10 pix from the first ever York buskers Christmas party

It was always going to be a special night.

After all, this was the first ever York buskers Christmas party.

Held in the Hop on Fossgate, it saw the cream of the city’s amazing street entertainers take their talents inside for once.

Among the performers during the five-hour festive bash were Nathan O’Grady, Lauren Mahan, David Ward Maclean, Robin Pickford, Beth McCarthy, Lewis Thresh, Karl Mullen, Rachel Croft, the Hyde Family Jam and Alistair Lawrence.

Organised by Steve Bullen, aka the Magic Ball Man, whose home-made video has so far clocked up more than 16 million Facebook hits, the party aimed to bring the buskers together and raise money for Macmillan Cancer Care.

Altogether the evening brought in £525 for the charity.

The Hop’s compact stage was filled with trumpets, double-basses, pianos, guitars, accordions and crystal balls, as one by one, a diverse range of acts took their turn in an entertaining night.

An energetic and appreciative crowd sang along while at the bar, punters downed pints of ‘The Buskers Beer’ specially prepared by Osset Brewery.

In any bar, in any town, this would have been a great line-up, but the constant reminder that all these acts (and many more) can be seen most days on the streets of York, reminded me what a wealth of talent we have on our doorstep.