We are proud to announce that Cairns will be hosting Australia’s first major international ukulele festival in July 2010.

Following the trend around the world, ukulele sales all over Australia have exploded in the last few years. Around the country, there are over twenty ukulele clubs and groups meeting on a regular basis. Sydney alone has five ukulele clubs, with hundreds of people meeting each week to play and learn ukulele together.

The Cairns Ukulele Club started on the 1st of April 2008 and has had a healthy attendance ever since, welcoming players of all levels. The Club is honoured to be involved in running the festival and welcoming you to our beautiful tropical city.

Cairns is situated in tropical Far North Queensland, where the rainforest literally meets the reef. Our tourist attractions are world-class, so when you visit our festival, make sure you allow some time to soak up the sights.

Due to Cairns’ location, the population is colourful and diverse, with many Pacific Islander communities represented here as well. You can be sure to see an eclectic mix of people at the ukulele festival and on stage, adding to the diversity of the music we plan for this festival.

We are very pleased to have the legendary award-winning Torres Straight Islander musician Seaman Dan as our patron. When asked, Seaman Dan said, “I would be most honoured to be a patron for the July 2010 Cairns Ukulele Festival as ukulele has been a big part of my music for decades. I grew up around many Indigenous uke players and have many fond memories of how important ukulele has been to Torres Strait Islander music and my recordings.”

Check back regularly, we are about to announce some exciting acts!

If you wish to participate in any way at the festival, perform or sponsor this wonderful event, please send and e-mail to cairnsukulelefestival@live.com – we’d love to hear from you! If you wish to keep up to date, please e-mail us as the aforementioned address or find us on Twitter, user name CairnsUkeFest.

Are you wondering what the fuss is all about? Check out our “what’s it all about?” page. A look around the net is also highly recommended. You will find a wealth of information about ukuleles, players and clubs.