Players set for Liverpool ONE Mega Busk to celebrate World Ukulele Day

Ukulele players from across the city are planning a massive Mega Busk to mark World Ukulele Day.

Hundreds of players will be taking part in the fundraising event at Liverpool ONE on Sunday, February 2, with money raised going to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and the Summer Strum Festival in Wirral in July.

The Mega Busk will take place at 3pm at the bottom of Sugar House Steps outside John Lewis.

Jacqui Rawcliffe and Sara Cassidy, from Ukecan and the Summer Strum Festival respectively, have organised the event to celebrate World Ukulele Day – and ‘the joy that this little instrument has brought into our lives’. 

Jacqui said:

“Everyone is welcome to come along and join us. Bring your ukulele along – it doesn’t matter how good you are – and get involved.”

It doesn’t even matter if you don’t play: “You can sing along, and you can clap and wave,” adds Jacqui. “The ukulele is a lovely, happy instrument and this is all about having a little fun and putting a smile on people’s faces.”

The Mega Busk is part of a day of music and activities, with some of Merseyside’s best-known ukulele bands playing from 1.30pm to 9pm at the Hilton Liverpool Hotel.

Among them are Wirral Ukulele Fanatics (WUF), Quay Notes ukulele group, The Travelling Wannabes six-piece ukulele band, The Bowies, Ukulele Club Liverpool, The Ukes of Hazard, and many more.

More than 35 local ukulele bands will be taking part and there’s also a free ukulele party at the Hilton where, as well as the live bands playing, there’ll be raffles and tombolas, a magician and kids’ activities.

The bands will join in the Mega Busk along with hundreds of ukulele enthusiasts who’ll play five songs together: Valerie, Eight Days a Week, Delilah, 500 Miles and Angels.

“It’s a real mix of songs and everyone is bound to know at least one of them so they can sing along and join in,” says Jacqui.  “I want to show people that you can play anything on a ukulele, that it’s not an old-fashioned instrument.

“Ukulele players are part of a lovely, friendly community and this will be a really jolly event.”

It will raise money for Alder Hey Children’s Charity and Jacqui, who founded Ukecan which offers ukulele lessons and tours, goes on: “We chose Alder Hey as our charity because the care they give has touched nearly everyone in Liverpool at some point.”

And it will raise money for the Summer Strum Festival – a free ukulele festival which fosters community inclusion and combats loneliness by encouraging people to take up the ukulele.

Sara, who organises Summer Strum, says:

“The ukulele community in Merseyside is thriving. It’s such a good way to get yourself out of the house and connect with new people.” 

Everyone with a ukulele is welcome to join the Liverpool ONE Mega Busk and anyone can attend the free fun and party at the Hilton.

* This year’s Summer Strum Ukulele Festival will take place at Hoylake Rugby Club from July 18-21. 

Song sheets for the mega busk are available at here or on the Ukecan & Summer Strum facebook pages.

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