Bagpiper prepares for final farewell performance outside Ottawa Bluesfest

Bagpiper Nico Gravel performs outside of Ottawa Bluesfest in 2022. (Nico Gravel/Instagram)

Nico Gravel is preparing for his final act on the streets around LeBreton Flats, after 15 years of entertaining crowds arriving and departing Ottawa Bluesfest every July.

The Bluesfest bagpiper sets up along Booth Street nightly during the nine-day festival, with the sound of bagpipes filling the air each night.

“Fifteen years of Bluesfest and it’s been a wonderful time the entire time,” Gravel told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal.

“I’ve had a blast doing it.”

Gravel first started busking in Edinburgh, Scotland when he was 17 years old. He has performed in Ottawa, Victoria, Halifax, Charlottetown, Jasper and other spots across Canada.

Now, Gravel plans to spend each July busking in Europe.

“It’s kind of bittersweet. I have to step away from the Bluesfest, but what I’m trying to do is expand my European festivals,” Gravel said.

“It just so happens that Bluesfest falls right in the middle of July and there are quite a few festivals happening overseas I’d like to do also. Unfortunately, I have to hang up the old pipes in Ottawa and I’m going to be jet-setting down to the United Kingdom.”

Gravel collects tips from the public when performing outside of LeBreton Flats, and he does offer E-Tip and QR codes for people to donate with credit or debit cards. He admits the business of busking has changed, with fewer people carrying cash and festivals like Bluesfest moving to cashless venues.

“It’s not the people’s generosity; people have always been generous,” Gravel said.

“It’s the fact that the festival itself is a cashless festival, which means when you go into the festival grounds, you don’t need to carry cash. They do this to expedite the lines and make things quicker for the people and I totally understand that. It just so happens that, on the outside, people don’t have those Toonies and Loonies and they just can’t toss a little change because there’s no change in the crowd. It does have an effect on the amount of coins coming in.”

Gravel admits fewer people carrying cash is taking the “romanticism” out of busking.

“The dynamics of busking have changed quite a bit as far as the evolution of people not necessarily carrying cash anymore and relying on those credit cards or those debit cards,” he said.

Gravel says he sets up outside LeBreton Flats around 7:30 p.m. each night, and will perform as crowds depart the festival until 11:30 p.m./11:45 p.m.

In 2022, Ottawa Bylaw Services issued three tickets to Gravel for busking on the road, including one ticket with a $1,130 fine. One of the fines was later redacted.

After Bluesfest wraps up on Sunday, Gravel will board a flight to London next week and is set to perform at festivals in Europe.

“I’ll be there every single night of the festival until the festival is over,” he said.

“Thank you to the citizens of Ottawa for supporting me for the past 15 years. It’s been absolutely wonderful.”

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