Busker Fest Entertainers

He's Evanston's Mayor, and when he's not juggling everything that it takes to run a city, he also juggles fire! 

Photo Credit: Carrie Maxwell, Windy City TImes. 
Evanston Mayor and 9th Congressional District candidate Daniel Biss performing his signature fire juggling moves.

Five-time GRAMMY Nominee Justin Roberts is one of the founders of the modern family music scene. For 25+ years, Roberts has been creating the soundtrack to families’ lives, helping kids navigate the joys and sorrows of growing up, while inspiring parents to remember their own childhoods. His songs are the kind of get-stuck-in-your-head pop nuggets that draw comparisons to Elvis Costello, Fountains of Wayne, and Paul Simon rather than simple nursery rhymes, prompting USA Today to call him “hands-down the best songwriter in the genre. Along with his band, The Not Ready for Naptime Players, Justin has travelled the globe, from Hong Kong to New York, and Miami to Seattle. 

Photo credit: Todd Rosenberg

Béa Rashid, DFCCA | Director Ballet, Pointe, Cecchetti, Modern

Béa Rashid (she/her) is a dance educator, choreographer, and theater director. A graduate of Northwestern University, Béa is a Diploma Fellow of the Cecchetti Council of America. She has choreographed and directed theatrical productions for over 30 years. In 1994 Béa opened Dance Center Evanston and in 1997 she founded the Evanston Dance Ensemble. Béa continues to direct and choreograph, often collaborating with her husband and composer, Steve Rashid. In the fall of 2016, Béa and Steve expanded DCE to include Studio5, a performing arts venue presenting professional dance and music events. Béa’s contribution to the community was recognized in 1999 with the Mayor’s Award for the Arts and in 2017 with the Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit/Public Service Award.

Born in India, raised in New York, and dancing in Chicago, Irfan found his passion for dance at 13 years old, discovering Popping & Breaking and training himself in those styles through his younger years. Irfan has a passion for hip-hop culture, street & social dances, and commercial dance while also training in classical styles of ballet and contemporary fusion. After high school, Irfan trained under many veteran Chicago dancers, such as Ian Eastwood, Daz Harris, and Andrew Tamez Hull. He starred in Chance The Rapper’s music video for his Grammy award winning song “Angels”, choreographed by Ian Eastwood, and also starred as a principal dancer in the Netflix musical series, “Soundtrack” with choreography by James Alsop. Irfan has taught in the Chicago Community at various workshops, company classes & studios such as Hubbard Street Dance, Millennium Dance Complex Chicago, and Visceral Dance Studio.

La Tosca Italian Mambo Ensemble was founded in 2014 in the neighborhood of Pilsen, Chicago by Andrea Falcone. He initiated the band to share his Italian musical roots and quickly rose the attention of musicians of different cultural backgrounds. The complete form of the band consists in an accordion/voice, a violin/mandolin, two guitars/trumpet, a bass and a drum. The little orchestra is a melting pot of Italian, American, French and Polish souls and the songs presented are a consequence of a collective memory, combined with individual musical sensitivity and initiatives. Repertoire performed is from the 1850’s to the 1950’s from Italy mostly, but also French gypsy jazz, Tango, Neapolitan classics. This musical period has seen the beginning of audio recordings, the effervecense of Jazz, the end of tonal classical music, the exaltation of folk music, the birth of Tango , the rise of Gypsy jazz and the creation of the iconic Neapolitan singing.

Father and son duo, Bboy Rama and Bboy ILLa from Legendary Brickheadz crew. Originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, based in Chicago. Breakin' since 2000. 2x time Red bull BC one Midwest Champion. Worldwide performers. 

Kyle Campbell (UniKyle) is a unicyclist & juggler from Evanston, Illinois. He first picked up a unicycle in 2014. Less than two years later, he earned his first medal at UNICON (the world championships) in Spain.  Since then he has been prominently featured on Spotlight Chicago on WGN, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, and Evanston Roundtable. He peformed at the Evanston Main Street fest, completed multiple 400 mile rides across Iowa (his home state!) during RAGBRAI, and medalled at three other UNICONs. Kyle performs at street fests, parades, block parties, and participates in community riding events. 

Photo Credit: Joerg Metzner

Caro Granner (she/they) is an indie folk musician based in Chicago, IL. Caro draws from a variety of sources to craft a lyrical, nostalgic, and heartfelt sound – from the folk and bluegrass sounds of childhood family road trips, to the wordplay and storytelling of musical theatre, to the humor and melancholy of treasured artists like Samia, Jensen McRae, Phoebe Bridgers, Christian Lee Hutson, and Andy Shauf. 

The Music Conservatory of Illinois is pleased to bring their instructors, Lake and Luke to the family-friendly zone on the west end. Acoustic Duet with a harmony-heavy style. Hear one-of-a-kind covers of anything from The Beatles to The Goo Goo Dolls to Ed Sheeran, Sara Bareilles and Florence + The Machine. Want some more unique song choices? We've got our indie set list ready for you ft. Young the Giant, Dodie, Sammy Rae & the Friends, Noah Kahan, Halsey, Lorde, Glen Hansard... Available instruments: acoustic guitar, ukulele, piano/keyboards, mandolin, flute, ocarina, and more! We have our own equipment. Song requests accepted with enough advance notice!

