North Tyneside Ukelele Festival makes its North Shields debut

North Tyneside Ukelele Festival is being staged in North Shields for the first time.

The three-day event is hosted at the Exchange 1856 in the heart of North Shields Cultural Quarter on 8 and 9 November, with the final day at The Globe music venue in Newcastle on 10 November. Tickets are still available.

It features international quality acts, workshops on ukulele techniques, open mic slots, singalongs and retail stands.   

The festival is organised by Cullercoats-based Bay Uke which has more than 80 members and has been running for a decade.

Established in 2018, this is the fifth time the festival has been held and the move to North Shields was made possible with a grant from North Shields Cultural Quarter Projects and Events Fund. 

Organiser Sarah Timney said: “The ukulele community is big in the UK. Our festival is for anyone who likes ukulele - an instrument that brings a lot of smiles to a lot of faces.

“This is our first time in North Shields and our first time at the Exchange. We can’t wait. The Festival in 2023 at Cullercoats Crescent Club was really good, but it was as far as we could go without funding.  This year we are at a whole different level.

 “The funding from North Shields Cultural Quarter has made all the difference at so many levels:  the venue, the acts we have been able to get in, the overall quality.  

 “This year it has everything you would expect to find at a much bigger festival. We have more than 150 people coming on the Friday and Saturday and they will all have a different pathway through the festival.  There is so much to do.”

 Elected Mayor of North Tyneside Dame Norma Redfearn DBE said: “The ukelele festival is a fantastic North Tyneside community event that brings people a lot of enjoyment.

 “It is great to see it being staged at the newly-refurbished Exchange 1856 theatre with support from North Shields Cultural Quarter. It will bring people from far and wide into the town centre, supporting the local economy and helping to put North Shields on the map as a thriving arts and culture destination.”