This popular festival is coming up this date next month, a photographer’s delight and a good reason to visit Christchurch. It’s not just the performers,
the onlookers make great subjects too.
An aerial act in the 2008 Festival consisted of a bloke from Dublin and a young woman from Sweden. As part of the process of warming up the crowd, she came forward to the front of the stage and said “Ja, det är så tjusigt att vara här på Nya Zeeland, alla är så vänliga, speciellt här i Christchurch” (it’s so nice to be here in New Zealand, everyone is so friendly, especially in Christchurch) and struck up a pose. Everybody applauded.
As I used to live in Sweden and understood what she said, I couldn’t resist shouting “Heja Sverige!” (Come on Sweden!). I was standing at the edge of the crowd behind a whole lot of seated onlookers, holding a camera with a very large lens. I guess I was quite conspicuous, because she pointed to me and said to everybody, in English: “Oh, I forgot to introduce my father. He’s come all the way from Stockholm to support our act, please give him a big hand.” Everyone turned to look at me and did indeed give me a big hand!
What could I do but take off my hat, and bow in acknowledgement. They’re quick, these buskers!
Again, you can check out further images from the Buskers Festival at my online gallery, in the Canterbury section