Westfield : UK partners with Mayor of London Gigs Programme

Since 2012, Westfield London and Stratford City have been partnering with the Mayor of London's Gigs competition - the annual busking competition to showcase young musical talent at some of London's busiest and iconic locations.

For the sixth year, Westfield will again be holding the Heats and the Grand Final at Westfield London from July - September. In 2016, over 1.4 million people saw a Gigs performance in London and 2,000 young musicians have been part of the competition since its inception.

Kate Jones, Busk in London Programme Director said: 'The partnership between Gigs and Westfield is an important one. The competition provides high quality performances, endorsement from the Mayor of London, an additional opportunity for Westfield to show its support for local communities and invest in up-and-coming talent. In return, Westfield provides Gigs with a terrific performance location, a highly professional technical and Events Team and unrivaled footfall.

'Gigs is a training programme for a new generation of performers and those that get selected and stay the course are offered a wealth of performance opportunities after the competition is over. The competition provides skill development opportunities, which is high on the Mayor's agenda and can open the door to a music career through its highly regarded position within the industry as a talent development programme. As part of Busk in London, Gigs sits firmly in the Mayor's Culture Team as one its flagship programmes with its inclusive approach and proactive stance to seek out those who may not have as much access to participation as others,' she said.

Entries close in early June. To find out more please visit: www.buskinlondon.com/gigs