Vancouver Buskers Banned from Using Bagpipes, Percussion

Published Apr 10, 2012

We've got good news for any curmudgeons who don't like hearing loud noises when they go out in public: Vancouver buskers are no longer allowed to use bagpipes and percussion when they perform out on the streets.Following noise complains, Vancouver's city hall has decided to refuse busking applications from any acts that include bagpipes, bongos, tambourines or drums. If any buskers attempt to perform without a permit, we're guessing that the noise will make them pretty conspicuous.The city's bagpipers are already decrying the decision, and BC Pipers' Association president Rob MacNeil told the CBC , "This [area] has the highest concentration of world-calibre players and pipe bands outside of Scotland," while local enthusiast James McNair said, "That would be a cruel idea [for] the citizens of Vancouver not to be able to hear the glorious bagpipe."Mayor Gregor Robertson -- who comes from Scottish ancestry himself -- was not around to comment on the ban, but he promised to review the policy.To editorialize for a moment: so long as the city doesn't ban the long-haired dude who plays "Stairway to Heaven" repeatedly on Granville Street, we'll survive.