If this site were your only source of information about the world of the ukulele, you would never have known about last week’s London Uke Festival, where a world record was set for mass uking.  Fortunately, our friend Woodshed keeps the world informed of these things. 

Nor would you know that Nashville, Indiana is the home of the Bushman Ukulele Luau, which has already convened twice this summer and will gather again in August. 

Still less would you know to mark your calendar for the Paris Ukulele Festival on the 4th of July. 

Heck, you wouldn’t even know that the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain was organizing a mass uke-in at the Royal Albert Hall on 18 August.  Everyone is supposed to show up, jumping flea in hand, and play Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.  Here’s a video they’ve made to promote the great event:

When I told Mrs Acilius what tune they were using, she was chagrined.  She walked onto the stage at our wedding to the UOGB’s recording of Finlandia, and we exited to some non-ukulele rendition of the Ode to Joy.  “If only they’d done this two years ago!” she exclaimed.  “Then they might have had a version of it on CD by the time of the wedding.”