Kingston Buskers Rendezvous returns to delight and amaze

Kingston Buskers Rendezvous closed down Princess and Ontario streets in the city for spectacular acts. (Kimberley Johnson/CTV News Ottawa)

Kingston’s annual busker's festival has made is fiery return to the downtown core.

Fire-eaters, jugglers, and acrobats filled up Kingston’s waterfront, closing off Princess and Ontario streets through the weekend with their spectacular acts for Kingston Buskers Rendezvous.

Watching one performer dance with dangerous flames, Dakota Weiss says it’s thrilling to watch.

“Holy, I (could) never do that,” she says. “That’s all I’m thinking.”

Her friend Alix Cardero agrees.

“I get stressed sometimes,” she laughs. “All the stuff (they do).”

In its 32nd year, it is one of the first big festivals of the summer in the city, and draws thousands over the weekend.

Five-year-old Thomas Tapp knows what he comes for.

“The fire and walking over glass,” he tells CTV News Ottawa.

For his mom Laura, it’s a time-honoured tradition.

“We used to come to the buskers when I was little, so to be able to bring Thomas, where there’s people and fun and live entertainment, it’s a really great start to our summer,” she says. “Buskers to me just says summer.”

This is the first time in three years it has been able to go on. Performers have come from around the world, including Australia and Europe.

“We never have a problem filling the spots here because Kingston is such a well loved festival,” explains Jan MacDonald, the executive director of Downtown! Kingston BIA. “People enjoy the crowds here; they know that the crowds in Kingston understand how a busker’s festival works.”

Kingston Buskers Rendezvous Festival is on until Sunday.