Budding musicians in Haringey have been performing on the streets of London in a bid to be crowned Mayor Sadiq Khan’s busker of the year by taking part in his Gigs street music competition. 

Visitors to the capital can look out for an array of talented performers, who will be playing at various busking pitches until Saturday August 7, including St Paul's Cathedral, Westfield London, Denmark Street and stations on the London Underground. 

The aim of the competition is to give young musicians the opportunity to perform to the crowds outside some of London's most popular landmarks as well as gain experience of playing in public.

The acts are being split into two categories and people will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite performance online. There will be the soloists and duos aged between 16 and 25-years-old and also a youth category for ages 11 to 15. 

The Gigs Grand Final will take place on Sunday, September 4 at Westfield Stratford City, where finalists will compete in front of a panel of music industry judges, along with thousands of Westfield visitors. The judges will decide a winner in each category and one act will be crowned Gigs Champion 2016.

The competition is open to musicians across London but those taking part from Haringey include Joseph Wander, who moved to the big city for a degree at London College of Music. The 22-year-old has played at Westfield Shepherds Bush, Roadtrip and Strongroom and has been shortlisted for the PRS Prize for Best Original Song for his track titled Her Love. 

Sadiq Khan believes it is important to support up-and-coming musicians through competitions such as Gigs. 

He says: “Growing London’s cultural sector is one of my core priorities as Mayor and I’m delighted to see fresh busking talent hitting the streets of the capital this summer. It is so important that we support our next generation of stars and Gigs is a great way to entertain Londoners at some of the city’s most iconic locations, bring people together, and to highlight to people across London and the globe that #LondonIsOpen.” 

To vote, visit: london.gov.uk/gigs or get involved by tweeting: #LondonIsOpen