We have our instructors for Las Cruces UkeFest 2023! More information will be coming soon (go to LasCrucesUkeFest.com for more information and registration), but in the meantime, here’s the history of our festival.

Meet our instructors and get all the information as plans come together at our festival website. You can also follow the festival’s Facebook page.

Las Cruces UkeFest History

2015: Mark Baker taught two well-attended workshops and performed a concert for our first mini festival.

2016: Jim D’Ville taught two of his “Play Ukulele By Ear” workshops and performed a concert.

2017: Instructor/performers were Jim and Liz Beloff, Heidi Swedberg, Daniel Ward, and Danielle Ate the Sandwich. Gorton Smith of the Las Cruces Ukes led The Gospel According to Uke. We moved the entire festival to the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum and sold out the concert space of 165 people a month prior to the festival.

2018: Instructor/performers were Mark Baker, Craig Chee, Lil’ Rev, Rachel Manke, and Sarah Maisel. Gorton reprised his Gospel According to Uke sing-along. The festival workshops were held at the NM Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, but the concert was moved to the NMSU Atkinson Recital Hall in order to accommodate a larger audience, which was about 300 people.

2019: Instructor/performers were The Quiet American (Aaron and Nicole Keim), Victoria Vox, Abe Lagrimas Jr., and Kevin Carroll, along with Gorton Smith’s Gospel According to Uke session. The same venues as 2018 were used.

2020 and 2021: COVID caused our ukefests to be held online with our (now) 2022 line-up of instructors.

2022: Instructor performers were Daniel Ho, Del Rey, Casey MacGill, Dani Joy, and Perry Stauffer. Gorton reprised Gospel According to Uke and all events were held at our same venues.

2023: The festival will feature instructors from New Mexico and will make use of a new venue, Doña Ana Community College East Mesa Campus.