Maker Faire
Category: Arts & Entertainment [Edit]
San Mateo Fairgrounds2495 S Delaware Street
San Mateo, CA 94403
- Good for Kids: Yes
14 reviews
Mountain View, CA
"This place rocks! My husband and I are both into technology and it was amazing to see how far technology has changed rapidly. We really…" read more »
47 Reviews for Maker Faire
I really think there was MakerFaire Town, a place you could go every day of the year. It's a super event because it's educational, fun for the whole family and promotes the whole small carbon footprint way of life. We were a little disappointed in the long lines and packed areas where minis like me have difficulty seeing, but they grew exponentially this year and I'm sure next year's event will show less growing pains.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Maker Faire 2008. Robots - yes! Rockets - yes! Giant Mouse Trap - yes! Super cool, dynamic, interactive talking skull made from computer parts - yes! Cupcake cars - yes! Dan Dass Man sculptures - yes! LED room with stunning, touch-sensitive Buddha - yes! Spontaneous pyrotechnics - yes! Tasty festival food - yes! Interesting variety of art cars and alternative vehicles - yes!
Poorly planned parking - no! Crap logistics at the entrance with confusing lines and people exiting through the entrance - no! Surly fair staff yelling at people to "get out of the street or else" - no! The Medieval contingent jonesing for the Renaissance Faire in their knight and wench garb - no! $25 tickets - no!
Would I go again? Maybe!
People thought this was:
Useful (9)
Funny (11)
Cool (9)
Maker Faire had so much to offer this year. I went only on the second day of the weekend event of the Bay Area Maker Faire - Tesla coil performances on the hour.
PVC tube instruments.
Ferro- magnetic viscous artwork.
Steampunk up the wazoo.
Mentos and Diet Coke.
Tools.
Geeks.
Nerds.
Musicians.
Artists.
Pyros.
Greentech.
Bikes.
Motherboards.
Kepler.
Woodwork.
Mathematics.
Bugs.
Science.
Computer geeks.
Hardware tweekers.
Fire. Water. Air. Earth.
Cosplay.
Girls.
Boys.
Families.
Schools.
Education.
Curiousity.
Enjoyable.
Must go again next year!
Link to my flickr set: http://flickr.com/phot...
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Update: 5/7/2008
Wow, Maker Faire is definitely a different experience as an attendee. For one, I'm $25 poorer. However, I took advantage of an offer and paid $35 for a magazine subscription to get a free day pass. I wish that I had a game plan though because I ended up missing a lot of cool things in one area when I was spending way too much time in another.
Still, four stars. I love this. I love how the event has grown, and I am quite pleased with the food options. Well, except for what I ordered. I ordered a Basil Noodle with Asparagus, and the entire bowl had one measly piece of asparagus! At least they had a decent Thai Iced Thea though. Very refreshing.
PM me next year for info on free parking. Save your $ for food!
[Photos: http://flickr.com/phot...]
----------------------
Fun for all ages! Maybe next year, I can volunteer for more than just a few hours... For the hour or so that I did have to wander around, awesome. Someone should have stapled my wallet shut though because I found myself wanting to just buy, buy, buy...
It's definitely for the entire family. The exhibit that I was helping out with was swarmed by the tots! How many 3-7 year old didn't want to color in their own butterfly or spider-bug (6 legs) and make it fly?
See you all next year! Remind me to sign myself up!
[Photos: http://flickr.com/phot...]
People thought this was:
Useful (9)
Funny (4)
Cool (9)
Cal and I went on Saturday, but only stayed about an hour. Cal was feeling unwell, and I still have schoolwork to complete (yes, still). But I bought tix and we HAD to check it out!
We parked on the street. Unfortunately, it was next to Planned Parenthood, and I couldn't avoid the protester with the grotesque images on his car. It was horrific. As soon as I caught a glimpse of it, I grabbed Cal's hand and ran as fast as I could.
When we got to the entrance, we thought that the long lines were to get in. Then, one of the staffers asked if we had tix. When we answered in the affirmative, he told us to go straight to the main entrance. That was pretty nice.
Since Cal was sick, we took a stroll down along the booths and didn't really stop to examine anything in depth. We expected a lot of good faire food, and ate beforehand to avoid the temptation. The hot dogs and cupcakes sure looked good, though!
