{"id":775830,"date":"2026-07-02T16:35:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T16:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/775830\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T16:35:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T16:35:26","slug":"permit-holding-busker-told-to-leave-surrey-plaza-but-hell-still-sing-songs-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/775830\/","title":{"rendered":"Permit-holding busker told to leave Surrey plaza, but he\u2019ll still sing songs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Permit-holding busker told to leave Surrey plaza, but he\u2019ll still sing songs<\/p>\n

Published 3:30 pm Tuesday, June 30, 2026<\/p>\n

Surrey\u2019s new Music Busker Program hit a sour note on launch day for one local musician. <\/p>\n

Danilo Carrasco set up to play guitar and sing at Central City Shopping Centre\u2019s plaza for two hours on Sunday, June 28, but after two songs security told him that he couldn\u2019t perform there.<\/p>\n

A Surrey resident, Carrasco applied for a permit from city hall and had pre-arranged a time slot to perform that day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a big sign on the ground that showed where the performer should be,\u201d Carrasco said. \u201cI had the permit and showed them that and also the sign on the ground, but the security person said they didn\u2019t know about it. I guess the mall admin didn\u2019t relay the message to the security staff. I didn\u2019t want to argue because they\u2019re just doing their job, so I left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrasco said he was disappointed but not deterred to remain part of the busking program, launched this summer at four sites in Surrey City Centre.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city told me that they\u2019re doing their best so that what happened to me doesn\u2019t happen to other buskers,\u201d the musician added.<\/p>\n

A City of Surrey official confirms this. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis was an isolated mix-up during the early rollout of our new pilot busker program,\u201d Ryan Gallagher, Surrey\u2019s director of cultural services, told the Now-Leader. \u201cWe\u2019ve reviewed the situation and are confident there will be no similar issues going forward, as we continue supporting local musicians and a vibrant downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program website (on surrey.ca)<\/a> shows a list of musicians, performance times and locations at Surrey Civic Plaza, Central City mall plaza and two sites at Holland Park, June to September.<\/p>\n

In addition to Carrasco, other musicians signed up are Rob Johnson, Omer Gaudet, Argel MDR and Monsoon Vibes.<\/p>\n

Approved buskers aren\u2019t paid by the city, they perform for donations from passersby.<\/p>\n

The program, part of the Surrey Music Strategy, \u201chelps support local artists and grow Surrey\u2019s music scene,\u201d says a post on the program website.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs of today we\u2019ve had 41 applications from local musicians who want to take part,\u201d Gallagher said June 10. \u201cThey get vetted and then can pick time slots and locations where they want to perform as a busker, based on their own personal preference.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program could expand to other areas of Surrey next year, if all goes well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll keep a close eye on how things are going and the response the program gets,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cWe\u2019re open to feedback from the musicians themselves as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Would-be buskers must be at least 16 years old and complete a police information check (cost reimbursed by the city), among other rules. Permits are valid between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., Thursday to Sunday.<\/p>\n

Why apply?<\/p>\n

\u201cEarn donations, help shape a vibrant downtown, be promoted on the City of Surrey\u2019s channels,\u201d the website says.<\/p>\n

The first 20 approved performers receive a $50 gift card.<\/p>\n

Musicians are urged to \u201ckeep it pleasant,\u201d because \u201cloud or repetitive performances\u201d can disrupt residents and businesses. \u201cPlease be mindful of your surroundings and adjust your volume or move locations if asked,\u201d the city\u2019s website says. \u201cNoise must not exceed 75 decibels and should not disturb the peace, comfort, or convenience of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Busking spots are first-come, first-served through an online calendar, and group size is limited to three performers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Permit-holding busker told to leave Surrey plaza, but he\u2019ll still sing songs Published 3:30 pm Tuesday, June 30,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":772151,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194299],"tags":[49,48,87674],"class_list":["post-775830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-surrey","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-surrey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=775830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775830\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/772151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=775830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=775830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=775830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}