The Awesome UkesNYoga Retreat - May 2026

Step out of your comfort zone, and gain the confidence to play in front of an audience - if you can do this, what else can you achieve in your life?

Three days of unbridled ukulele excitement in Gaucin, Southern Spain, with Matt Parkin, from The Awesome Ukulele Academy, Percy Copley, and the ukulele colossus that is - wait for it - Matt Stead!!

Arriving in Gaucin on the 20th of May and leaving on the morning of the 24th May, it's going to an awesome experience!

Gorgeous accommodation, amazing food, wonderful music, walks in the country, views across to Africa, the Gaucin open-studio Art Festival, good wine for €2 a glass, and the chance to obsess about the E chord in the ultimate safe space - what could be better!

Phillippe and Evelyne (review below) have already booked, as have 5 others from last year - so a quarter of the places are already booked by people that know how much fun they're going to have! Come and join us!

The prices for the retreat are for 4 nights and 3 days, half-board accommodation + all workshops.
Flights and transfers are not included but we can help organise this with you.

One person sharing a room. £1,180

One person, single occupancy room. £1,480

£400 deposit to hold your place

YOUR TEACHERS:

Matt Stead is an incredibly lovely guy who also happens to be a great musician and teacher. He runs the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain and is a very prominent figure in the ukulele scene, not just in the UK but worldwide. Matt has taught 1000's of people online and in person, and is passionate about vintage ukes. He also really loves butterflies!

Matt Parkin, from The Awesome Ukulele Academy, is a teacher, performer, professional musician, and all-round nice guy. He spent most of his 20's touring and recording with bands, such as The Jesus and Marychain and The Mission before relocating to Spain to raise kids and chickens. Matt has taught 1000's of people online and face-to-face in schools. He likes yoga, swimming in rivers, and extreme gardening.

Percy Copley is a performer and multiinstrumentalist on banjo, guitar, mandolin and ukulele (his first instrument). He performs a variety of songs with a ukulele - entertainment with fun and laughter. Jazz, blues, country, folk - Fats Waller to Lyle Lovett, Washboard Sam to Gillian Welch.

He started playing ukulele from a young age, entertaining at school and local events. After drama college he worked in theatre and music as a professional actor, singer and musician. He has played at festivals in the uk and Europe and recently completed 24 years at Disney in France, playing and singing in different types of groups and shows.

Soprano Uke, resonator Uke and tenor Uke, fingerpicking and stonking rhythm to accompany his fine singing voice.

He also teaches and has been a regular at the SoreFingers music camps in Oxfordshire.

Both Matt's and Percy have a very similar approach to teaching music - everyone is in their own lane and will develop their own style in their own time. The emphasis is always on fun and enjoying your unique journey. No one get's left behind - we all have something to offer.

THE LOCATION - Gaucín, Malaga Province, Andalusia:

Gaucin in the Genal Valley at the Southern end of the Serranía de Ronda is more than just a village in the middle of nowhere. This attractive white village founded by the Romans, and then expanded and heavily fortified by the Moors who named their village Gauzan, an Aran word meaning strong rock. These days Gaucin is better known as a haven for international artists who flock to the area for the peace and tranquility afforded them.

With a population of 2,000 and a few more scattered outside the village, Gaucin is large enough to have a small town centre, with markets, butchers, fruit shops, clothing, banks, and other miscellaneous traders. In fact many of the residents are able to buy everything they need on a daily basis in the village without having to travel to Ronda or the Costa del Sol.

WHAT'S INCLUDED:

4 nights, half-board accommodation
Amazing catering from our chef, the wonderful Lucy
3 days of structured ukulele workshops focused on playing as a group
Individual support and performance coaching
The chance to perform as a group and solo in front of a real live audience
Yoga sessions with a qualified instructor
An Awesome Play Along on Wednesday evening
An intimate concert with the tutors
A huge amount of fun

The main theme of the weekend will obviously be playing the ukulele, . The workshops will be held at the accommodation and aimed at helping you improve your uke game, whatever level you are at, with an emphasis on playing with other people and performance. Both Matt's and Percy will be on hand throughout to answer any questions you have, and give advice on all aspects of music and playing the uke.

The broader theme will be wellbeing and happiness. There will be optional morning yoga (I love yoga) with a qualified instructor, and time to wander in the village, or walk in the hills, and admire the views to Morocco across the Straits of Gibraltar. There is also the Gaucin Open Studio art festival that weekend, so there will be a real buzz in the village and plenty for non-uke playing partners to do!

THE ACCOMMODATION:

Until 1967, Molino Del Carmen was a fully operational Olive Oil Mill – and had been for more than 100 years. Many of the Mill’s historical features and equipment are still in evidence today, including the original olive press, with its huge grinding stones, the water pump and pressure gauge. In the early 1980’s, the Molino was purchased by an eccentric English artist who converted it into an exquisite small hotel, and for many years it provided the only accommodation for visitors to the village.
Today, the Molino, with it's sprawling, luxurious self-catering apartments, is a haven of calm in this peaceful part of Spain, and has been modernised and renovated, creating an ambience of quiet, classic comfort infused with history.

THE PROVISIONAL ITINERARY:

Wednesday 20th - Arrive and settle in with drinks by the pool (yes - there's a pool) or a wander in the village. In the evening we'll have a live Awesome play along hosted by Matt P and a fabulous shared meal.
Thursday 21st - Early morning yoga (optional). Morning and afternoon uke sessions, with a chance to head into the village for a tapas lunch. The evening meal will be at the Molino del Carmen (our accommodation) with a intimate ukulele concert with the tutors.
Friday 22nd - Early morning yoga (still optional). Morning and afternoon uke sessions, with tapas lunch at the Molino. In the early evening we can walk up my favourite hill (with our ukes!) and check out the views, followed by a group meal at my favourite local restaurant.
Saturday 23rd - Early morning yoga (it really is still optional). We'll have a uke session in the morning followed by an Awesome Uke Academy group performance to a real live audience at the Gaucin Open Mic. Don't worry - there is no pressure to take part but we really hope we'll give you the confidence to join in. There'll also be the opportunity to play in small groups or solo as well, and myself, Percy, and Matt will be on hand to coach you for this. And that evening we'll have a final group meal at the Molino to celebrate life and ukuleles!
Sunday 24th - Breakfast in the village and fond farewells!!

OTHER INFORMTATION:

The costs are for one person sharing a room or one person sole occupancy. There are a number of double rooms which will be offered to couples first. We'll sort out accommodation and room sharing when numbers are finalised. If you have opted for sharing and don't know your room mate (yet!), we will put you in touch beforehand. This is a retreat so we will all be working together and sharing the space.

We will be catered for by my friend Lucy, the most amazing local chef, for one meal a day and for the other meal you will be free to enjoy one of the local bars and restaurants. She caters for quite a few holidaying celebs so she'll be fine with us - and she may well be singing at the Open Mic!

Breakfast essentials will be provided in the accommodation but I will probably be heading out for a traditional Andalusian breakfast of toast (with garlic, oil, and tomato) and coffee which costs 3 or 4 euros!

There will be time to enjoy and relax - it wont just be about ukes!
But there will be a lot of music 😁😁😁😁👍

I've not included any drinks other than water and a half bottle of wine at the evening meals.

You can either pay in full now or spread the cost over the next three months. Places are limited so we wont be able to refund if you change your mind, but we will try and find somebody else to buy your ticket. We will be in touch about dietary requirements etc nearer the event and can advise on transport from Malaga, which is the best airport to fly in and out of.