by Justilele
Like many, I set out on my ukulele journey during lockdown back in April 2020, which feels like a lifetime ago. Venturing out with my uke has been one of the best reasons to leave the enforced comfort of home and get back out there with the rest of the world. Where better to start than the Grand Northern Ukulele Festival (or GNUF to its friends), based in beautiful Yorkshire, UK?
Fellow Ukelandian Bethany (@guardianioftheuke) first brought GNUF to my attention. I instantly thought this must be quite a festival if it is known by this wonderful Ukulele lady in America. GNUF did not disappoint!
We arrived on Thursday, ready for Friday morning’s workshops. When I say we, I’m part of the Ukulele Project (running the South East division), so I was at GNUF meeting the other project founders face to face for the first time since Tara (London Ukulele Project) brought us all together. But that’s a whole other story!
I hadn’t booked any workshops as I didn’t want to be restricted with being anywhere for a certain time for my first experience. So, while my Ukulele Project friends attended some awesome workshops, I wandered the streets of Huddersfield seeking fellow ukulele folk. All seemed quiet, so I went to the pub (a safe bet). The Head of Steam by the railway station was where I found them! There were pockets of people around the pub, jamming and chatting. I met a lady called Jennifer who had come alone from America just for GNUF, so come on, Bethany! Whether you were by yourself or part of a group, if you had a ukulele with you, you were not alone and everyone was very welcoming.
Things seemed to really kick off later in the day as people poured into the pub and the jams got louder. (It might have had something to do with the pub offering a discount if you showed them your uke!) Later I was stunned to realise I had been casually jamming with some of the main stage acts. How friendly and down to earth are these awesome ukulele people? I noticed how well they engaged the room, shouting out the chords etc. and then the penny dropped when I saw them performing on the main stage at the theatre the next day! At GNUF you can be chatting and jamming with people one moment, and the next watching them shred it on stage supporting Jake or Taimane.
GNUF is spread out across around five intimate venues, so as a first-timer it took a while to get my bearings, but simply finding a person with a ukulele never failed me! One of the things I love about GNUF is the fact you can only buy a weekend ticket, meaning you could completely indulge in everything ukulele to your heart’s content. GNUF is volunteer led, with many performers giving their time at the merch stand or running jams and open mics, which contributes to the lovely ethos of the weekend.
GNUF has big names, but also offers opportunities to join impromptu jams or open mics. There was a more formal Open Mic stage outside in a courtyard by the theatre (which you had to sign up to in advance) which was fantastic to see new acts perform and also paved the way for newbies like me. So, on the Sunday I did some songs there with the Ukulele Project team, which was a terrifying delight!
I particularly enjoyed meeting players outside of the Instagram and Facebook communities (which is where I’ve spent nearly all my time). It was great to make those connections beyond the social media world, and to hear songs more than sixty seconds long!
On Sunday, the Ukulele Projects (London, Scotland, Wales, East Midlands, South East) were lucky to have a stand right by the main stage promoting our not-for-profit, where we use music to tackle loneliness and promote well-being. Through this, I got the chance to chat to Jake Shimabukuro and also Taimane (yes, I said chat, not just selfies!). All the acts at GNUF welcome fans to come and meet them throughout the weekend, but without even meeting both ukulele virtuosos, my first time at GNUF would have been incredible with the amazing array of talented performers and friendly ukulele lovers from around the world. This combined with fabulously intimate venues and plenty of audience participation throughout, ticked all the ukulele festival boxes that I didn’t know I had!
Obviously, I am biased with limited ukulele festival experience and I haven’t (yet!) visited any ukulele festivals abroad, but in the meantime I can’t wait to get back to GNUF for a second time. I wonder what next year’s GNUF will have in store for us, and whether I’ll get to jam with any of you?
Despite many of us learning in lockdown or only ever playing alone at home, the ukulele is a sociable instrument. Connecting via online forums such as our awesome Ukelandia, seeing performances and having real life ukulele strum-alongs such as those at GNUF, I’ve always felt part of something bigger. Attending my first uke festival has shown me what I already knew, which is that the ukulele community really is the friendliest and best in the world!