Busker draws crowd to performance in the park

Busker draws crowd to performance in the park.

Francoise Crosbie performs at The Ripe Food & Craft Market held at Zabeel Park. Dubai. Rebecca Rees for The National

DUBAI // Buskers are not an everyday sight on the streets of Dubai, but musician Francoise A Crosbie is doing her best to make live music a regular – and popular – feature.

Crosbie, from the Philippines, has been performing live since last year and went down a storm with shoppers and stall holders at yesterday’s Ripe and Craft Market in Dubai’s Zabeel Park.

“I’ve been doing this since Ripe market was in Safa Park so they invited me over last year,” said Crosbie. “It’s unusual in Dubai to see busking and I get a lot of different reactions – the adults enjoy it very much, the kids dance around which is really cool and some of the boys tease me so it’s really a mixture of reactions.”

She performs from 10am to 4pm every Friday. “I do this because Ripe is such a great event and for me to promote myself as a musician. It’s my full-time job and it’s such a privilege for me to play here.

“It’s not very common here in Dubai to see someone busking but Ripe told me to be free to do whatever I want which is such a great idea,” she said. “There’s nothing else in Dubai that promotes busking, which is good for me. This is the only place I busk.”

Dozens of people gathered around the performer, taking videos and dropping money in an open red velvet guitar cover placed at her feet.

“I’ve been playing guitar for a long time and I’ve been a full-time musician for a year and a half,” Crosbie said.

“The songs I play are more of an acoustic Indie pop rock, 80s, 90s so it’s actually for the audience to like it, and it’s very popular so far.”