The humble ukulele is growing in popularity here in Australia, and nothing proves this more than the increasing number of groups and the rise of Ukulele Festivals.

In February, B.U.M.S. were lucky enough to perform at the inaugural Melbourne Ukulele Festival hosted by MUK (Melbourne Ukulele Kollective). And what a fantastic weekend we, and other festival-goers, had! Bosko & Honey and their guests Yan Yalego, Gens Blue and JayNickel performed, as did international guests Uni (and her ukulele) and friend Meredith Axelrod. You’ll find some pictures and videos of the Performing B.U.M.S. and our newly-found friends from ukulele groups around the country in the Photos area.

Not to be out-done, the Cairns Ukulele Group will be hosting “Australia’s first major international ukulele festival” in the first weekend of July – the Cairns Ukulele Festival. Some amazing international artists are lined up to perform, including Canadian virtuoso James Hill and Multi-Grammy Award winning musician Daniel Ho from Hawaii. There will also be homegrown talent in the form of  Multi-Aria Award winning Torres Strait Islander Seaman Dan, and Azo Bell and his group The Old Spice Boys from Byron Bay in Northern NSW. There will be workshops available and performances by ukulele groups.

For more information about ukulele activities around Australia, have a look at the UkeOz calendar: http://www.ukeoz.com.au/ (if that link doesn’t work, try refreshing your browser, or try this link). Our B.U.M.S. Big Uke Jams are on there, as are meetings from other ukulele groups around Australia.