Uke god Jim Beloff is just part of Clearwater’s Ukulele in the District Festival

On Tampa Bay Ukulele Day in downtown Dunedin late last month, Rob Wilde assured his tent’s many, many visitors that they could pick up their Ukulele Fest’s bright aqua t-shirts at the second annual Ukulele Festival concert in downtown Clearwater on April 15. “But are you sure?” they all asked him, pressing him about fits and sizes.

“Yes, I’m sure. We’ll see you at the festival” he responded. Wilde is the Events Director for TBUS, the Tampa Bay Ukulele Society, which just so happens to be the largest Ukulele Society in the world. TBUS boasts 2,900 active members and is empowered by its mission to educate, entertain and serve the public.

But, why the ukulele and why Tampa Bay? Well, for starters, the ukulele is an easy instrument to pick up because it isn’t as physically intimidating as other instruments and, if you’re musically inclined, the ukulele—a Portuguese instrument that found popularity in Hawaii—tends to come pretty naturally.

As far as Tampa Bay is concerned, bassist Steve Boisen of the popular father-daughter duo The Barnkickers—which has performed all over the Bay at places like The Ale and the Witch, Ohana and Safety Harbor’s Whistle Stop and Grill Bar—founded TBUS in Tarpon Springs. Boissen offered lessons in the libraries and then, what began as a small group of players at the Holiday Inn became a few hundred with the help of the Internet.

Today, the most active ukulele groups are in Dunedin but the uke meetups pop up all over and are a critical part of a Tampa Bay uke player’s social life. And one of the biggest social events of the year is right around the corner on April 14-15, when TBUS hosts its second annual Ukulele Festival in the downtown district of Clearwater. Last year, the festival drew around 3,000 people; Wilde said that’s the highest turnout for a ukulele festival in the country.

The festival kicks off on Friday night.

Beloff will teach the “Songwriting for Songwriters Workshop” on Friday evening and the advanced beginner-intermediate workshop on Saturday afternoon. The songwriting session will run from 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. and will include lessons on structure, rhyme, title placement and technique. Beloff will also offer song critique for the songwriters in attendance. The advanced beginner-intermediate session will introduce more chords, techniques and performance skills in popular music.

Coincidentally—but unaffiliated with TBUS’s Ukulele in the District Festival—world famous uke player Jake Shimabukuro is booked to play downtown Clearwater’s Nancy & David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre on Friday, too. Shimabukuro was named “the most famous and influential contemporary uke player” by Ukulele Magazine in 2022 and President Biden recently nominated the 46-year-old to serve as a member of the National Council on the Arts. Shimabukuro’s success is attributed to his fluency with the instrument; he plays jazz, blues, folk, rock and classical with just four ukulele strings.

On Saturday night, the Barnkickers will take the stage at Peace Memorial Church alongside Beloff. Beloff was also featured as one of the Top 10 uke players by Ukulele Magazine and is credited with the third wave of ukulele popularity due to his song books that allowed the average person to pick up a ukulele and play. The Barnkickers and Boisen concert will benefit the Homeless Empowerment Program as well as the Clearwater Free Clinic, emphasizing TBUS’s mission to serve the public.

But perhaps the most popular feature of TBUS’s Ukulele Festival in the District is the workshops. The free beginner lessons will be held on Saturday from 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Clearwater Building Reception Center. Ukuleles and a complimentary three chord songbook are provided and because of this course’s popularity last year, interested players are encouraged to book in advance.

At 3 p.m., Kirk Jones will instruct students to play Van Morrison’s “Moondance” using just one finger in a workshop called, “The Easiest Barre Chord Song in the World”. Jones will also introduce students to the neck of the ukulele and teach them to play Barre chords, which are made by pressing down on more than one string and tend to be difficult.

Throughout the festival, the 400,500 and 600 blocks of Cleveland Street will be alive with the sound of ukulele music, uke vendors and local district restaurant vendors. The Downtown District Board and the City of Clearwater help to fund festivals such as the District’s Ukulele in order to bring more life and money into downtown Clearwater. Kala Brand Ukuleles; Replay Guitar; Three Chord Bourbon; The Missing Piece; Stroll Harbor Bluffs and the ever popular maker of the festival’s signature aqua t-shirts Casatera Tequila Seltzer are also sponsors of the festival.

So if your fingers are free next weekend, head on down to the festival. If you learn three chords you’ll be able to play 1,000 songs and even if you don’t strike a chord, you’ll get your bright aqua ukulele festival meets tequila seltzer t-shirt which seems to be as popular in Tampa Bay as the ukulele itself.

This article appears in Apr 13-19, 2023.