The Central Street Busker Fest took over a small portion of the street Saturday with jugglers, musicians, poets and other street performers drawing about 450 attendees into the early evening.
The festival was organized by Central Street Evanston Community Director Angela Shaffer, with the goal of developing arts and culture in the district, Shaffer said.
Busker fests are public events with street performers, or buskers, performing a range of talents. The performers often accept tips from the audience.
The Central Street festival was partially inspired by a similar busker fest Shaffer heard about in Fort Wayne, Indiana, she said. It was also inspired by a desire to activate the main stage at newly-renovated Independence Park and promote independent and local businesses on Central Street, she added.
Given her own background in the arts, Shaffer said it was important to her that this festival help keep the arts alive by highlighting talent in the community and giving each performer their own space to shine.
“I want everyone to feel like they have a really fair chance to not only get some tips while they’re out there busking, but to feel like they have space to share their voice,” Shaffer said.
The Central Street Busker Fest was open to the public at no cost, although tipping was encouraged.
Entertainment on the main stage began with a set by five-time Grammy nominee Justin Roberts, followed by a Dance Center Evanston performance, Mayor Daniel Biss juggling fire and a La Tosca Chicago musical performance.
Along the stretch of the street surrounding the main stage, a wide array of other buskers and entertainers performed.
Unicyclist and juggler Kyle “unikyle” Campbell, said that the Central Street Busker Fest was his second time performing at a festival.
Since learning to unicycle in 2014, Campbell has traveled internationally to compete. However, in 2025, he decided that he would take a break from traveling with his unicycle for the first time in several years, he said.
He performed at his first local festival in June at the Evanston Main Street Fair.
Campbell prepared for his performance by practicing his tricks and painting a large box to store equipment in during his performance. He added that he wanted his performance to facilitate audience participation by calling on audience members and using words painted on his box to prompt cheers from the crowd.
But the most important aspect of his show, Campbell said, was being authentic, something he strives for during his performances and an ideal he hopes the audience will take with them, he added.
“At the end of the day, be authentic and things will work out,” Campbell said. “You don’t have to be someone that you’re not. I’ve always been kind of goofy, and it’s served me well and gave me a lot of opportunities to do a lot of cool things.”
Attendees of the Central Street Busker Fest were able to see Campbell and many others doing just that — being themselves while showcasing their passions and talents.
For attendee and volunteer Brian Houze, this was part of the reason he decided to go to the festival.
“I think just being able to walk around and see people doing their thing just on the sidewalk, I just wanted to see that regardless of who it was or what they were doing,” Houze said.
Other performers included musicians, singers, poets, a puppeteer, a caricature artist, a mime, a tarot card reader and a living statue.
Shaffer said she would love to see the festival grow over time throughout the Central Street Evanston district.
“I think this is just a really great time for people to come together — with everything going on — through the arts,” Shaffer said. “I think the arts are just a great communication, unifying everyone.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the number of attendees present at the event. The Daily regrets this error.
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