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- David Iriguchi with 5-string ukulele
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- Ukulele Underground meet-up
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- Plenty of time for jamming with new friends
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- Ukes of Paradise raffle winners Alan (Kala ukulele); Paul (tuner) and Shirley (custom ukulele and tuner!).
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- Afternoon stage performance
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- UkeTreasures.com
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- Tyde Music brought their new bespoke ukes
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- Vendors were plentiful
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- These ukes from Mike Pereira were drool-worthy. Click pix and check out the comments from Bob, who snagged one of these beauties.
Gambling isn’t my thing—but ukuleles sure are—so you can bet I was at the 2013 Reno Uke Fest. Lots of other folks joined me and I’m not exaggerating when I say this festival is one of the “most bang for the buck” ukulele events you’ll find.
Choose your favorite element:
- Evening concerts with pro players who know their way around a fretboard like Tiny Tim knows his way tiptoeing around a tulip garden.
- Workshops led by teachers who really know how to explain things.
- Schmoozing with ukulele friends you may have only known from Internet forums. O rmake new friends and jam with them.
- Open mic opportunities.
- Vendors booths stocked with all things ukulele, from tuners to custom instruments that elicit jaw drops.
Yep, it’s all there. And, if that’s not enough, there’s always the casino…
This is my third (or fourth?) time at the Reno festival and it’s easy to see the event’s promoters love ukuleles—and ukulele players! That’s, of course, because the promoters are ukulele players themselves.
Need a gathering place for a group of forum friends for a meetup while at the festival? They’ll find a room for you. Looking to snag an extra ticket for the night’s sold-out concert? Perhaps they’ll have one. Got some input about workshops or performers for next year? They’ll listen and take notes.
In short, this is the festival to attend if you want to enjoy just a day or a whole weekend of ukulele-centric activities.
Ukulele builders were abundant in the vendor area. How many times do you have the opportunity to not only test play an instrument handcrafted by Mike DaSilva, David Iriguchi or Mike Pereira but also talk to the luthiers and get a real feel for their approach to building?
Plenty of new builders were there, too, creating their own reputation for bespoke ukuleles. The guys from Tyde Music made Reno their first ukulele show and they had everything from four-string ukes to uke stands, cajons and even furniture to display.
Feeling lucky? This festival’s (deservedly) famous end-of-Saturday raffle provides far better odds than the casino downstairs. Dozens and dozens of prize ranged from tuners and CDs all the way up to high-end factory-built ukuleles and custom ukuleles crafted by the best. Four people from Ukuleles of Paradise attended the festival and three of them won items—including Shirley with a custom Iriguchi ukulele.
Join us next year—even if you don’t snag a raffle prize, just attending this festival is a solid win.