Tipping street musicians in Berlin is as common as riding the Ubahn. As such, it wouldn’t be right to avoid talking about it or even doing it. Street musicians are a huge part of Berlin’s attractions (especially in the summertime) and without them Berlin would not be the same. On the streets, one can experience an awesome music performance or any form of art really. I’ve seen street jugglers, acrobats, poem readers, frozen statues, painters, street sculptors, all variations of clowns and dancers and many many more that I can’t even think of right now.
Some of the street performers are simply awesome, others, I am sorry to admit, are not that great, and some even suck.
So which one to tip? An obvious reason to tip would be based on your taste in music, art, and so on. Another, and the most crucial factor I think, would be to tip on the creative process involved. Meaning, the more creative the approach, the more money they get.
For example, I tend to tip street musicians that play drums with chop sticks, or jugglers that use eggs, or the kid that plays the accordion with such passion and perfection that makes me wonder: was he born with it?
At times, random street writers will approach you with just the most touching and beautiful poem you’ve ever heard and they will most certainly give you a choice of English or German. Now this is when your tip skills come in, OK?!?
