Iconic Melbourne street buskers to breathe life back into city

The central business district of Melbourne, Australia will be filled with music again under a new government-supported program to bring back iconic street performers as the lockdown in the city is coming to an end.

In a statement released on Friday, the Melbourne City Council said the ANZ City Vibes program will bring back up to 20 street performers a day across 20 Melbourne CBD locations until the end of the year, making it part of the upcoming Christmas celebrations in the city.

"Encouraging people to come back into the city through activations and events is critical to support local businesses and their staff," Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp said.

"What better way to celebrate Melbourne's re-opening than to catch our favorite buskers performing across the city. Melbourne is Australia's cultural capital and we're determined to come out of lockdown better than before."

Under the program, Melbourne's street performers community will be partly supported by Australia's ANZ bank and equipped with the latest digital technology to accept payments or tips from patrons' smartphones.

Busking locations include Hardware Lane, Bourke Street Mall, Flinders Lane, Southbank Promenade, Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne Town Hall and more.