The sun shone down on Barnstaple at the weekend (Saturday 20 April) as it hosted the Barnstaple Busking Festival across the town centre.

The town was bustling as passers-by were treated to an eclectic mix of entertainment from over thirty acts in the high street, on The Strand and the Square, accompanied by a well-received Punch and Judy show on Library Square.

The original Barnstaple busking festival took place in 2022 and was created by local musician Chloe Aston as part of her Petroc college course. For this year's event, Flourishing Barnstaple stepped in to assist in making it happen.

Local promoter and musician, Chloe Aston said: "The atmosphere in town was incredible and it was amazing to see so many people appreciating live music. Busking is so important to have in town centres, it lifts the mood and just makes the day so much more enjoyable. A big thank you to all the buskers and street entertainers who took part, this year there was a large range of genres and so much talent in town. Another big thank you to Flourishing Barnstaple for funding the event and for the help and advice! I have thoroughly enjoyed organising this event and definitely want to make it an annual festival."

One of the busking locations was Barnstaple Pannier Market, also home of the FOODfest market place that day. The event saw the market packed with stalls from local food-based businesses, alongside the wide range of stallholders who frequently trade in the market.

North Devon Council's Cultural Producer, Lee Baxendale said: "Working together to create a joined up approach to events is part of what we hope to achieve through the Flourishing Barnstaple project. 

"Flourishing Barnstaple is funded by the Government's Cultural Development Fund, and is there to create and support cultural events and initiatives across Barnstaple. Our aim is to engage more people in cultural activity in the town and the Busking Festival is just one example of how we can do this. We are currently working alongside various groups to support this kind of event. We are also working on reinventing Barnstaple Carnival which will return this September."

The next event supported by Flourishing Barnstaple is the Barnstaple Arts Festival which will take place in Green Lanes and the Pannier Market on the late May Bank Holiday.

This event was made possible through support from the Cultural Development Fund, administered by Arts Council England, on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport.