SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
TORRANCE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER

This weekend event is dedicated to creating a community of ukulele players from the world famous to those just getting started.

The second annual Holy Smokey Uke Fest. September 11-15, 2022 at the delightful Smokey Hollow Campground in Lodi, WI just 18 miles from Madison. No registration fee. Your choice of accommodations at off-season rates.

The Port Townsend Ukulele Festival and Workshop is held at Fort Worden State Park, a venue unparalleled in beauty and facility. Expect four nights and three days of intense fun, ukulele instruction, and merry music making with some of the finest ukulele instructors and players working today.

The annual Maui Ukulele Festival is a full afternoon of ukulele music at the first-class venue, the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Bring your lawn chairs or roll out a blanket on the lawn and enjoy some of the islands’ favorite ukulele players. Since 2006, the Maui Ukulele Festival has featured Herb Ohta Sr. (Ohta-San), Jake Shimabukuro, Holunape, Raiatea Helm, Manoa DNA, Paula Fuga, Richard Ho'opi'i, Brittni Paiva, Kelly Boy Delima, Derek Sebastian and more, including local kupuna and keiki players! Ukulele door prizes, food booths, and more.

Postponed for 2021 due to COVID-19.

Kicking off the first ever Albuquerque Ukekopelli Festival will be a concert featuring Lil’ Rev and Heidi Swedberg. These two nationally renowned ukulele musicians will also be conducting workshops the following day. The concert starts at 7:00pm on Friday, September 26, 2014 at the African American Performing Arts Center on the grounds of Expo New Mexico. Tickets are now available through Brown Paper Tickets. For more information email us at info@ukefun.com or call us at 505-974-0084

Kicking off the first ever Albuquerque Ukekopelli Festival will be a concert featuring Lil’ Rev and Heidi Swedberg. These two nationally renowned ukulele musicians will also be conducting workshops the following day. The concert starts at 7:00pm on Friday, September 26, 2014 at the African American Performing Arts Center on the grounds of Expo New Mexico. Tickets are now available through Brown Paper Tickets. For more information email us at info@ukefun.com or call us at 505-974-0084

Royal City Uke Fest continues to pause in 2021. The Royal City Uke Fest will return in 2022.

The Connecticut Ukulele Festival was created by ukulele enthusiasts who recognized the bottomless desire by the Uke community to meet, learn, strum, sing and enjoy all things Ukulele. Our September 29 event is our “beta.” Our goal is to learn how to throw the best possible Uke festival and to develop long relationships with our attendees.

The Dock Street Uke Camp is dedicated to providing a unique quality ukulele instruction experience on the harbour front of beautiful Shelburne. The camp is held in conjuntion with the popular Whirlygig and Weathervane Festival.

Because of serious problems with our reservations at Little Basin, we are moving this year’s “Burning Uke” to a new venue: The Hidden Valley Music Seminars Center, located in the heart of beautiful Carmel Valley. It’s the same place that’s been our happy home for Smoldering Uke these past few years. We chose Hidden Valley because it’s a well-run facility with a friendly staff that provides us with a very comfortable place to stay, eat and play. Although it’s a slightly longer drive for most of us who live in the city of Santa Cruz, it’s a pleasant drive—and there are no windy mountain roads full of pot holes to navigate.

In California's beautiful Napa Valley!

Mark ‘Spanky’ Gutierrez says... Why you ask? As a very famous rodent once said “because we love you”! I was privy to some great ‘ukulele festivals in the early 2000’s. During that time I met some uke players that were not only great players but they were also great teachers! They had a passion for playing, teaching and they are great people too! I have said it before and I will say it again “uke people are the most open sharing folks you will ever meet. Those early festivals revived a life long passion in me that drove me back to college to get a Music Degree at UNO. I have always felt like I some how owed the ‘ukulele community something back... well here we are!