Katikati Ukulele Festival 2012, April 20, 21 and 22.
Participation will be the theme of the second Bay of Plenty Ukulele Festival 2012, on April 20, 21, and 22. Last year, over 300 ukulele toting locals and visitors strummed along throughout the weekend. It was all about having fun and making music, no matter what their level of playing. The local Katikati Ukulele Group, Ukes-A-Plenty is already planning this year’s festival, to make it even more exciting and all inclusive.
Busking ukulele groups will bring a festive air to Katikati on Friday morning, (April 20) and in the evening from 7 pm, a free music jam will be held at Katikati RSA, with all instruments welcome.
On Saturday morning (April 21) the town will again come alive, with visitors busking in the main street. At 12.30 the main part festival kicks off in Katikati Memorial Hall, with a strum and sing-along. The afternoon will include workshops for beginners and more advanced players, a workshop on Pacific Island strumming, and a move-to-the-beat workshop for the children. Ukuleles will be on sale, for those who come empty handed. An open mike/blackboard concert will give all players a chance to share their talents. Children will have their own space, at the front of the hall, “on the mat.” And a community group will provide refreshments from the tea room.
The early evening concert will feature Mr Ukulele, Kevin Fogarty and the Ukulele All Stars Band and Cook Island ukulele group, the Tangaroa Trio from Auckland, stars of the NZ Ukulele Festival.
Organisers want to make the festival accessible to all, young and old, families and grandparents, with just a gold coin entry for the afternoon, and a $5 charge for adults at the early evening concert.
On Sunday (April 22) Ukes-A-Plenty will finish the festival in style, hosting a musical morning tea at Athenree Homestead. The $10 charge will include an Athenree cream tea and tours of the homestead, provided by trust volunteers. Funds raised will go to the Athenree Homestead Trust, for the restoration of Adela’s kitchen wing.
In 2011 ukulele players came from all over the North Island, and even international visitors from Canada and Japan, ukes in hand, found their way to the festival. By making it a weekend long festival, we hope to entice people to stay longer and enjoy Katikati and all it has to offer. Motels, camping grounds and B&B’s will gain extra visitors and cafes and craft shops will be kept busy.
Local groups and businesses will also benefit, with funds raised by a local community group in the tea room, and local music related businesses setting up sales tables in the hall. Baskets of spot prizes, generously donated by locals, will add a bit of excitement to the day, and of course no Katikati festival would be complete without avocados for sale.
Last year the children’s art fest added a special dimension to the festival and it became a stand out feature of the hall decorations. This year we hope to involve local college students, designing and painting their own ukuleles.
We hope to raise a large amount pre-festival, to take some of the pressure off. It is amazing what can be achieved with determination and hard work by the whole team and with support from the community.
Katikati Ukulele Group was formed in 2010. It meets once a week, on Thursday evenings at Homewood Park Tennis Club. Our aims are to play music together, sing, learn and have fun.
There is an ever growing interest in the ukulele in the Bay of Plenty, in NZ and worldwide. Many people who have never played music before, but have always wanted to, find they are able to pick up a ukulele and be playing songs in a very short time. Cost and age are no barrier. The Play it Strange Trust and NZ Ukulele Festival organisers work hard to put ukuleles in all NZ intermediate schools. Even preschoolers are getting into the ukulele at a very early age. All three year olds deserve to be issued with a ukulele on their birthday. The future of NZ music is looking very healthy with all these young musicians coming through.
Ukes-A-Plenty continues to perform at local events and charity fund raisers. In 2011 we performed at Waipuna Hospice in Te Puna, for the local Cancer Support Group, Savage Club, Athenree Homestead, and at the 2011 NZ ukulele festival.
We are appealing for financial support and also for items for lucky number spot prizes and for raffles. We also welcome man or woman power to help, closer to the time and/or on the weekend.
Please contact Christine Donehue, phone 0274 809 261 or (07) 549 5827 or camellia@pcconnect.co.nz if you would like to help, or for further information.
