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Cecilio and Kapono on stage while Roy Sakuma directs ukulele students
In 1970 Roy Sakuma, a City groundskeeper in Honolulu, dreamed of showcasing the versatility and virtuosity of the ukulele with a free concert in the park. With a lot of aloha from local musicians who began a tradition of performing free, Roy pulled together the first annual “Ukulele Festival” in 1971. Today, the Annual Ukulele Festival is by far the largest of its kind in the world, boasting crowds of thousands, and an ukulele orchestra of 800 students, mostly children. In 2004, Roy and Kathy Sakuma established a non-profit organization, Ukulele Festival Hawaii, to continue to promote and build public awareness of the ukulele as a solo instrument and to ensure that the annual ukulele festivals remain a free event.
Cecilio and Kapono on stage while Roy Sakuma directs ukulele students
In 1970 Roy Sakuma, a City groundskeeper in Honolulu, dreamed of showcasing the versatility and virtuosity of the ukulele with a free concert in the park. With a lot of aloha from local musicians who began a tradition of performing free, Roy pulled together the first annual “Ukulele Festival” in 1971. Today, the Annual Ukulele Festival is by far the largest of its kind in the world, boasting crowds of thousands, and an ukulele orchestra of 800 students, mostly children. In 2004, Roy and Kathy Sakuma established a non-profit organization, Ukulele Festival Hawaii, to continue to promote and build public awareness of the ukulele as a solo instrument and to ensure that the annual ukulele festivals remain a free event.