This year’s Margate Ukulele Festival is being held at the Margate Winter Gardens in the Main Hall on Saturday, October 2 from 12.30pm until 9.30pm.
The FeelGood Ukulele Group, which practices at Olbys Soul Café in Margate, is hosting the show. It has been funded by Kent County Councillor Lesley Game’s Combined Members Fund which means it is free entry. Cllr Barry Lewis will be opening the event.
Originally the festival was planned for 2020 but the Coronavirus pandemic delayed it for a year. All ukulele groups have been hit hard by the pandemic, preventing them from meeting up and playing. The FeelGood group met every week on Zoom and successfully kept practicing together. They and the 10 other regional groups involved have had the festival pencilled in on their calendars for 18 months.
As well as the groups from the south east playing in the main hall, there will be ukulele workshops with one for children, run by Vera a fully DBS checked music therapist. The youngsters will be able to meet ‘Nipper’ the 6ft Ukulele playing crab, who will be ‘helping out’ at the workshop and around the event. There are also workshops for adult beginners and adult improvers and one for bass ukulele.
Late afternoon special guest Jake Rodrigues will be performing his ‘Cream of Tartar Show’ getting everyone to join in with his own songs. There will be two strum/singalongs with everyone who has brought their ukuleles, joining together in playing and singing some songs from the songbook.The evening will finish with the headline act Plastic Jeezus, a Bournemouth-based comedy music duo, singing songs about everyday things, like biscuits and getting your foot trapped inside a horse!
Booking in advance is required for your free place. Organisers are keeping the numbers restricted for Covid safety reasons. They will not be filling the main hall to capacity but there will be seating for everyone, singly or in groups.
Book at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/margate-ukulele-festival-registration-167948341009
You will receive an email confirmation and you get a wristband at the door of the venue on the day.
Please note cllr lesley game has funded this event through her members grant.
Excellent!
Went a few years back – brilliant event. Lots of fun!