2022 Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival

[Spieler]

It was an amazing event. Flawless, professional, classy, and fun. I look forward to going again next year. Thanks, Mitch, for a terrific day!

How wonderful-- for you (a plate-cleanser, *and* dessert!), for all whose work and talents created such a great event, and for everyone else who was able to attend.

~ S.

 

[genyukulele]

I went to the LA Uke Festival and IT.WAS.AWESOME.

I went to the “other one” in San Diego and admittedly, I had a FANTASTIC time there, because the artists were phenomenal! But there were far too many questionable things about how the other one was run that I did not like. I actually don’t understand how artists and manufacturers can continue to associate with the organizer, and I wonder if they will come back. Anyway, on to why the LA Uke Fest was great…comparisons to the other one will be made because I think it’s important (and sometimes comical) to show the differences.

FANTASTIC artist line-up! Some I had seen before in San Diego, but that was a-okay with me because I feel like I know them now! =p And they were all excellent!

Chairs! OMG, there were chairs everywhere! At the other one I didn’t get a seat with my general admission ticket. I would have had to purchase a VIP, or Diamond, or Sapphire, or Platinum, or Premium or whatever to get that. If I had a disability and actually needed a seat, wouldn’t it be a violation of the ADA to make me pay extra just for a basic seat?

Bathrooms! Bathrooms in every building! At the other one there were only two toilets—TWO, TOTAL—for everyone, men and women. Can you believe that?

Great venue—large room capacities and things were spread out so you didn’t feel cramped. At the other one you had to cross the stage (distracting the artists and the audience) to get from one thing to another.

Great sound—every workshop I attended the artists used functional microphones so that everyone could hear. At the other one the microphone was only for the benefit of those who paid to be in the virtual audience—it did not project sound for people in the room. So the artists had to practically yell the whole time.

Schedule worked out great and the day started on time—not over an hour late. But, having five minutes in between workshops/concerts would have been nice. But at least things didn’t get behind schedule like the other one.

Registration was quick and easy—no long line! Quick scan of my ticket and the friendly staff gave me a wristband, a bag, and program (more on that below) and that was it. At the other one, even though I was one of the first in line, registration took FOR-EVER. It was over an hour late and the line was outrageous. I felt really bad for those who were in the back of the line. And registration was so slow! Why—IDK.

FREE swag! A bag to hold program and materials, plus free LA Uke Fest pins and stickers at Mitch’s booth! FREE!

Programs were FREE! They included artist bios, some ads, and workshop materials. The other one had the same stuff, with the added bonus of stories and ads of how great they are and lots of typos. And it was $20! (Even the artists didn’t know the audience would be charged for the program; they had been asked to provide workshop materials and seemed surprised when we told them we had to purchase the program.)

Workshops were for an hour, a good amount of time to learn from the artists. The other one was only for 30 minutes, and really, less than that because some artists needed time to set-up and break-down.

Raffles were simple to figure out. One price (or a bargain if you bought several) and you put your ticket in for what you wanted to win. At the other one there were like three different prices/levels of raffle tickets, depending on the value of the items. What is it with them and the different tiers for everything?

I do wish there were more food options, and more vegetarian food options, but I had packed some snacks, so this wasn’t a big deal.

All in all, the LA Uke Fest was FANTASTIC! (It was my first time—newish uke player for about a year now.) I will DEFINITELY be coming to the LA Uke Fest every year. Thank you, Mitch, for putting on such a great, organized, non-egotistical, affordable, and most of all, FUN event!

 

[Gene Mazzanti]

Thank you, Mitch, and thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this absolutely fantastic day happen. The Plucking Strummers were very happy to do our part to make the festival a success.

The music was great, the food divine and we got to meet so many wonderful new Ukulele enthusiasts. We even had a little jam section next to our booth where people could sit in the shade and play together in between performances on the main stage.

The Plucking Strummers are proud and honored to be a small part of the Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival family.

