Well… our Launceston Ukulele Jamboree 2024 is done and dusted for another year…

We deliberately emphasised the community aspect of our event, and tried our darnedest to make each and every person who attended feel welcomed and part of our wonderful local crew, no matter where they were from. I know I made a whole heap of new friends over the 4 days, and I hope you all did too! We had a cracker of an open mic night to start the fun, then workshops galore, evening concerts, free public performances, a mini market, a flash mob, and the best Sunday arvo all-in playalong to finish the weekend!

We had a bumper lineup of interstate performers this year; Green Fieldz, The Scotsman & The Stovies, The Wild Women of Anywhere Beach, Dan MacEoin + Tom the Pom , Duplicity, Awkward Strangers and The Ukumamas. Paul Jonson came over from New Zealand and some of our wonderful Tassie performers rounded out the program; Moonshine Whiskers & The Ragged Pony, Don’t Tell Bruce, The Ukes of Hazzard, Lenny the Love Cowboy and Brendan Wakely.

I’m so very, very grateful to our wonderful Major Sponsor, City of Launceston Official, for believing in the vision I had for the Launceston Ukulele Jamboree when I first pitched the idea to them of a ukulele festival right here in the middle of our CBD a few years ago! I’m carefully growing the event each year, gradually working towards the grand vision that’s been swirling around my noggin’ for years of an inclusive, immersive, educational fiesta of all things uke! I reckon I’m almost there – just a few more tweaks and it’ll be the end result I first envisaged when I organised the inaugural tiny half day Jamboree in the back room of the Royal Oak Hotel in 2021.

I’d also love to recognise and give a HUGE thank you to each and every one of you who joined in this year. You made me grin a whole lot, watching the joy and excitement that swirled around me all weekend! It made all the many months of planning and logistics to put this event on WORTH👏EVERY👏BIT! Massive shout out also to my magnificent team of volunteers who kept everything running smoothly and are absolutely worth their weight in gold!

We also managed to raise over $2000 with our raffle this year, with all money going directly to Enterprising Aardvark Counselling & Consultancy; an amazing local trauma counselling service that gets ZERO funding! 

I feel absolutely grateful to be part of our mad, rambling, inclusive, supportive ukulele fraternity. Bless ya all for riding this rollercoaster with me, and for celebrating the wonderful community we all build each year at the Jamboree.

Jac 🙂🩷