Maker Faire | Mission

What Maker Faire Is

Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth—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. It is a showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness for makers of all ages—a place where people show what they’re making and share what they’re learning. Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters to scientists to garage tinkerers. The aim: to entertain, inform, connect and build community.

Our Mission

At Make: Community we connect the people and the projects that are shaping our future. Maker Faire is a part of that mission—a great way to introduce your community to the Maker Movement and to introduce your community to the world. 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, workforce training, and economic development.

What Makes a Maker Faire?

People ask us all the time: How do you make a Maker Faire? We tell them that anyone can do it with the right vision, tools, spirit, community organization, and elbow grease. Check out our Upcoming and Past Faires to see how others make a Maker Faire in their community.

Maker Faire acts as an amazing connector within our community. We’ve met so many amazing people from our local community and connected with makers and other Maker Faire producers from around the world. We are brought together by our love of making, sharing and helping others - and that is the Maker Faire spirit!

Ian Cole

PRODUCER, Maker Faire Orlando

Key Elements of a Maker Faire

Maker Faire is an inclusive celebration of all facets of making and its processes. It is, first and foremost, an interactive and hands-on gathering makers to showcase their work, present their ideas, and to connect with other makers and advocates of the Maker Movement.

Build a Network of Makers

Makers and participants are the heart and soul of a Maker Faire. The key to creating a successful faire is engaging in community outreach to build a network of makers representative of your community and an event inclusive to many facets of your community, particularly those who have never “made” before or are underserved for educational or creative opportunities.

Choose a Time + Venue

Maker Faires can be held almost anywhere and at any time of day or year. Some faires are hosted at museums, some in libraries, conference centers, community centers, outdoor fields, universities, and makerspaces. All faires must take into account the flow of the community or region they serve and the schedules of participating institutions, makers, and attendees.

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. We hear over and over that making something at maker Faire is the highlight of the experience. You may want to consider providing activities as part of the event production to supplement the activities offered by makers.

Open Call for Makers

The Call for Makers is a built in feature of Maker Faire, allowing makers to apply to participate in your faire. In the application form there are categories for exhibiting, presenting on stage, musical performance, workshops, and more. Typically, about half of the makers apply on their own through the Call for Makers and the other half are the result of active outreach.

Learn More

Curious about how Maker Faire can fit into your community? Let us know where you’re from, who you are, how you’re interested in Maker Faire, or what you’d like to know about it.