 

[Spieler]

How wonderful-- for you (a plate-cleanser, *and* dessert!), for all whose work and talents created such a great event, and for everyone else who was able to attend.

~ S.

@Ila
I mean, in my brain wrote "palate cleanser" and thought for sure the screen agreed.... until now.



~ S.

 

[TimWilson]

I went to the LA Uke Festival and IT.WAS.AWESOME.

I went to the “other one” in San Diego and admittedly, I had a FANTASTIC time there, because the artists were phenomenal! But there were far too many questionable things about how the other one was run that I did not like. I actually don’t understand how artists and manufacturers can continue to associate with the organizer, and I wonder if they will come back. Anyway, on to why the LA Uke Fest was great…comparisons to the other one will be made because I think it’s important (and sometimes comical) to show the differences.

FANTASTIC artist line-up! Some I had seen before in San Diego, but that was a-okay with me because I feel like I know them now! =p And they were all excellent!

Chairs! OMG, there were chairs everywhere! At the other one I didn’t get a seat with my general admission ticket. I would have had to purchase a VIP, or Diamond, or Sapphire, or Platinum, or Premium or whatever to get that. If I had a disability and actually needed a seat, wouldn’t it be a violation of the ADA to make me pay extra just for a basic seat?

Bathrooms! Bathrooms in every building! At the other one there were only two—TWO—for everyone, men and women. Can you believe that?

Great venue—large room capacities and things were spread out so you didn’t feel cramped. At the other one you had to cross the stage (distracting the artists and the audience) to get from one thing to another.

Great sound—every workshop I attended the artists used functional microphones so that everyone could hear. At the other one the microphone was only for the benefit of those who paid to be in the virtual audience—it did not project sound for people in the room. So the artists had to practically yell the whole time.

Schedule worked out great and the day started on time—not over an hour late. But, having five minutes in between workshops/concerts would have been nice. But at least things didn’t get behind schedule like the other one.

Registration was quick and easy—no long line! Quick scan of my ticket and the friendly staff gave me a wristband, a bag, and program (more on that below) and that was it. At the other one, even though I was one of the first in line, registration took FOR-EVER. It was over an hour late and the line was outrageous. I felt really bad for those who were in the back of the line. And registration was so slow! Why—IDK.

FREE swag! A bag to hold program and materials, plus free LA Uke Fest pins and stickers at Mitch’s booth! FREE!

Programs were FREE! They included artist bios, some ads, and workshop materials. The other one had the same stuff, with the added bonus of stories and ads of how great they are and lots of typos. And it was $20! (Even the artists didn’t know the audience would be charged for the program; they had been asked to provide workshop materials and seemed surprised when we told them we had to purchase the program.)

Workshops were for an hour, a good amount of time to learn from the artists. The other one was only for 30 minutes, and really, less than that because some artists needed time to set-up and break-down.

Raffles were simple to figure out. One price (or a bargain if you bought several) and you put your ticket in for what you wanted to win. At the other one there were like three different prices/levels of raffle tickets, depending on the value of the items. What is it with them and the different tiers for everything?

I do wish there were more food options, and more vegetarian food options, but I had packed some snacks, so this wasn’t a big deal.

All in all, the LA Uke Fest was FANTASTIC! (It was my first time—newish uke player for about a year now.) I will DEFINITELY be coming to the LA Uke Fest every year. Thank you, Mitch for putting on such a great, organized, non-egotistical, affordable, and most of all, FUN event!

What a fantastic recap! Thanks for sharing so many details! The compare-and-contrast with another recent event is also appreciated, and helps underscore the differences between doing it wrong and doing it right.

btw, who else is old enough to remember Goofus and Gallant from Highlights Magazine? I was reading it as a kid in my doctor's waiting room in the early 60s, and thinking "Who the heck would want to be GOOFUS?!?" I'll leave folks to finish the simile on their own, but Mitch's fest sounds positively gallant!

