© the ukulele & Other Machines
Phew! We got to the end on one piece! Sort of! Here’s a lovely video Laura took of our playing on North End on that freezing Saturday! EVENING CONCERTS Saturday 5th March, 7.30pm at The Oval Tavern , CR0 6BR - Phil Doleman concert Sunday 6th March, 7.30pm at The Oval Tavern,  CR0 6BR - Elliot Mason and Jo Stephenson concert If   you   want   to   be   kept   up-to-date   with   info   for   the   festival,   keep   checking   here,   send   us   an   email   asking   to   go   on   the   mailing list, join our facebook group , or if you have any other questions, please feel free to drop us an email .
We’re   delighted   to   welcome   Phil   Doleman    to   our   inaugural   ukulele festival,   possibly   Britain’s   most   famous   ukulele   player.   Formerly   half of   The   Re-Entrants,   Phil   will   run   a   workshop   and   perform   a   solo   gig. You can buy concert and workshop tickets  now.
What    can    we    say    about    Elliot    Mason ? Moving   songs   that   tap   into   the   profundities of   human   existence   tackling   serious   issues head-long,    such    as    the    roundness    of pickled   eggs,   trying   to   find   a   pair   of   jeans that   fit,   and   trying   to   remember   where   on earth you parked the car.
Half   of   “Can   You   Dig   It?”   -   the best      vegetable-based      musical comedy   act   EVER,   Jo   Stephenson   returns   to   Croydon   after   success on   Radio   4.   She   claims   to   be   able to   write   a   song   about   absolutely anything   -   she’s   even   got   a   love song to Alan Titchmarsh!
We Support
Thank    you    to    our    friends    at    Jurys    Inn, Croydon.   Special      discount   rate   available    if attending    the    festival.    Contact    us    via    the Contacts page  for details.
Thank    you    to    our    friends    at    The    Oval Tavern, who will host the evening gigs.  Discount on all food and drink throughout the festival if you have a ukulele with you!
Thank   you   to   our   friends   at   The   Green Dragon,   the   home   of   the   festival   for   the daytime   events   and   our   regular   Sunday night uke jam sessions.
Saturday 5th
Events include: Phil  Doleman solo gig;  strum-alongs; beginners’ workshop; Mass Busk; workshop led by       Phil Doleman and performances by uke  groups from near and far!
Events include: gigs by Jo Stephenson and Elliot Mason; Mother’s Day workshop;  performances from Balham, Brockley & Croydon uke groups; Paul from the Pukes, end of      festival Uke Jam.          
Sunday 6th
More details to come!
Here are links to some of the songs that we’d like to include in the Mass Busk on Saturday. Don’t worry if you can’t play everything - you can contribute as much or as little as you wish! Or just sing!
Sloop John B  - The Beach Boys 500 Miles  - The Proclaimers Da Doo Ron Ron  - The Crystals Hallelujah  (but not as you know it!) In Between Days  - The Cure 8 Days a Week - The Beatles Common People  - Pulp Spanish Eyes Find all the songs together here.  
Stay With Me - Sam Smith Help Me Rhonda - The Beach Boys Stand By Me  - Lieber & Stoller Shake It Off  - Taylor Swift Eye of the Tiger  - Survivor I’m a Believer - The Monkees (in C) It’s Not Unusual - Tom Jones YMCA - Village People
With thanks to Croydon BID for the Mass Busk!
