Douglas town centre and Covent Garden’s piazza have something in common; both are lucrative busking venues. Chris Pycroft, manager of Douglas Development Partnership, the body that licenses buskers on behalf of Douglas Borough Council, said: ‘Having buskers in the town centre has proved extremely popular, not only with the general public but also with the performers, some of the travelling buskers going as far to say that the only place they earn more than in Douglas is in Covent Garden.’ Mr Pycroft, who is overseeing the Douglas town centre regeneration scheme in partnership with the Douglas local regeneration committee, continued: ‘As part of the scheme the public art strategy identified the value of incorporating busking sites into the streetscape. Demand for pitches is growing; we regularly receive requests for slots, especially for Saturdays, during TT fortnight and over the Christmas period, in particular the Thursday late-night shopping evenings in December. This has led to our drawing up a timetable and requiring street entertainers to pre-book their slots throughout the year. We welcome applications from solo performers, vocal and instrumental groups, brass bands, school choirs; in short, any performance artists who feel they could add to the mix of street theatre in the town centre.’ Mr Pycroft said that with Christmas always generating such strong demand for busking slots street performers must apply to the Partnership by no later than Monday November 1 for this year’s Christmas period. Busking slots are provided free of charge. Applicants should indicate the duration for which the slot will be required. To apply contact ganderson@douglas.org.im, telephone 612022, or call in to 7-13 Victoria Street, Douglas. www.ddp.org.im Ends