The exhibits were fun, some more than others. And I loved seeing all the kids exploring and learning. I can't wait to return next year, and I'm taking my nephews and nieces.
People thought this was:
Useful (5)
Funny (4)
Cool (5)
Went to the Maker Faire and it was just about everything I'd hope it would be, and more, in some respects. There was way too much going on there to describe; a crazy whirlwind or kinetic fire-spewing sculpture, pedal powered vehicles, too cute crafts, lightening machines, coke fountains.... I was really blown away by the skills and creativity all the makers. Half of the time I spent there was running to take a look at the next think to explode, spark, screech, burn, boom, flash, or shake the ground.
And I think part of the spirit of the fair is that much of the stuff is made by regular people having fun. Obviously. In addition, the faire is about getting people to learn how to make everything they see. Now I don't think they expect people to be able to go out and construct giant, flame-throwing robot chickens, but the shopping area is full of little projects so people can learn how to solder, knit, construct, sew, and build. There are people teaching people how to weld, a sewing room to recycle clothes, a place to screen your own T-shirt and tons of other places to construct and create you own crafts. So many awesome things to do and so little time.
I regret that i only had half a day to spend there, I hope I at least have dreams of exploding fireballs in the sky, but at least I left with a plush T-bone for my friends 3 mo. old and a wrought iron steak flipper (though i didn't notice that it was left-handed until I got home).
I am there next year.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
This was a huge disappointment for me and the friends I went with. Why?
1) Traffic and parking were terrible. Getting from San Francisco to a parking spot at the venue took over two hours, and should have taken maybe 45 minutes. Traffic was backed up from the fairgrounds parking lot up highway 92 and then several miles up 101. And we ended up in a parking spot that was a 10+ minute walk from the front gate. If this is held at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds again next year, go at least 30 minutes beforehand or don't bother - the venue does not have the traffic infrastructure needed to handle the event.
2) The venue itself was not big enough for the event. The most popular exhibits (battle bots, the giant Tesla coil, model warship naval battles, etc.) seemed to consist of 100 people clamoring for 50 chairs, with people in the back standing on their toes trying to see what was going on. Many of the booths were the same way - to see the goods you had to elbow your way in between people. If you don't want to fight crowds for a view, stay away.
3) We got there about 1:30 in the afternoon Sunday, and there were no maps of the grounds available, nor any schedule of events that we could find (and we looked).
4) Intentionally or not, this seems to have become a kids event. I have no problem with that except it's not what I expected. (I wish EVERY parent would find a way to spend time learning about home-brewed engineering and art with their kids). The place was crawling with kids, and it seemed like a lot of the exhibits and booths were aimed towards children.
5) The line for funnel cakes was a mile long. 'Nuff said. (On the bright side, the line for corn dogs was short.)
I was really excited about this and may give it one more go next year. I honestly wish they'd double the ticket prices so only the nerdiest of the nerdy would attend. Don't think that's gonna happen, though.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Attended the Maker Faire today. My first introduction to the Maker Faire...huge talking skull head made from computer parts. From there...cupcake cars, giant sculptures, robots, DIY crafts...definitely R2-D2 meets Betty Crocker! Just an awesome faire.
I also enjoyed Disney's many exhibits and looking at the wonderful stuff created by the very talented and creative makers.
The great thing about the Maker Faire is that it offers a variety of activities and exhibits for kids as well as for adults.
I plan to attend the Maker Faire next year if the prices for tickets and parking do not increase.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
What a bummer. We were looking forward to this all year, after having had such a blast last year! It seemed as if they either had less vendors/booths or just less opportunities to "make" things yourself.
BRIGHT SIDE
- Highlights included Jaime Zollars', Chronicle Books' and Cara Lyndon's booths in the Bizarre Bazaar (it took us a while to find it, unlike last year where they put it in the same hall as the science informational booths) and Lucky Juju.
- Fortunately we paid for our tickets online and got to skip the long-ass line.
- Mobile cupcakes and the guy who plays the loungey tunes in a go-cart
- Bubbles that pop with fire
DOWNSIDE
- Misleading hours: The website said open from 10-10 on Saturday. Whatev! Most booths started shutting down at 6pm; I felt really bad for a couple friends who came around that time. By then, there wasn't anything cool to see.
