The Lawrence Busker Festival will be taking over the streets of Downtown Lawrence, Kansas for its 12th year over Memorial Day weekend. Performers at the Lawrence Busker Festival amazes crowds annually with feats of danger, flexibility, strength, magic, and comic relief. This year’s Lawrence Busker Festival is the very first festival of its kind, in the world, that will feature all female performers.
Since starting the Festival, Richard Renner, the festival producer has heard that all buskers have not been treated equally. Specifically, female buskers don’t always get equal pay as their male counterparts, and those female buskers were being looked at as a “token” to festival organizers. It’s not unheard of for female buskers to approach a festival organizer with their act and be told that they already have a female act booked.
Renner is set out to prove that a top-notch festival can be done with all female entertainment. “Women buskers have told me they often feel overlooked at festivals and that they are in the minority. I believe we can highlight some amazing women and change that,” said Renner.
Female performers from all over the world will be making their way to Lawrence to make history:
This year you can expect to see past favorites like Mama Lou American Strong Woman, Martika Daniels the sideshow stuntwoman, Bekah Smith juggler and fire performer, and Voler the aerial artist troupe. Joining them for the first time will be several acts from Canada, Germany, and Australia.
New this year are:
• Sharon Mahoney: A comedic character from Ontario, Canada whose variety show highlights the funny nature of all things Canadian.
• Sara Twister: A highly-skilled contortionist and entertainer, and one of the world’s very rare acrobatic archers.
• Sarah Kunz: An internationally renowned street performer whose act combines contortion, acrobatics, juggling, comedy, gymnastics, and hula-hooping.
• Molly Keczan: The Farmer’s Daughter from Newfoundland who mixes agricultural jokes and down-home humor with lariat tricks, mild bottle balancing, and much more!
The annual Art Tougeau Art Car Parade is partnering with the Lawrence Busker Festival for the third year in 2019. The Parade features vehicles transformed into art. Cars dressed up with dental devices, pop bottle tops, and chalk paint are regulars at the parade. The cars will be on display on the evening of Friday, May 24th, and the parade begins at noon Saturday, May 25th.
The Lawrence Busker festival is a whole weekend of weirdness that locals and visitors look forward to each year. The event brings people from all over the country to experience the unmistakably different culture of Lawrence, Kansas.
