About Maker Faire

Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement.

Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned.

Maker Faire is primarily designed to be forward-looking, showcasing makers who are exploring new forms and new technologies. But it’s not just for the novel in technical fields; Maker Faire features innovation and experimentation across the spectrum of science, engineering, art, performance and craft.

Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. It’s a venue for makers to show examples of their work and interact with others about it. Many makers say they have no other place to share what they do. DIY (Do-It-Yourself) is often invisible in our communities, taking place in shops, garages and on kitchen tables. It’s typically out of the spotlight of traditional art or science or craft events. Maker Faire makes visible these projects and ideas that we don’t encounter every day.

Maker Faire is brought to you by Maker Media.  Maker Media publishes Make: magazine, produces Maker Faire, and offers DIY electronics, tools, kits, and books through its online and pop-up Maker Shed stores.

What is Maker Faire?

Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. From engineers to artists to scientists to crafters, Maker Faire is a venue for these "makers" to show hobbies, experiments, projects.

We call it the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth - a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness.

Glimpse the future and get inspired!

Maker Faire information Makey icon

About Our Maker Faire

Downtown Columbia Mini Maker Faire is a collaboration of organizations in Howard County, Maryland seeking to bring innovation, excitement, education, and fun to Downtown Columbia by celebrating innovation and STEAM – science, technology, engineering, ART, and mathematics.  Downtown Columbia Mini Maker Faire will take place at the Chrysalis in Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods, an arts and culture park in the heart of Downtown Columbia.  This award-winning structure was completed in the spring of 2017, as a collaboration between the Inner Arbor Trust, Inc., the Columbia Association, Inc., and Howard County, Maryland.  The structure itself marries art and engineering into an iconic design.  There is no better place to celebrate the power of innovation than in the heart of the rapidly changing innovation district in Columbia, Maryland.

Maker Faire originated in 2006 in the San Francisco Bay Area as a project of the editors of Make: magazine.  It has since grown into a significant worldwide network  of both flagship and independently-produced events.  Read more on Maker Faire history, the Maker Movement, as well as how to start a Maker Faire or a School Maker Faire where you live.