- Wayfinding: For the life of me, could not find the Disney or Bizarre Bazaar very easily.
- Parking/transportation: The bus situation was ridiculous too. We were forced to park at the Caltrain lot and upon returning, the bus line wait was absurd. A short bus pulled up and although there was plenty of standing room, the driver refused to take more than 5 people -- why even use the short bus then? It wasn't until another 20 min that another school bus came. We would've walked or hailed a cab if only we knew how to get back -- sorry, don't really know San Mateo all that well.
- Not too many DIY booths
I pray that they do Maker Faire in a public transportation friendly city like SF next year. Hope they get more interactive booths too!
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
I went to the Maker Faire on Sat 5/3/08. Only reason I even went was cuz my hubby was part of the Western Warship Combat Club at got me & my friend FREE passes. Regular price is $25, but if you signed up early you could have saved $5. Damn expensive Faire!
FREE shuttle if you take it from Franklin Templeton parking lot at 1 Franklin Parkway at Saratoga, across from Whole Foods or from Hayward Park Caltrain. Otherwise parking is $8, rip off!
The website was kinda lousy and hard to find info. Finally found the schedule for Sat/Sun/Weekend buried in there. Many of the things repeated so if you missed one show you could catch another.
Best for me:
Cupcake cars
Life Size Mousetrap
EepyBird Fritz Grobe & Stephen Voltz-the Diet Coke w/ Mentos geyser is fun! Just don't get too close to the front or you'll get sprayed with Diet Coke!
Western Warship Combat Club -it's a good show, just because my hubby's in their with his boats. Sinking ships is cool.
Fire Sculptures were cool. Liked when the steel/aluminum lady kept burning.
Some of the music groups were good
FREE Edible SF/East Bay magazine.
FREE sample of Scharffen Berger chocolates-62% cacao & 70% cacao
FREE apron
some FREE sample of food, but not much. Tiny amount of food though.
Plenty of flushed toilets available & port-a-potties.
Food is way Overpriced. $7 for one Yucatan chicken tamale!! Damn, at least it was tasty.
$2.50 for one bottle water. We just drank from the drinking fountain.
Bring your own food & camera. Lots to take pictures of.
We spent almost 12 hrs there. Dang, my feet hurt. I guess I'll marginally recommend it at least once, but I won't be back.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
I've enjoyed attending the SF Bay Area Maker Faire these past two years, and have been astounded at how much larger the attendance is getting. A true DIY experience, where people show what they've done with your lying-around-the-house items and a microcontroller or soldering iron. One of my other faves, The Crucible, with their flame-throwing fire truck, has been very much in full force at these events as well. Another great presence was had by TechShop in the nearby Menlo Park area. This year, they had quite a few 2D and 3D based machines to precision carve, cut or etch a figure of your choosing. If only I lived closer, I could be a member...
On a different end of the spectrum are those people who seem to have both time and money to put together things like life-sized robotic dinosaurs and dead-ringer R2-D2 replicas with all the bells and whistles. I'm definitely jealous of these people! But I have a social life that I won't trade.
The centerpiece of this event, at least for me, is the robot battles. Truly outrageous fun, where robots slam into each other with spinning weights and blades, etc. etc. -- you'd be better off checking it out on YouTube than to have me explain it. But there's nothing like a 20-ton stage built just for these mechanical beasts to face off.
This fair is cool...especially if you're a nerd like me. The theme of "making" things was very broad, so while I was expecting arts and crafts, I ended up getting anything and everything from people riding around in self-made cupcake cars, working replicas of R2-D2, Lego fantasy worlds, the special effects team from Walt Disney, and probably 40% of the Exploratorium was exported to the fair as well. And the highlight of my trip (actually the main reason I agreed to go) was the funnel cake stand!! Crispy and chewy dough, smothered with warm apples and powdered sugar. Yummers...
Minus one star because it took us 3 hours to drive from SF to the fair in San Mateo (and 30 minutes to get back). Turns out the Maker Faire and some sort of Derby next door were on the same day and they were sharing the same parking facilities and freeway exit, which resulted in unbelievable amounts of slow moving traffic. If you go next year, make sure you go early or research the traffic situation beforehand.
