The 13th annual Allegheny Ukulele Soirée was held on April 24-26, 2026 at the Altoona Grand Hotel in Altoona, PA. This year was the second in a row we sold out with 294 attendees - nearly 330 if we include artists, vendors, and staff. This was the first year we had a nearly-full day of workshops on Friday. We also expanded to incorporate the Tropical Courtyard as a multi-function space, hosting workshops, meals, open mics, and jams across the weekend. A new feature, Mim's Spicy Cabaret, was trialed on Saturday night and was by all accounts a pearl-clutching hoot.
2026 was headlined by Bryan Tolentino, Matt Dahlberg, Lisa Webb, and Bob Tigert and featured Casey MacGill, Ray Cygrymus, and Aaron Baer. Amber Rozel, Mim, Melissa Nannen, and Debi Velasco rounded out our teaching artists.
Clubs in Attendance
We had 75+ clubs in attendance across 25 states. We'd like to shout out the following clubs (as reported by attendees - club names have varying levels of accuracy):
| All Saints Ukes | Fredonia Ukulele Club | Mystic Ukulele Strummers | Salt City Ukulele | Ukes and Brews |
| Allegheny Ukulele Kollective | Florida Ukulele Network | Nashville Ukulele Society | Santa Cruz, California | Ukuladies Gone Wild |
| Amherst Ukulele Strum | Hawaii State Society of Washington, DC | NEOUKES | Shenandoah Valley Ukulele Players | Ukulele Catskill |
| Annapolis | Hudson Valley Ukulele Society | Newark Ukesters | Silver Strings Ukulele Club | Ukulele Underground |
| Buckeye Ukulele Society | Ithaca Ukes | NW PA Ukuleles | Steel City Ukuleles | UUCNH Uke Group |
| Cazenovia Public Library Ukulele Group | Junk Drawer Uke Band | Phila Main Line (Springfield Library) | Steel City Ukuleles - Butler | Wayne Senior Uke Group |
| Central Florida Ukulele Players | Kanikapila World-wide | Pluck This! | Steuben Ukulele Group | Wayne Ukulele Club |
| Central New York Ukulele | Kansas City Ukesters | Pougkeepsie | Stray Cat Strummers | WEST CHESTER UKULELE CLUB |
| Central PA Ukulele Club | LAUGH | PUUGS | Strum Alongs | West Chester Ukulele Ensemble |
| Charlottesville UVA Ukelele Lodge | Litz Ukulele Strum Circle | Queens Uke Club - NYC | Sunnyside Aloha | West Chester Ukulele Group |
| Chasing Sunbeams Ukulele Club | Long Island Strummers | Raleigh Uke Jam | Tampa Bay Ukulele Society | Wicklow Strummers |
| CNY Ukes | LUSC | Reno Ukulele Group | The Full Monty Uke Band | Winchester Community Music School |
| Columbia Ukulele Strummers | Melbourne Ukulele Community | Rochester Ukulele Support Group | The Ukes at Drexel Woods | Woodstock Ukulele Players |
| CUkes | Midnight Ukulele Society | Rock the Uke | Tri-State Ukeclectics | |
| Druid Ukes | Mini Monty Uke Band | Rubber City Ukes | Ukelles | |
| Frederick Ukulele Society | Murfreesboro Ukelele Club | RUO | Ukes - ROC |
Sponsors
We are thankful to all of our sponsors for 2026 - their ongoing support helps sustain the festival and makes the festival just a little bit more fun for our attendees!
Raffle Winners
Presenting Sponsors
Baritone Sponsors
Tenor Sponsors
Concert-level Sponsors
Soprano Sponsors
2026 Testimonials
"Great event! All levels of ukulele were welcomed. Educational Workshops , perfornances, jam sessions galore all weekend long, even past hotel checkout time. Highly recommend!"
"There are plenty of options for enjoying the festival. The is a senes of community and shared purpose in the attendees and the presenters. It's a good time event."
"The Allegheny Ukulele Soiree is a great event for ukulele enthusiasts of all ages and playing levels. World-class entertainers and instructors are very user-friendly and willing to meet and talk with attendees. Vendors are always willing to discuss their products in a non-sales manner. The organizing team has done an amazing job of putting together a great event for all ukulele enthusiasts."
"My first Soirée was a rewarding experience. To meet and learn from Ukulele Luminaries...made the 7 hour trek well worthwhile. The festival is well-organized. Major kudos go to chairpersons Mike & Amber and the entire staff for keeping the artists and attendees experience exceptional."
"I still think this is the best Uke fest in the east. Friendly, professional, engaging."
"The Allegheny Soirée is an active high quality festival where the elite come to meet, learn, laugh and play together!"
"This festival was packed with variety of workshops that interested me. It was very well organized and loaded with talent. The 2 concert nights we awesome."
"The organizers of Allegheny Soirée sure know musical talent - all of the artists were top-notch and the workshops were inspiring and fun. The event provided lots of opportunities for learning something new, enjoying artists concerts or just jamming with other uke enthusiasts."
"Just completed my very first Allegheny Ukulele Soiree and I learned so much! I feel like it opened a new door for my ukulele journey. I highly recommend this for all levels of players."
