Street Entertainment

Jugglers and street performers are a regular source of street entertainment at Covent Garden. Jugglers get their name from the Latin 'joculare' meaning to jest or to joke. Humour has come a long way since those days when by all accounts they did not do a lot of laughing - it was a dangerous world where a laugh could end in a dual or simply being killed by whim. Fools under patronage had certain protection as they hid behind the act of being less than sane. Some of them were said to have remained silent for days after a dangerous outburst of fun making.

Juggling, a safer trade than humour, has its origins in the ancient world and became a regular feature in open fairs throughout Europe in the 1600s and 1700s. As organised circuses & theatres emerged in the 1800s, jugglers such as Enrico Rastelli used to amaze spectators with what he could do with his ten balls! He could juggle, sing, tell stories and leap about more or less simultaneously. He was certainly a hit with the ladies!

They were very often associated with outdoor fairs on feast days - and in the 1200s gained royal patronage, as well as sponsorship from the clergy. Patrons usually looked for painters but the performing arts started to take their fancy.

Music was ever popluar among the patrons and because jugglers sang as well as performed skillful antics, they were very popular with everyone. If they were lucky enough they would be spotted by a passing high ranking officer, like a knight or a courtier travelling on a romantic assignation. A good looking jongleur could even end up as a pet of high ranking ladies at court who went talent spotting, safe behind their veil, at many a fair.

If jugglers landed themselves permanent employment - they became known as minstrels evolving as a trade to became acrobats, musicians, actors, and poets who got in on the act of gaining patronage.

Buskers also offer street entertaiment and often take a full range of equipment with them and often sell their CDs. Record labels rarely go seeking for talent among buskers although many extremely good musicians do some busking between gigs. Music students also supplement their income and a string quartet is almost a fixture in the Piazza.

Street entertainment has become rather more formalised these days - you have to audition to play at the Piazza and also in the underground where Carling advertise their brew on the patches drawn for the buskers to stand on. It should be known that Carling give money to the London Underground and the buskers have to fend for themselves. This extends the old tradition that the musicians are always the last in the queue for any cash going around. Buskers don't do badly if they play well - generally though people could be more forthcoming. What would we do without our street performers? Life would be drab indeed.