I do envy you having such a great time with two sets of artists so close together, and am so happy that the second was such a balm for the first!

 

[badhabits]

The credibility of all of the comments about the San Diego festival and the LA festival needs to be viewed as part of the competition between the two Southern Californian cities, and the commercial competition between ukulele sellers in the regions around the cities. The fallout from the Covid pandemic has just made it worse as some shops have had to start almost from scratch post-pandemic.

If you live in Southern California and want to grow the world of Ukulele there, you need to lose the historical(?) competition and start to work together. A rising tide floats all ships. Some fun competition can useful, but when it turns into a bitter battle between the promoters and sellers, it is just going to drag the entire region down. Its only about 130 miles between LA and San Diego, there is a massive population in the region, including many ukulele owners. A bitter split can only taint your ukulele experience if you live there.

It must be embarrassing for the performers who appeared at the two festivals to see the fallout from this sort of stupid competition appearing on a site like UU, they are just trying to do their job to pay the rent. Maybe they will just avoid the entire region if the nonsense continues?

This post is my opinion. I am not a moderator or associated with the owners of UU. I often delete my posts after a while to keep my post count low and I will be deleting this post when I feel like it.

 

[genyukulele]

The credibility of all of the comments about the San Diego festival and the LA festival needs to be viewed as part of the competition between the two Southern Californian cities, and the commercial competition between ukulele sellers in the regions around the cities. The fallout from the Covid pandemic has just made it worse as some shops have had to start almost from scratch post-pandemic.

If you live in Southern California and want to grow the world of Ukulele there, you need to lose the historical(?) competition and start to work together. A rising tide floats all ships. Some fun competition can useful, but when it turns into a bitter battle between the promoters and sellers, it is just going to drag the entire region down. Its only about 130 miles between LA and San Diego, there is a massive population in the region, including many ukulele owners. A bitter split can only taint your ukulele experience if you live there.

It must be embarrassing for the performers who appeared at the two festivals to see the fallout from this sort of stupid competition appearing on a site like UU, they are just trying to do their job to pay the rent. Maybe they will just avoid the entire region if the nonsense continues?

This post is my opinion. I am not a moderator or associated with the owners of UU. I often delete my posts after a while to keep my post count low and I will be deleting this post when I feel like it.

For the record, I don't live in Southern California so I don't have a fight in this game. I was providing my perspective as an attendee of both events.

 

[badhabits]

For the record, I don't live in Southern California so I don't have a fight in this game. I was providing my perspective as an attendee of both events.

That was a great review.

 

[Ila]

The credibility of all of the comments about the San Diego festival and the LA festival needs to be viewed as part of the competition between the two Southern Californian cities, and the commercial competition between ukulele sellers in the regions around the cities. The fallout from the Covid pandemic has just made it worse as some shops have had to start almost from scratch post-pandemic.

If you live in Southern California and want to grow the world of Ukulele there, you need to lose the historical(?) competition and start to work together. A rising tide floats all ships. Some fun competition can useful, but when it turns into a bitter battle between the promoters and sellers, it is just going to drag the entire region down. Its only about 130 miles between LA and San Diego, there is a massive population in the region, including many ukulele owners. A bitter split can only taint your ukulele experience if you live there.

It must be embarrassing for the performers who appeared at the two festivals to see the fallout from this sort of stupid competition appearing on a site like UU, they are just trying to do their job to pay the rent. Maybe they will just avoid the entire region if the nonsense continues?

This post is my opinion. I am not a moderator or associated with the owners of UU. I often delete my posts after a while to keep my post count low and I will be deleting this post when I feel like it.

There is no competition between the cities. There's enough business for all. Furthermore, the San Diego festival was hosted by a ukulele retailer and the LA festival was not. The comparison was purely one of the quality of the event or lack thereof. The LA festival was head and shoulders above the other in almost every way. Bottom line, the LA festival out-classed the San Diego festival completely.

