The Newkulele Festival is back for 2022 with a stacked program hitting Newcastle City Hall from Friday the 9th, until Sunday the 11th, of September.
Australian indie folk band Little Quirks will headline the 2022 Newkulele Festival alongside The Nukes (New Zealand), Thin White Ukes, Ukulele Death Squad, Tyrone & Lesley and Newcastle’s very own Jack n Jel n Mac n Wal, The Ukastle Ukestra and Ukestral Voices will, of course, be making an appearance too.
With two big evening concerts in the Concert Hall on Friday and Saturday nights and more than 75 acts from all around Australia, there’s something on the bill for everyone.
“This year has seen an abundance of talent and lots of people keen to play the festival,” Newkulele Festival Programming Coordinator, Eliza Kelly said.
“Due to Covid, the bi-annual event couldn’t be held last year and 2022 has seen the return of many great ukulele events throughout Australia which is so exciting.”
The festival will kick off with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony at Wheeler Place on Friday evening and finish with a bang on Sunday afternoon with Newcastle’s very own pop-up choir, the One Song Sing in the Concert Hall.
A trade exhibition, presenting instruments, gear, craft and merchandise, will also be set up at the festival for those wanting to dive in a little further.
The 2022 Newkulele Festival will roll into Newcastle City Hall on Friday the 9th and run until Sunday the 11th, of September. The festival’s day program is free to attend. Check out the guide to what’s on when below and purchase tickets from newkulelefestival.com.au.
NEWKULELE FESTIVAL PROGRAM
FRIDAY 9 SEPTEMBER 2022
Join Little Quirks, Tyrone & Lesley, The Nukes and the Ukestral Voices for our 2022 Newkulele Festival Opening Concert. This concert has reserved seating. You will need to choose your seats when you book.
NEWKULELE FESTIVAL PROGRAM
SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2022
Showcasing performers from Newcastle and around Australia. Join Ukulele Death Squad, Thin White Ukes, Jack n Jel n Mac n Wal, and a the local Ukastle Ukestra for an energetic evening of ukulele playing, singing and no doubt some dancing too! This is a reserved seating concert. You will need to choose your seats when you book.
NEWKULELE FESTIVAL PROGRAM
SUNDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2022
The Sunday program features an amazing lineup or artists and workshops and will finish with a bang when Newcastle’s very own pop-up choir, the One Song Sing light up the Concert Hall. One song learned, sung and performed within an hour (ish). Everyone is welcome to join in the fun no matter your singing ability!
NEWKULELE PREFESTIVAL CONCERT
Carrington Bowling Club will play host to a pre-festival concert on Thursday 8 September.
The lineup for the concert features the Ukulele Scotsman, Greenfieldz and four-piece Central Coast ukulele band, Mirrabooka.
Tickets for the show at the Carro are just $25 each and can be purchased from humanitix.com.
UKELELE WORKSHOPS
For those wanting to learn more about the ukulele, there are a variety of workshops on offer from a beginners workshop run by Newcastle’s community musicians Mark Jackson & Jane Jelbart, to learning fast and intricate strumming techniques with Cameron Murray who has been in the ukulele scene for more than 25 years.
A free workshop at The Playhouse will cover the basics of the ukulele including how to hold, strum, count, fret and tune the instrument.
The workshop is suitable for children aged 8 to 108! The day programs also include performances from Dudley Public School and Charlestown Public School.
