and delight onlookers. The performance went off without a hitch.

And some cities charge far less. Montgomery, Ala., last May sought to specifically allow busking in an attempt to draw visitors back to downtown. The city established an inexpensive, $25 annual fee, and or a single-day permit for just $7.

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said at the time that "one of the things that has consistently come up is the lack of street life," he said. "… If you're in a New Orleans, if you go to Charleston [S.C.] … you have buskers that are playing the saxophone and playing the trumpet, that are doing different things. I think it will add to what we're trying to create downtown and in other entertainment districts throughout the city so there's more energy, more life."

Stenzel said that's also what he wants to see. A 25-year veteran of the park system, he said: "I am all about vibrancy in parks. Seeing empty parks drives me crazy." One challenge has been to get more programming in parks, he said, because parks that offer lots of events and heavy public use, interestingly enough, result in fewer public safety calls.

If that's the goal, park officials might want to rethink some elements of an admittedly new system. Do they really need to charge so much for a permit? Could there be a cheaper day option?

Must there be so many rules? Heaven forbid a busker might brave the chill of early November or the muck of late April to entertain intrepid park visitors. And why just 10 spots and two hours? If the crowds are good, why break up the fun? If they are sparse, buskers likely will leave of their own volition. Stenzel said the parks police chief told him that in five years his force had never issued a single citation for unruly buskers.