These urban dance crews are really the worst. Lots of loud music, yelling, taking up too much space...what a pain in the ass. It is a park, not a stage.

It is impossible to enjoy the park around the fountain on a summer evening due to the competing drum-circles, dance troupes, and bands out there. The place is a park not a circus. It's gotten ridiculous.

Drum circles should be verboten!!!

Let them play during the week when it is less crowded and maybe allow approved performers (i.e. non-amplified and area appropriate musicians play). I don't see how music interferes with people's eating if it is not someone banging a metal pot.

In the 70s the fountain was where to go drink for the under 18 crowd.  Old guys with shopping carts full of ripple would sell to anyone.  Lots of graffitti on display too.

ban the tourists too

A guy in a corner playing a cello in front of five people?  Not a problem -- you can barely hear it, and it's not in the way.  I wish there were a way to let that guy do his thing -- because he doesn't bother me at all.

But as someone else pointed out, a lot of it isn't that -- a lot of it is dance crews that take over the entire area and prevent anyone else from getting through.  They could perhaps forbid amplification for them (I thought that required a permit anyways) -- but they're still preventing everyone else from experiencing the place the way it was meant to be experienced.  

There are a thousand places to have dance crews in the city -- and exactly one place to sit and see that vista.  (And the only reason the dance crews are there is that the vista attracts so many tourists, after all.)  I think it's fair to say that we want to reserve that space for its intended purpose, and not let it be monopolized by some money-making scheme.

the mall is right next to the fountain. they can just perform there where there is a ton of space

comments are funnier than the story. BTW -- the poll is sooooooo friggin' rigged.

Yea here's the problem though, the "musicians" at Bethesda fountain are dance crews with amplified speakers, not instrumentalists so I say fuck em

It should be limited to acoustic instruments. Most of the musicians there play acoustic instruments. Do you go there?

What if they specified no amplified music? I think that's a policy I could support for the subway, as well.

Exactly Johnny.
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The amplification is a minor issue, the fact is the dance crews there  use a large portion of the terrace space and their crowds get very large. If they want to perform get a permit at the bandshell or at a stage.

there are already two "dance crews" at the bandshell. the park should be for quiet. there are plenty of bars & performance venues for musicians to play in.

Not enough.  And none of them pay as much as a musician can make in a few hours in the park.  In fact, most venues don't pay anything.

I don't think limiting this to amplified music solves the problem. You can hear those annoying drum from a great distance. And on the subway? There's no escape.

 Concessions generate revenue.  Summons and tickets generate revenue.  Musicians dont.  In the Bloomberg era, guess who wins and who loses.  

But, I REALLY do not like to go outside.

Can we have a poll canvassing whether it's a bit passe to have an extra throwaway 'humorous' poll option, please?