The most massive thanks go to everyone who helped make the first Rye Ukulele Festival such a success. We do hope you enjoyed your day, we certainly did and dozens more images will be uploaded soon.
Not long now… I have received hundreds of images and am working my way through and if I didn’t have to go to practice tonight they would be online later ! I will attempt to get a few on the website tonight or tomorrow at latest. The rest will be uploaded in a week or so. Thanks for your patience. Lorna
Only 4 days to go!!!
After months of planning we are almost at festival day or RUF day as we call it. The weather forecast looks fine, sunny with a little cloud and temperatures of 17-19 degrees, light winds ( so our music shouldn’t blow away).
The Rye Ukulele Experiment are really looking forward to welcoming everyone to the town and hope you enjoy the musical treat that is planned. Come along and listen to the Ukulele as you have never heard it before……….. and don’t forget your kazoo!
It’s the final countdown to the Rye Ukulele Festival. Only 11 days to go and things are really hotting up in Rye. The posters/banners are up, the flyers are out, the songs chosen and the bands practicing like mad in Rye, East Grinstead, Lewes, Wadhurst, Headcorn, Doddington, Hastings, Cheriton, Rochester and Deal – waiting to descend on Rye on the 24th May.
The long term weather forecast looks fine (so far) and the bbq and outside bar are being polished up ready for the occasion.
Last minute press releases are beginning to bear fruit with BBC radio interviews and air time this weekend to promote the event.
Tune your radios to BBC Sussex this Sunday at around 4.15pm and again for the Saturday breakfast show on the 23rd between 6am and 9am to hear our slot!
Sadly Ruby in the Dust are no longer able to join us for the Rye Ukulele Festival.
Happily RUG from Cheriton, Folkestone have stepped into the breach and will be joining us on 24th May. We are now back to our full contingent of bands and we are looking forward to welcoming all the visiting musicians.
We have been astounded at the generosity of people in Rye and their helpfulness in supporting and sponsoring the first Rye Ukulele Festival.
One of the biggest thanks goes to Kirsty at www.purecreativedesign.net for her clever, colourful and eye-catching designs for the flyers, posters and banners. She has been patience personified with us and the results of her work are now spreading the news across the south east of England.
We’ll acknowledge the raffle prize benefactors when we have the full list.
Another big thank you must go to EDF energy who contributed funds for the town centre banners which will go up in the next week or so. We are also looking forward to supporting their’ Big Week’ in June by popping along to Dungeness for some Ukulele sessions.
Rye Town Council and Rother District Council have also agreed a generous sum of money towards our PA hire and marketing materials. I think their last words at the meeting were ‘come back next year for more’! We’ll hold them to that.
Thanks also to Concepts, The Queens Head and La Maison du vin for their advertising and to the Cinque Ports pub for all their work towards the big day.
Emails are flying backwards and forwards from the participating bands and everyone is very excited and looking forwards to the 24th May. Don’t forget to tell all your friends!
A new Press Release went out today listing all the great bands that we have playing at the festival and the sort of music the audience can expect to hear. FEATURING:
Rye Ukulele Experiment, Headcorn Ukulele Group, The Brillos, Wadhurst Ukulele Group, Lewkulele of Lewes, The Caramellos, Sunshine Ukes of Deal, East Grinstead Ukulele Club, Vallelectro, Doddington Ukulele Movement, Lewes Ukulele Club, Ruby in the dust.
Trad Jazz to Amy Winehouse, Irving Berlin to Elvis, Talking Heads to The Killers – there will be something for everyone.
Here are the great bands already booked to play at the festival in May!! We have at least another four likely contenders – should be a great afternoon.
The Rye Ukulele Experiment
Lewkulele – of Lewes
The Brillos – of Rye
Ruby in the dust – of Rye and nearby
Lewes Ukulele Group
Oh yes the email address info@ryeukuleleexperiment.co.uk is now up and running.
The Rye Ukulele Experiment is looking forward to welcoming so many Ukulele visitors to the town in May.
Plans are now well underway for the Rye Ukulele Festival and we have had some very positive feedback from the groups we have contacted. If you hover over the Festival page you will find options to see the list of performers so far and hopefully very shortly the ‘all-together’ strum songs and chords.
Don’t forget to check out our own song book page for all the new numbers Ian has produced this week.