A two-day festival will bring ukulele workshops, performances and a mass busk to Croydon.

The inaugural Ukulele Festival on March 5 to 6 aims to welcome everyone from non-players to beginners and experts in a celebration of the four-stringed instrument, with a huge mass busk on stage in North End on Saturday, March 5, where everyone is welcome with or without an instrument.

Workshops and informal performances are planned throughout the two days at The Green Dragon and each evening sees concerts at The Oval Tavern, featuring the likes of Britain’s foremost jazz and blue ukulele performer Phil Doleman and Radio 4-featured singer-songwriter Jo Stephenson.

The festival is organised by members of Croydon Uke Jam. Co-organiser Neil Woodcock said: “Hundreds of people in Croydon play ukulele: not just Mumford and Sons wannabes, but across all ages and backgrounds, from kids to pensioners.

“This is a great opportunity for our local community to get together to have fun, but we also have visiting groups coming from further afield, such as our friends at Berkhamsted Random Ukulele Players (BURP) – this shows that Croydon can be a cultural destination.”

Go to ukulele.magix.net

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