The second annual Brantford Ukulele Festival welcomed 159 registered attendees on Friday, July 17, and Saturday, July 18, 2026.
Presented by the Brantford Ukulele Society, the event featured a selection of artists from the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States including Victoria Vox, Bryan LaPlante, Marc Gallagher, Tina Hebner, The Margaret Hooligans and Amber Rozel.
Festivities kicked off on Friday with performances from different ukulele groups and bands, as well as a Canadian artist showcase.
Festivities continued into Saturday morning with a selection of different workshops, open mic sessions and a group jam, followed by a concert at St. Andrews Church in the evening.
“We all met in the morning for a group strum here in the church, everybody did a few songs together before we sent them off to the workshops,” said Catherine Gorecki, co-chair of the Brantford Ukulele Festival. “Each of our six artists taught three workshops throughout the day, and then we met up at lunchtime for an open mic. We had ten groups do that, some singles and some duos, and then we all went for our final workshop before we had another group strum.”
During the evening concert, Rozel, the Margaret Hooligans, Gallagher and Vox all took turns performing a mix of their own music and covers for those present.
From Bruce Springston to The Cure, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Måneskin, The Who, Rupert Holmes and Fleetwood Mac, there were several songs that had registrants swaying in their seats.
In between the songs, the musicians shared stories and anecdotes about their music and the meaning behind their own work, catching everyone’s attention and encouraging them to listen more closely.
When asked what was so appealing about the ukulele as an instrument, Gorcecki said there are several factors that draw people in.
“It’s super accessible to pick up and so the popularity has started to rise again. There are communities that have festivals like this one here, and there are entire groups and ensembles that have been going for a long time, but it feels like there is a growing number of people interested in it. It’s also very easy to travel with, it has four strings and it’s nice to hold in your hands. If you can pick up a few chords, it’s easy to participate; if you know three chords, you can really sing along to a lot of songs.”
Aside from all of the festivities, the festival also brought in different vendors who were selling everything from CDs and stickers to ukuleles made out of upcycled materials.
Overall, Gorecki said it was amazing to see people of all skill levels come together and share their love of music.
“It’s amazing! Everyone here is either part of a group or just learning on their own, and when we come together for something like the group strums, where we put the songs up on a big screen, we all sing along together and people are harmonizing,” she said. “It creates such a strong sense of community, where people are showing up wanting to learn and create friendship. It’s fun to see people getting to spend time with each other and making music together. When you think about it, the act of singing and making music together is healthy for us; it’s healthy for our bodies and our mental health, and that’s what Genevieve (Rochette, President of the Brantford Ukulele Society) and I are trying to do for the community.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
