Part-time marriage celebrant and local ukulele busker Bernadette Vincent claims she was aggressively moved on from outside the gates of Floriade while entertaining children in late September.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ms Vincent tried to busk outside different entrances to the iconic flower festival on the weekend of September 27 and 28, but was interrupted both times and forced to leave in encounters she felt were tantamount to bullying.
She said on the Saturday afternoon she was playing outside one entrance when she was approached by a festival employee who then called two other staff members over who asked her to leave.
"With the three of them standing there I felt quite bullied and intimidated so I left," she said.
Ms Vincent, whose repertoire includes "Ring of Fire" and "Paper Moon", then came back on the Sunday to the Regatta Point entrance when she was approached by a different male event staff member in a yellow vest.
"I made sure I was out of the way, and I put my gear down and I started busking and sure enough another security guard comes out," Ms Vincent said.
She said the staff member then told her she was trespassing and to move to the other side of Commonwealth Bridge.
"He said if you don't go I'll just move you on and he moved towards my amplifier to pick it up and I was very upset because I was there on my own," Ms Vincent said.
She said the man was acting "aggressively" so she left. "I don't want to go back there because I don't want to be bullied," Ms Vincent said.
Ms Vincent said it was an intervention from the "fun police" and was "in no way in the spirit of Floriade".
"I'm a fun lady playing her ukulele and singing, Canberra needs more colourful characters. My intention was to put a lot of smiles on people's faces and show that Canberra has a fun side," Ms Vincent said.
A spokeswoman from Events ACT responded and confirmed Ms Vincent had been "moved on" on both Saturday and Sunday.
The land the event is held on every year is leased by the ACT Government from the National Capital Authority.
She said there was a 180 metre restriction zone around the site and that "Floriade does not permit busking near the entrance gates as the event has an obligation to its contracted performers".
She added that she had spoken with the staff member who moved on Ms Vincent on Sunday and said he believed their interaction "finished on a positive note" and he "was not aggressive".
Music representative for ACT independent arts organisation, The Childers Group, Allan Sko, said he could understand the bureaucratic difficulties Floriade faced, but it would be "an undeniable shame if the person was shooed away in such a fashion".
He added that while he could not speak to the allegations of heavy-handedness, he "would like to see a busker on every corner, to have the city filled with music".
Buskers do not need permits in the ACT but they must not restrict the right of way of pedestrians or exceed accepted noise levels.
Ms Vincent said she intended to send a letter of complaint to the festival, demanding a formal apology.
"I was treated like a criminal when I'm an entertainer with love and fun in my heart," Ms Vincent said.