Friday, Nov. 6, Saturday, Nov. 7 and  Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026

Shady Grove UMC in Mechanicsville, VA

Performances by 10 VA community ukulele groups, workshops, concerts, jams, open mics, ukulele karaoke, individual mentoring, vendors, and more!

Early bird tickets go on sale 6/1!

What is Va Ukapalooza 2026?

Virginia Ukapalooza 2026 is an action packed, 3 day ukulele festival consisting of learning, playing, and socializing – hosted by the Richmond area ukulele community, featuring regional and nationally known artists, geared for all ukulele players. The festival includes: performances by community ukulele groups from all around Virginia, workshops for all abilities, concerts, jams, open mics, ukulele karaoke, individual mentoring, a panel discussion, and vendors.

Here’s a summary of each day of the festival:

Friday 11/6/2026

• Hours: 6-10pm (doors open at 5pm for registration)

• Jake Shimabukuro workshop and concert

• If you want to see Jake Shimabukuro, you need to attend on 11/6!

• Ukulele Gent’s  “Jam Party” (aka a big uke jam)

• The Midnight Ukulele Society (a community ukulele group from Richmond, VA) concert

• Vendors

• Food trucks for dinner (5-8 pm) available for purchase 

• Snacks, water, and soft drinks (included in ticket price)

Saturday 11/7/2026

• Hours: 9am-8pm (doors open at 8am for registration)

• 5 rooms of activities running concurrently (attendees pick which activity to attend each hour)

• 18 workshops on various ukulele topics

• Instructors: Stu Fuchs, Ukulele Gent, Amy Kucharik, Sam Anderson, Mim, Stu Kindle, Paul Bakeman, Ron Knobler, Jeff Patelski, Keith Fukumitsu, Sue Agee, Rik Shaffer, and Gregg Kimball

• Ukulele Gospel Ensemble workshop (required for all Sunday 11/8 attendees)

• Two uke jams (one led by Paul Bakeman, the other by Ukulele Gent)

• Performances by 9 community ukulele groups from all around Virginia

• Concerts by Stu Fuchs, Amy Kucharik, Sam Anderson, Stu Kindle, and Loopy G

• Open Mics –  both a large room format geared for experienced open mic performers, and a small room format geared for beginner performers

• Uke karaoke – sing a song in front of a small audience (like karaoke), while the audience strums ukuleles (active audience participation) with bass/percussion accompaniment. 

• Panel discussion about leading a uke jam

• Individual mentoring – 25 minute one-on-one lessons with a uke pro; limited slots which must be purchased as an Add-On through Eventbrite

• Vendors

• Food trucks for lunch (11 am-2pm) and one for dinner (5-8 pm) available for purchase  

• Snacks, water, coffee, tea, and soft drinks (included in ticket price)

Sunday 11/8/2026

• Attending the Ukulele Gospel Ensemble workshop on 11/7 is a pre-requisite to perform at a service on 11/8

• Hours: 7:30am-12:30pm

• Be part of the ukulele gospel ensemble and perform at a church service (3 different church services, attendees pick which one they would like to either perform at or be an audience member at)

• No other festival activities on 11/8 (no vendors, no food trucks, no drinks/snacks)

Tickets: 

Each all access ticket entitles one person full access to the festival on all 3 days of Virginia Ukapalooza 2026 (Friday 11/6, Saturday 11/7, and Sunday 11/8), and free access to beverages -- water, and soft drinks on Friday/Saturday with coffee (roasted by Eastern Shore Coastal Roasting Company!) and tea on Saturday. A pdf jam packet (containing workshop and uke jam materials) will be emailed to each attendee prior to the festival to load on their electronic device or to print at home.  

• All Access (early bird) tickets went on sale on June 1 and sold out that same day.

• Saturday/Sunday Only tickets will go on sale in July, on a TBA date.
  

More Info!

• All Access tickets include admission to all festival events on 11/6, 11/7, and 11/8. Individual Saturday/Sunday Only tickets include admission to all festival events on 11/7 and 11/8 only (not 11/6).

• Event is run by Virginia Ukapalooza, a 501(c)(3) non profit, and through volunteers provided by The Midnight Ukulele Society (a community ukulele group based in Richmond, VA) 

• Virginia Ukapalooza is open to ukulele players and enthusiasts from everywhere! All are welcome!

• Please follow us on Facebook/Instagram: @VirginiaUkapalooza

• Questions? VirginiaUkapalooza@gmail.com

• Check out the various tabs on our website for all of the juicy details!