Peters will be at Sir Winston Churchill Square, July 3 to 12, one of the performers brought in to pass along their skills in the Busker Academy. A background in traditional acting was losing its appeal so ze decided to pivot to clowning, a spontaneous and joyous artwork interacting closely with crowds.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiterally anybody who\u2019s passing by is welcome to come and we\u2019ll show them how the props work or in the case of some of my colleagues, they\u2019ll teach some aerial stuff,\u201d says Peters. \u201cBut it\u2019s a joy, and I think that that joy of discovery and learning something new and challenging yourself isn\u2019t limited to our childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Street performer Charlie Peters demonstrates juggling to Justin Bell (not pictured) on June 19, 2026.<\/p>\n
Joining Peters at the academy will be Flyin\u2019 Bob Palmer, the man with a tenuous connection to the ground helping the clown-curious to get up on stilts. Cirquetastic will also bring their unique style of aerial acrobatics to curious crowds looking to learn.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s just three of the 38 artists from eight different countries making their way to Sir Winston Churchill square for the festival, wowing audiences with everything from acrobatics to rollerblading to that \u201ceasy\u201d talent, juggling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m actually really excited about the number of emerging, or evolving might be a better word, artists at the festival this year,\u201d says Liz Hobbs, the Programming and Communications Director for the festival. There\u2019s a total of 10 acts making their Streetfest debut this year.<\/p>\n
Conrad Rivalland, a long-time performer with plenty of a quarter century of street performance, will hit the square for the first time this year. Sean Arceta has been to the festival in the past but will bring a new crew this year with Rhythm Speaks, a street dance show of the city\u2019s best B-Boys. Lyne Gosselin will lead a relatively new show of high-flying acrobatics and rodeo royalty.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no cost to head out to the square to catch a performance, though every act is a \u201cpay what you will\u201d affair where performers will pass around a hat to collect directly from the audience. Hobbs said it\u2019s customary to drop in anywhere from $5 to $20, but even if you can\u2019t afford to drop anything in the hat even a \u201cthank you\u201d is much appreciated by performers.<\/p>\n
And of course there\u2019s the Late Night Madness Cabaret, an adult- only indoor performance at The Citadel. It\u2019s the only part of the festival where you have to buy a ticket, but that doesn\u2019t mean they have a schedule prepared. Even now, on the eve of the festival, literally no one knows what will be on stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I can\u2019t tell you anything about the cabaret, not until I have a meeting with a bunch of clowns on Sunday night and I kind of go, \u2018Hey, what do we all want to do?\u2019\u201d says Hobbs.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone throws out some ideas and then I go away for two days and try to put them into something that resembles a show order and then we have another meeting and we actually firm everything up.\u201d<\/p>\n
That \u201cthrowing together\u201d generally results in zany, unpredictable antics from genuinely hilarious actors all trying to one up each other. That\u2019s how you end up with someone trying to eat an entire container of mayonnaise.<\/p>\n
While June was the rainiest month on record, Hobbs is hoping for nice weather to usher in July. It\u2019s impossible to plan for all of the weather permutations, every eventuality. Organizers hope for the best and adjust where they can when the gods of wind and rain don\u2019t want to play ball.<\/p>\n
Even good weather can bring challenges when the stage is a massive slab of concrete with little to no shade where performers are doing some impressive physical feats. Staying hydrated is important, especially when juggling. I guess that would be the next lesson, the one after how to actually catch the juggling balls.<\/p>\n
Edmonton International Street Performers Festival<\/p>\n
When: July 3 to 12, Late Night Madness Cabaret July 10 and 11 at 10:15 p.m.<\/p>\n
Where: Sir Winston Churchill Square<\/p>\n