York's 'busking badge scheme' is run by City of York Council in conjunction with York Police and the Safer York Partnership. The scheme was introduced in 2005 and aims to maintain the good relationship which exists between street entertainers and the local community and to set down certain standards expected of buskers performing in the streets of York.

All buskers who wish to perform in York have to register under the scheme and display their busking badge at all times while performing in the city.

Members of the public are advised to only donate to buskers who have the official, Council issued yellow badge displayed.

To apply for a badge please read through and familiarise yourself with the "Busking in York - a guide for York's street performers". The guide provides advice on various matters relating to performing in the city as well as listing the "Do's & Don'ts" of busking in York.

Please then complete the application form for a 'Busking Badge' and return it to us. Each form must be accompanied by two passport sized photos for our records.

If the application is considered appropriate, you will be contacted by the City Centre Management Team (within 14 days of receipt of the form) with details of the next stage of the application process. We will need to witness, and approve, your act on the streets of York before issuing your badge. Applications will be considered according to skills, competence levels, general entertainment and presentation (performance and general appearance).

In most cases, it is anticipated that a badge will be granted and immediately issued or posted at the earliest opportunity. In certain cases, however, standards may not be considered acceptable for York's streets and subsequently refused, or a 'temporary badge' issued to enable improvement within a set period of time.

A busking badge, once issued, is valid for 12 months. If you would like to renew the badge at that point, please bring your expired badge to the city centre office to collect a replacement. The badge will be reviewed at that point and, provided there are no issues, renewed for a further year.

The badge remains the property of City of York Council.

There is currently no charge for the badge, but loss of the badge will incur a fee.

The badge will be revoked/withdrawn if, in the opinion of the city council or the Police, it has been misused or if the standards expected of the busker deteriorate beyond a reasonable level.