What is Maker Faire?
Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth. Maker Faires are a global celebration of innovation, creativity, and curiosity showcasing the very best of the Maker Movement. People of all ages and backgrounds gather to learn, share, play, and make.
Maker Faire Is
A family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker Movement.
It’s a place where people show what they are making, and share what they are learning.
Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters to homesteaders to scientists to garage tinkerers. They are of all ages and backgrounds.
The aim of Maker Faire is to entertain, inform, connect and grow the maker community.
Mission
At Make: Community we connect people and the projects that are shaping our future. Maker Faire is a great way to introduce your community to the Maker Movement. This movement is re-defining education, solving big problems, and innovating technology and tools that are shaping how we will live, work, and learn in the future. Maker initiatives are a critical investment in education, youth development, workforce training, and economic development.
Key Elements of Maker Faire
- Maker Faire is an inclusive celebration of all facets of making and its processes.
- Maker Faire is a gathering of makers to showcase their work, present their ideas, and to connect with other makers and advocates of the Maker Movement.
- Maker Faire is interactive and hands-on.
Build A Network of Makers
The key to creating a successful faire is engaging in community outreach to build a network of makers representative of your community.
Find a Venue
Maker Faires can be held almost anywhere. Some faires are hosted at museums, some in libraries, conference centers, community centers, outdoor fields, universities, and makerspaces.
Make it Hands-on
We encourage that exhibits and demonstrations be interactive for your attendees and to highlight the process of making things — the how and the why.
You may want to consider providing activities as part of the event production to supplement the activities offered by your maker exhibits.
Sample Activities:
- Learning to solder with simple projects or kits.
- Constructing air-powered marshmallow shooters from PVC pipe.
- Making tools to blow giant bubbles.
Call for Makers
The Call for Makers is an exclusive built in feature of the website template, allowing makers to apply to participate in your faire.
In the Call for Makers application form there are categories for exhibiting, presenting on stage, musical performances, workshops, and more.
In our experience, about half of the makers apply on their own through the Call for Makers and the other half is the result of active outreach.