Genyukulele gave an excellent, detailed review. Like me, she attended both festivals and is therefore appropriate to make an evaluation and comparison, and she hit the nail on the head when she wrote that the LA festival was "a great, organized, non-egotistical, affordable, and most of all, FUN event." I couldn't have said it better, especially the non-egotistical part.

 

[KohanMike]

The credibility of all of the comments about the San Diego festival and the LA festival needs to be viewed as part of the competition between the two Southern Californian cities, and the commercial competition between ukulele sellers in the regions around the cities. The fallout from the Covid pandemic has just made it worse as some shops have had to start almost from scratch post-pandemic.

If you live in Southern California and want to grow the world of Ukulele there, you need to lose the historical(?) competition and start to work together. A rising tide floats all ships. Some fun competition can useful, but when it turns into a bitter battle between the promoters and sellers, it is just going to drag the entire region down. Its only about 130 miles between LA and San Diego, there is a massive population in the region, including many ukulele owners. A bitter split can only taint your ukulele experience if you live there.

It must be embarrassing for the performers who appeared at the two festivals to see the fallout from this sort of stupid competition appearing on a site like UU, they are just trying to do their job to pay the rent. Maybe they will just avoid the entire region if the nonsense continues?

This post is my opinion. I am not a moderator or associated with the owners of UU. I often delete my posts after a while to keep my post count low and I will be deleting this post when I feel like it.

I really don't get this at all. To lump the two events as if they're together in some way makes no sense. Where is the "bitter battle between the promoters and sellers"? One person made a comparison of her experiences at both festivals. If you're trying to connect these uke festivals to the rivalry between the Dodgers and the Padres, it doesn't work.

 

[badhabits]

The bitter battle is from LA taking the Clippers and Chargers (back), and the Dodgers taking another series from the Padres starting tonight (the real rival from the LA pov is the Giants).
Ukulele is not even a blip in the grand scheme of things. Silliness.

 

[badhabits]

The rivalry between the Dodgers and the Padres is part of the theatre that promotes the game of baseball in Southern California, it seems to be great rivalry that grows the game. That is the sort of rivalry that has a positive impact on baseball for the entire region, I suspect all of the teams in the league work together to create a healthy rivalry. So maybe it is the sort of rivalry that the promoters of the competing ukulele festivals and ukulele sellers should be working together to create to improve the world of Ukulele in the region?

If it is so silly where did the 30 pages of comments come from? It is not silly to people who enjoy owning ukuleles, it is something they are concerned enough about to pour out their comments over the last few months. First we get 30 pages of stuff, now you want to call it all silliness? Does not compute.

For those who like to post reviews and comparisons, which will have the most probability of improving both festivals next year:
A. Fill out the survey which the organisers are likely to have, or send a private email discussion pros and cons, or
B. Broadcast every single thing you liked or did not like onto the internet for every internet user on the planet to read?

One festival was held for the first time ever and will have a lot of learning to do, the other is approaching a steady state after being successful for several years in a row. Comparing the two on a public platform is not likely to help either festival.

Please show me the 30 pages of comments of the SD vs. LA "rivalry", or comparing the festivals.

No, the majority of the 30 pages was regarding #1 (ultp) and his shady business practices, and nothing to do with festivals or SD or LA in general, only #1.

As you said, does not compute.

 

[Ila]

One festival was held for the first time ever and will have a lot of learning to do, the other is approaching a steady state after being successful for several years in a row. Comparing the two on a public platform is not likely to help either festival.

The SD festival was not held for the first time ever. It's been in existence for years but was rebranded with a different name. So that point is moot.

 

[rainbow21]

For the record, I don't live in Southern California so I don't have a fight in this game. I was providing my perspective as an attendee of both events.

This was an excellent post. It is not your job to unite the two. Its value is in helping those that might attend one or the other or both to decide which festival to attend or not.

