Bristol's 3rd annual

Uke festival

Hen & Chicken | 1st July 2023

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Performers

See previous lineup

About

Flash mob from the 2019 festival

Bristol Ukulele Festival was founded in 2019 by ukulele teacher, Danielle Greenwood, of the Uke Lift Project. After teaching ukulele in Bristol for many years, Danielle decided it was high time to celebrate the talents of ukulele players from Bristol and beyond.

The first festival was held in September 2019 at Alchemy 198 on Gloucester Road. Showcasing adult bands and junior players, as well as beginner and advanced ukulele workshops, the festival also featured headliners Uke Punk from Manchester and The Pukes from London. It was a fantastic day of ukulele fun, with people strumming in all corners of the venue! The highlight of the event was the 15-minute flash mob, which took place on the pavements of Gloucester Road. Over 100 ukulele players performed two songs together on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Fast forward past a global pandemic (which was all online concerts) Bristol Ukulele Festival returned with a bang in 2022 and completely sold out a 300-capacity venue at the wonderful Hen and Chicken in North Street, Bristol. BUF 2022 wowed all with workshops, live music and another inspiring flash mob which left players in tears of happiness.

Due to the success of last year’s festival, the 2023 edition will feature all of the same activities with three large performance rooms hosting beginner/advanced workshops, 2 stages of live bands and a merchandise area, as well as a planned flash mob for all to join in.

There will be family-friendly workshops and performances during the day from 1pm-6pm, followed by a whole evening of ukulele performances for over-18s only.

Workshops

Absolute Beginners Ukulele

🕐 2:00 - 3:00pm £ £12

Learn how to strum, pick, make chords and play your first song on ukulele in under an hour! In this fun and friendly workshop, you’ll be guided through everything you need to know to get started. It’s aimed at adult beginners - there’s no musical experience needed, and you can bring your own ukulele or use ours.

All ukuleles and music are provided but please feel free to bring your own uke if you have one! This workshop is for ages 16yrs+

This workshop is led by Big Girl Pants members Clara and Debs who you might recognise from The Pukes - the punk band who took the ukulele world by storm from 2011 to 2021 with their uked-up versions of classic punk songs. As The Pukes they toured across the UK and Germany and released an EP on Damaged Goods records as well as two albums on their own Hoo Ha label. Today the gals will play a mix of punk covers and self-penned tunes acoustic-stylee with some lush vocal harmonies and they are both ukulele tutors located in Norwich and London.

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Barre Chords for Ukulele

🕐 3:30pm - 4:30pm £ £12

What are they, why do we use them and how do we play them? This workshop is aimed at improvers who are ready to start exploring further up the neck of the ukulele - or the dusty end as we like to call it! You'll gain an understanding of what makes barre chords so useful for ukulele players and discover tips and tricks to help you master them. Please note you must purchase a festival ticket as well to attend this workshop.

Instruments are not provided for this workshop so please bring your own.

This workshop is led by Big Girl Pants members Clara and Debs who you might recognise from The Pukes - the punk band who took the ukulele world by storm from 2011 to 2021 with their uked-up versions of classic punk songs. As The Pukes they toured across the UK and Germany and released an EP on Damaged Goods records as well as two albums on their own Hoo Ha label. Today the gals will play a mix of punk covers and self-penned tunes acoustic-stylee with some lush vocal harmonies and they are both ukulele tutors ​located in Norwich ​and London.

🎟 Book tickets now

Arlo Anwin Ukulele and Loop-station

🕐 5:00 - 6:00pm £ £12

Learn how to use any loop-station with your ukulele. From creating a simple backing loop, to building out of this world soundscapes Arlo will be taking us on a looping journey. No previous knowledge or experience of loop-stations is needed at all. There will be the opportunity to try looping for yourself or just sit back and learn. Arlo will be catering for all abilities of ukulele player.

Ukuleles are not provided for this workshop so please bring your own. This workshop is for ages 16yrs+

This Workshop is led by composer and performer Arlo Anwin who has quickly made a name for himself composing and creating with the ukulele, crafting unique sounds and textures. Recognised for using loop stations and Ukulele to build an engaging and transformative performance he jumps from out and out virtuosity on the instrument to the most subtle and minimal touch. His unique approach has attracted the support of loop station leaders BOSS, and the request for contributions to Ukulele grade exams. Arlo Anwin has enjoyed a bumper year of commissions including a recent commission from a renowned visual artist to compose for a soon to be released animation, as well as scoring the soundtrack for a film chosen to premier at the Minneapolis film festival. Even in the most cinematic setting Arlo always puts the Ukulele at the fore.

🎟 Book tickets now

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Flash mob

This Flash Mob will be July 1st at 3:15pm on the ground floor of The Hen and Chicken

Download chord chart

Find us

Map for Hen & Chicken

Hen and Chicken | 210 North Street, Southville, Bristol, BS3 1JF

Parking:

There is no car park at this venue, but there is plenty of free street parking on the surrounding streets. Please note that some parking is metered for a maximum of 3 hours up until 5pm on Saturdays. There is also a residential permit parking restriction in the area. The streets are monitored regularly, so please do not risk parking without a permit.

Walking:

The venue is a 35-minute walk from Temple Meads train station or Bristol city centre.

Bus:

Many buses from Bristol city centre stop near the venue, with the number 24 stopping the closest.

View in Google Maps

Bristol Ukulele Festival from Uke Lift Project

Bristol Ukulele Festival