Evanston Art Center screenprinting instructor, Stacia Campbell. Stacia is a printmaker and has been working on a series of prints collaged from her own snapshots and sketches along with photographs from her grandmother’s days as vaudeville acrobat. Her work has been exhibited locally and her more literary artwork can be found at Secret World Books in Highland Park. 

Late Breaking News after hours, 6:30 PM, at Ten Mile House restaurant - 1700 Central Street.

Performing eclectic Americana, from old country to old rock & roll, to folk, bluegrass, blues and jazz.

 As one of the most experienced typewriter poets in Chicago, Lisa Marie Farver has written more than 4,000 poems on her more than 30 vintage typewriters. According to Lisa, the impromptu odes, these sudden sonnets are more than mere transactions, more than mere pieces of paper. Lisa has been featured on WGN Morning News, WGN Spotlight, FOX 32 Chicago, NBC Chicago, BlockClub Chicago and more. 

"Each time I get to write typewriter poetry for a stranger, whether at a bustling arts festival, on a moonlit street corner, at a local middle school or at an upscale gala, I am gobsmacked by the shared humanity, the mutual oomph of existence and the synchronicity of this seemingly random encounter."

Follow Lisa on Instagram @everyoneztype

With her arsenal of vintage typewriters, Sam Bones can often be found on the streets of Portland, Oregon, typing on-the-spot poems via prompts from those wanting a special personalized gift or what Sam calls a "Pocket Poem;" an uplifting poem to read anytime the healing power of poetry is called for.  Sam is also a longtime henna practitioner and although she honors the temporary nature of henna body painting, she is thrilled to share a more tangible form of art, one that can be held, framed, and appreciated over-and-over.

Sam finds the immediacy of the challenge a thrill as do the total strangers sharing their stories.  She may offer to read for you—-a combination of performance, language, and art into one extraordinary, moving experience for the recipient.  Often, there is much laughter and sometimes, there are tears.  It’s a poignant reminder of the powerful primal wave Sam’s poetry taps into to remind us just what it means to be human.

Born in Chicago and raised between the there and Portland, Oregon, Solomon Bovey is a professional live caricature artist with over a decade of experience bringing humor and personality to the page. He began drawing caricatures at Chicago’s iconic Navy Pier, honing his craft in one of the city’s busiest, most dynamic environments.

Smarty Pants has been creating fun, fantastic and festive things out of balloons since 2008.  Called “very funny” and “entertaining” by lots of enthusiastic fans including the WGN Morning News, he wants to make the perfect balloon sculpture just for you. 

Filomena Achille plays after hours at Great Harvest Bread Co, 2126 Central St. 

Filomena plays acoustic guitar and sings. From Tennessee to Chicago, she has years of live performance, classroom teaching, and formal education. She has a broad acoustic playlist combined with a soulful voice, warm heart, and musical nuance to fill the space and create joy to any gathering. 

Family-ism Face Paint Factory, is a Chicago based family owned and operated family entertainment business that's been around for almost 20 years. From face-painting to balloon twisting, you will find them at the West Fest Kid Zone! 

Sarah is a Chicago-based street performer and puppeteer who transforms everyday spaces through the magic of puppetry. Her playful, spontaneous performances invite fleeting encounters that encourage people to see their surroundings a little differently. She studied Theatre and Art & Design at Columbia College Chicago, producing costumes for stage and screen, and draws on that background to craft imaginative, engaging experiences. Inspired by the ways performance can spark wonder, Sarah’s work reimagines how we connect with places, objects, and one another, turning ordinary moments into something magical.

Timothy Edward is a Chicago based mime, clown, and actor who brings playful, engaging performances to audiences of all ages. Though this is his first street festival, he has performed at comedy theaters including The Second City, The Annoyance Theatre, and iO Theater, as well as at fairs, libraries, corporate events, and in street performances. Blending physical comedy, improvisation, and heart, Timothy hopes to create unforgettable moments wherever he performs!

Solomon Bergquist is a circus artist whose work blends juggling, movement, magic, and music into playful stories and moments in time. Inspired by silent film comedians and the vaudeville tradition, they have traveled all around the world—performing from Renaissance Faires to the streets of Slovenia to America’s Got Talent—attempting to bring a sense of whimsy, wonder, and absurdity to life.

Gregg Steigmeyer has been captivating audiences for years with his living statue talent. Passersby can't resist taking a photo!

9-year old Irish fiddler, August was part of a kids Irish music group that joined a session at Mrs. Murphy's in Lincoln Square each Sunday. He looks forward to sharing his Irish tunes with the community!

Musically, his highest aspirations were always to be a singer-songwriter busking on the streets, which is where you’ll most likely find him performing today in Chicago, IL and its suburbs as well as the streets of Málaga, Spain during the winter. He's always preferred the intimacy, connectivity and serendipity that happens while performing on the street. You can find his last three studio albums on most streaming services.