Photo/Illutration A street performer plays with fire during a previous edition of the Atsugi international street performance festival held in Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture. (Provided by the Atsugi city government)

ATSUGI, Kanagawa Prefecture--Street performers, both home-grown and from overseas, will be back in force for the first time in three years for the international street performance festival to be held here Nov. 12-13.

They had been deprived of opportunities to show off their creativity and talent in front of an audience due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

This year marks the 13th installment of the festival, a city-hosted event begun in 2008 to enliven the streets.

It attracted around 150,000 visitors when it was last held in 2019, according to the organizers.

This year, 30 performing individuals or groups from China, Britain and elsewhere, will show off their skills at 11 locations--parks, open spaces and street corners--in an area surrounding the Odakyu Line’s Hon-Atsugi Station.

Acrobats, magicians, living statues and jugglers are among those who will be adding a splash of color to the city’s streets.

An evening event will be offered to bring together performers in one place, with a special section for children to try their hands at street performance skills.

Organizers said thorough infection prevention measures, including a 30-minute interval between each act, will be in place to reduce spectator congestion.

“One of the appeals of street performance is communication between performers and audience members, and performers are also looking forward to it,” an official said.

For more information, visit the official website at (https://www.city.atsugi.kanagawa.jp/soshiki/shogyonigiwaika/2/24319.html).

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