SATURDAY 5th March 10.30 am  - 11.30 am. Absolute Beginners’ workshop at The Green Dragon. You should come to this if you have no idea how to hold a ukulele - we’re sure we’ll get you playing something within a short space of time.  Tickets £2 (£1 for children)  Please do buy advance tickets so we know how many resources to prepare. 12 noon - 12.30. Mass Busk practice at The Green Dragon. Ideal if you know a few ukulele chords but aren’t sure how some of the songs below should go. Free. 1.15 - 2.15 Mass Busk - outside the Whitgift Centre, near Metro Bank. Assemble by the Croydon BID Stage. Let’s flood Croydon with ukes! Free. 3.00- 3.30 pm - Guest performers B.U.R.P. at The Green Dragon. Free. 3.30pm - 4.30 pm - Ukulele tips and tricks workshop run by the amazing Phil Doleman at The Green Dragon.  £3.50 (£2.00 for children) Please do buy advance tickets so we know how many resources to prepare. 4.30 -5.30 pm Workshop using tab/notation to play tunes such as Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” in ensemble. Parts at various levels of difficulty, from complete beginner to advanced. Details to follow. 7.30 pm - 9.30pm  Concert by special guest star Phil Doleman at The Oval Tavern. See the top of this page about tickets. See the bottom of this page for The Oval Tavern’s special offer for uke players! 9.30pm - why don’t we all have a bit of a strum in the pub after Phil’s gig?
CROYDON UKULELE FESTIVAL 5-6 March 2016
SUNDAY 6th March •	2.30-3.00pm Mother’s Day song workshop. Learn to play some songs for your mum, like That’s Alright Mama. At The Green Dragon. •	3.00 -3.30pm Performance by Croydon Uke Jam at The Green Dragon. •	3.45 - 4.15pm Performance by Balham Ukulele Society at The Green Dragon.  •	4.15 - 4.45pm Performance by Paul from The Pukes at The Green Dragon.  •	4.45pm Introduction to Noah Ukes at The Green Dragon. •	5.00pm - 5.30pm Strum-along to special Cronx repertoire. All songs either from Croydon, about Croydon or by artists you probably haven’t heard of, but who we love here in Croydon! At The Green Dragon. See box opposite for repertoire.  •	5.30  - 6.00pm Performance by Brockley Ukulele Group at The Green Dragon.  •	7.30 pm - 9.30pm  Concert by special guest stars Jo Stephenson and Elliot Mason at The Oval Tavern. See the top of this page about tickets. See the bottom of this page for The Oval Tavern’s special offer for uke players!  •	9.30pm - why don’t we all have a bit of a strum in the pub after the gig? At The Oval Tavern.
Thank   you   to   our   friends   at   Martin   Phelps Music   Shop,   who   will   run   the   music   shop   at the   festival   on   Saturday   5th   March   upstairs at The Green Dragon.
Thank you to John Bownas and the Ambition Festival team at Croydon Council for the generous use of P.A. equipment.
HOW TO GET FROM GREEN DRAGON TO THE OVAL 15 min walk or 5 mins on 197 or 312 bus from Croydon Library to Cherry Orchard Road. Walking Map>> Bus Map>>
Thank   you   to   Matt   at   Noah   Ukuleles , who   will   be   selling   ukes   on   Sunday 6th    March    upstairs    at    the    Green Dragon.
Cronx Repertoire Flagpole    Sitta    -    Theme    to    “Peep    Show,”    set    here    in Croydon! Let   Him   Dangle   -   Elvis   Costello.   Tells   a   very   sad   local story. I   Predict   A   Riot    -   Kaiser   Chiefs.   A   bit   of   a   joke   choice here! The   Rich   are   Gonna   Move   to   the   High   Ground    -   Geoff Berner.   You   may   not   have   heard   of   this   Canadian   artist, but   he   is   a   big   fan   of   the   town   and   even   mentions   the Green Dragon pub in one of his songs! A   Town   Called   Paris   -   after   The   Jam.   I   wrote   this   in   2012 and it helped Bradley Wiggins win the Tour de France! Link   for   My   Chain   -   Harry   Bird   and   the   Rubber   Wellies. Another   cycling   song!   We   like   road   cycling   here,   and   the drummer from this band is local. There’s   A   Guy   Works…   -   Kirsty   MacColl   was   a   Croydon lass! Find all the songs together here.  
 
This page is for the 2016 festival that has been and gone. If we have the energy to run a 2017 festival info will eventually go up here!