Street Entertainment

Creative and exciting ideas for:

• Projects for your weekly programme
• Slots in your nights away programme
• Mix and mingle entertainment at events like your AGM
• Public outdoor performances to promote Scouting
• Fundraising opportunities
• Members learning new skills to entertain/ teach younger members and promote linking
• Opportunities to get parents and carers involved in providing one activity
• Ideas for District/Area/County events for young people, workshops for Leaders
• Ideas for getting your local creative community involved
• Gateways to other ideas and issues

Street entertainment has been around for a long, long time and revitalised by performers in such places as London's trendy Covent Garden, the Edinburgh Festival, in many other towns and cities, and at exhibitions and shows. On a more large scale slant, imported styles from places like China and the Caribbean (in the form of Chinese New Year and Carnival) have added to the richness and diversity of street entertainment.

The great thing about street entertainment is that there are lots of things to do and there is something for everyone in our 6-25 youth programme. Apart from developing personal and group skills within the weekly programme there is also a great opportunity to put on a display, or show, to really show off one aspect of Scouting to the public.

The following is a list of some of the most common types of street entertainment skills dealt with in this publication. The purpose is to give you a starting point and hopefully show how easy it can be with a little bit of planning.

• ...mime / living statues
• ...stilt walking
• ...juggling
• ...puppet shows
• ...magic tricks
• ...chinese lion dancing
• ...carnival
• ...unicycling
• ...balloon modelling
• ...busking
• ...face painting
• ...jesters

You can get a general feel of street entertainment by visiting:

www.streetentertainers-association.org

They have a members database that may help you identify a local contact that can help with one or a number of the activities.