Thanks for what I consider a good contribution to this thread. I thought about flying from NorCal for a day trip or overnight and will be more inclined to do so next year (for the LA one, to be clear...)

 

[genyukulele]

The rivalry between the Dodgers and the Padres is part of the theatre that promotes the game of baseball in Southern California, it seems to be great rivalry that grows the game. That is the sort of rivalry that has a positive impact on baseball for the entire region, I suspect all of the teams in the league work together to create a healthy rivalry. So maybe it is the sort of rivalry that the promoters of the competing ukulele festivals and ukulele sellers should be working together to create to improve the world of Ukulele in the region?

If it is so silly where did the 30 pages of comments come from? It is not silly to people who enjoy owning ukuleles, it is something they are concerned enough about to pour out their comments over the last few months. First we get 30 pages of stuff, now you want to call it all silliness? Does not compute.

For those who like to post reviews and comparisons, which will have the most probability of improving both festivals next year:
A. Fill out the survey which the organisers are likely to have, or send a private email discussion pros and cons, or
B. Broadcast every single thing you liked or did not like onto the internet for every internet user on the planet to read?

One festival was held for the first time ever and will have a lot of learning to do, the other is approaching a steady state after being successful for several years in a row. Comparing the two on a public platform is not likely to help either festival.

How do you know I didn't share my feedback? First of all, despite the numerous e-mails I got afterward from the San Diego one (until I unsubscribed from their mailing list), not one asked for feedback. No survey, no "what did you think"--nothing. Second, I actually did share my feedback with a known associate of his, who asked for it and I trusted to relay to him.

That doesn't mean I can't also share my experience on this forum, which even though I just joined, I can see that's one of the things people do here.

And another commenter is correct--this is not the first time he held a festival. He had another one in February 2022, and I think another before that (shared with others). I did not go to those so cannot speak to the quality of them.

Just like you said you have an opinion, so do I. However, I do not intend on deleting my posts, as you say you sometimes do. I stand by what I say. I'm not chiming in just because, and then probably deleting what I wrote because "I feel like it."

 

[genyukulele]

There is no competition between the cities. There's enough business for all. Furthermore, the San Diego festival was hosted by a ukulele retailer and the LA festival was not. The comparison was purely one of the quality of the event or lack thereof. The LA festival was head and shoulders above the other in almost every way. Bottom line, the LA festival out-classed the San Diego festival completely.

Genyukulele gave an excellent, detailed review. Like me, she attended both festivals and is therefore appropriate to make an evaluation and comparison, and she hit the nail on the head when she wrote that the LA festival was "a great, organized, non-egotistical, affordable, and most of all, FUN event." I couldn't have said it better, especially the non-egotistical part.

Thank you, @Ila! I would have liked to meet you (at both)!

 

[genyukulele]

This was an excellent post. It is not your job to unite the two. Its value is in helping those that might attend one or the other or both to decide which festival to attend or not.

Thanks for what I consider a good contribution to this thread. I thought about flying from NorCal for a day trip or overnight and will be more inclined to do so next year (for the LA one, to be clear...)

I am from NorCal too and flew down for both. For sure, go to the LA Uke Fest next year!

 

[KohanMike]

The reaction I have is to mark Bill1 with Ignore, no need to see anymore of his utterly strange remarks, done.

 

[genyukulele]

The reaction I have is to mark Bill1 with Ignore, no need to see anymore of his utterly strange remarks, done.

Ha, I noticed he tried to delete his posts (like he says he sometimes does) but we can still see them from the replies to them.

 

[badhabits]

Ha, I noticed he tried to delete his posts (like he says he sometimes does) but we can still see them from the replies to them.

You nailed it on the head earlier- stand by your words. Its not like anyone really knows who he/anyone is or cares... at the end of the day it's just a message board with a bunch of anonymous uke-minded randoms from around the world.