The buskers ranged from three young children on ukuleles called the Triple Js through to The Amazing Brainboy on blues slide guitar. Community choirs such as the House Howlers, made up of journalists from the Parliament House press gallery, the ABC Community Choir, and the ANU's SCUNA choir, wandered around ambushing festival-goers with song.

Festival managing director Jared Wilkins said he had wanted to put community music ''front and centre'' for this year's festival.

''The festival's all about involving people in music, and community choirs are a great way of doing that,'' he said.

''We encouraged choirs to come along and perform on the street to show people that it's really easy to join a choir and sing.''

Out on the street were performers of all kinds, including Big Rory, a nine-foot Scotsman (counting stilts) and his ''greater Scottish beer mongrel'', Ochie.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times