The festival, which used to be a two-day event, runs tonight through Sunday at various locations along Lakeshore Rd.
"We've expanded to three days for a number of reasons, but also to help showcase some of the international performers we've brought in," said Ellen Timms, Port Credit Business Improvement Area general manager and event organizer. "We've partnered with (the upcoming Buskerfest event in Toronto), which has allowed us to bring in some quality acts from around the world."
One such act is Japan's Sublimit. The pair, Guts and Yoko, are professional acrobats and dancers who use their athleticism for exciting balancing acts done with an Asian flair.
The artist known as Shoehorn hails from New Orleans. He'll use a mix of tap and saxophone playing to keep the crowd entertained.
There will be 25 acts and artists performing every hour on the four staging areas in Port Credit. The hotspots of performance are Port Credit Memorial Park, Elizabeth St. S. (which has been closed for the event), Port Credit Village Square and the parking lot at Elmwood Meat Market.
There will also be strolling performers east of Hurontario St.
Although admission is free, performers will pass around a hat after each show, as per tradition, asking for donations. For those unfamiliar, a busker is an artist who performs his or her particular brand of entertainment, be it music, comedy, high-wire stunts or acrobatics, on the street.
While there will be an international flavour, Mississauga will also be represented. Port Credit visual artist Claudio Ghirardo will be creating drawings, billed as a blend of expressionism, graffiti, sketching and text, on the pavement at various locations as well as on the windows of Imagemaker Studios and Motyka Fine Arts.
Local illusionist Ryan Brown is back for a third year.
The festival concludes Sunday at 6 p.m. at Elizabeth St. S. with a grand finale. All the buskers will come together for one last performance and money raised will be donated to the Lakeshore Corridor Community Team, a grass-roots project aimed at connecting those who need help with those who can help.
"For many people, this is something completely different," said Timms. "It's up close and personal and very exciting. You get to see things you wouldn't normally see in a theatre show."
Hours are 7-10 p.m. tonight, 2-10 p.m. Saturday and 2-7 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, visit www.portcredit.com.
cclay@mississauga.net
