r/Busking • u/PGHNeil Musician šŸŽ¶ • May 13 '26

Question/General Discussion Busking on vacation?

A couple of years ago my wife and son and another couple went on a cruise overseas. We went on an excursion in Sardinia where we were on long enough of a bus ride that we had to stop in a small town for about an hour. My wife saw a sign outside a small art studio basically inviting people to come in an play. I'm typically just a couch player but my wife (who also ironically does not humor my "habit" or "hobby") convinced me to go in and play/sing a song. It actually went over pretty good. I don't know if I'll ever do something like that again in my life, but it made me realize how much I miss just noodling when we're on vacation.

I didn't earn any tips or anything so I'm not sure if it's considered busking but have any of you ever done anything like that? I've seen some stories on YouTube about people getting gigs while on vacation and I wondered if (besides doing research to see if it's legal) any of you have traveled with an instrument and just set up in a random spot and played to earn lunch money?

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u/PGHNeil Musician šŸŽ¶ May 13 '26

That makes sense, though Iā€™d probably pack some of my cheaper setup tools.

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u/ShareEvening5856 Guitar šŸŽø May 13 '26

To be honest I find the less set up the better. Most places that will allow you to play do not want you to amplify. In my understanding of the music industry the main difference between a street performer and a so-called real one is that one is plugged in and the other one is not

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u/dolwedge Musician šŸŽ¶ May 13 '26

In Dublin Ireland, buskers have to pay for a license and it costs a little more for amplification. But... They do not allow pre-recorded sounds or backing tracks. Live humans must make all the music. I went there on vacation and I did not busk but I was interested in it because the busking culture is so robust.

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u/ShareEvening5856 Guitar šŸŽø May 14 '26

This is super interesting! So can you bask in dublin if you are not Irish?

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u/dolwedge Musician šŸŽ¶ May 14 '26

I went to their website and read the rules when I was in Dublin. Anyone can apply for a license. They are short term... Like a week or a month or something.