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!