Hundreds of people are expected to converge on Cooma on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 November as the Australian National Busking Championships (ANBC) hosts the Cooma regional heat and the 14th annual Australian championship events amid a festival of free entertainment and activities.

While many other Australian music festivals have met their demise in recent years, the ANBC is going strong, mostly because it is run completely by volunteers and supported with grants and donations from local businesses.

This year will be the first time the ANBC has combined the Cooma heat and the national grand final and president, Allan Spencer, is predicting the biggest and best weekend of live entertainment ever seen in Cooma.

“Normally we hold the Cooma heat at the start of the year and the national grand final in November but we decided to put it all together and create one big extravaganza to bring people to our amazing town,” he said.

“We not only have the busking competition, but three nights and two days full of free entertainment, workshops, markets and a street parade, so we are hoping that people will come out of Cooma and the Snowy Mountains and from further afield, bring their families and spend the weekend enjoying all that we have to offer.

“You can watch and vote for the buskers in the competition, sit and enjoy the performances of dance, music and more on the community stage in the park, attend workshops in drumming and ukulele, cheer on or take part in the street parade, attend the presentation ceremonies, take part in or attend the open mics and check out our featured acts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.”

Mr Spencer said Cooma is well located for people to spend some time exploring the Snowy Mountains while they are here.

“One contestant is coming from the Central Coast with his whole family and staying for four days, so the festival has a multiplying effect. It is an event that should help everyone, not just buskers, but businesses and the community,” he said.

M Spencer said the quality of and demand for the busking competition was unprecedented.

“I had to limit numbers for the first time for the Cooma regional heat on Saturday and Sunday’s national grand final is a showcase of the winners of all our six other regional heats around Australia this year,” he said.

“We have $16,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs and three elite judges in former winners Kerrie Gambley of Haystack Mountain Hermits, John Littrich of The Water Runners and the Tamworth Country Music Festival recent Busking Coordinator Kyle Kash.

“We also have class acts coming, including Tomas Ford aka Woody Campfire from Perth, our own ambassador and former runner-up Gabi Forman, former winner, international blues musician Lil G and local bands.