The ultimate do-it-yourself gathering of imaginative and eclectic group of people. Everyone was here from high tech wizards and knitters to Art Deco Society and Civil War Re-enactors. High tech to low tech. Items made from every type of media imaginable; LP's (vinyl records), soda can tabs, old clothes, binder clips and plastic bottles.
There are two downsides to this event. The price ($25) to get in is ridicules and on top of that you have to pay $8 for parking.
Maker faire, Maker faire
Make me a match
Let's take our pics with mobile cupcakes
And watch kids on bicycles with no-brakes
Before we wait in long lines for funnel cakes.
Watched the Diet Coke & Menthos guys
While they made streams of diet coke fly
Brown streams of carbonation in the blue sky
Let's check out the giant mouse trap
Or the Mercedes covered with markers & their caps
While we often refer to the Maker Faire map
I missed R2D2
And the fire show Saturday night
But I'll be back next year
And make for 2 nights (or days really)
(It's worth getting tickets early not only to save $ but also to beat the long lines to get it. Also, if you need to drive, carpool & park further away from the site. Otherwise, public transit's very do-able. There's a shuttle @ the Hayward Station which will take you to the Event Center.)
Make on!
This was my second time attending the Maker Faire. Bought my tickets in advance on their website and attended with a few friends. This time, we parked at a nearby parking area and took the shuttle to the faire and it worked out pretty well.
The faire spans through a few indoor exhibit halls and the outdoor courtyards and will entertain you in all directions - hard to see it all because the whole convention is so big, but there's definitely something for everyone, and everyone will appreciate the fun inventions and creations people tinkered with. It's a very unique get-together, and invites people of all types to learn a little bit more about DIY projects and what creative brains can do.
The highlight of attending this year is that the original EepyBird people came to perform their infamous diet coke and mentos experiment on stage! It took them 4 hours to set up the experiment, and the performance was over in 2 minutes. It's a cool video to see (http://eepybird.com/dc...), but SPECTACULAR live! Diet coke was spewing a good 20 feet high, and showered the "scientists" and audience with diet coke. I stood close to the stage and got DRENCHED :D It was so much fun!
I thought the $25 ticket was a bit steep, but thought it was worth it and will definitely go again next year. The highlights for me were: There were these crazy plush cupcakes driving around, called the Acme Muffineers. There was a giant life-size mousetrap (like the boardgame) that took the maker 14 years to make. The creator of MacGyver and a Disney Imagineer spoke. The cool guys that make Diet Coke explode with Mentos were there and gave a show. The food booths were really good (I had grilled Asparagus, garlic fries and a chicken quesadilla - from 3 different booths).
I'm a 1st timer, and it was great.. but nothing really wowed me. Really overpriced, someone is making a mint, that sucks. Often the best real make art was off to the side, when corporate booths had front and center.
All in all I'm glad I went, but if the price goes up and they increase the corporate sponsors next year, this will be my 1st and last visit.
They should really consider a new venue next year. Way overpriced, $25??? We waited 20 minutes to park our vehicle because of the poor street planning at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds. We had to pay 8$ to park and then waited another 20 minutes in line just to get in. Definitely not work it and the website was no help either.
I think if an Elite event is entitled to have it's own seperate review from the actual buisness review, the Maker Faire deserves it's own review for each year it is held, to keep the integrity of the experience independant from years prior, but whatever...
Last year's fair was made of dreams - artists like "My Paper Crane" were there, the overwhelming photos of the life-sized "Mouse Trap" and all of the different craft seminars, DIY's, and people were thrown together and it seemed like an ecclectic mish-mash of everybody enjoying themselves... of course, that was what I gathered from reading about it since it landed on my birthday, and I could not go because I already had plans... [sucks.] So I made my bf promise to take me this year...
Was it everything I had hoped? "Oh, yes... and more... or less..." - you see, nothing much changed when it came to the attractions... The life-sized "Mouse Trap" was here again, and the cupcake mobiles - both of which I was eager to see... but many of the more awesome crafters were not a part of bizarre bazaar this year. I was a little dissapointed when I saw their bizarre bazaar was so little... and their swap-o-rama-rama was pretty cool too. Unfortunately, lots of the one of a kind canvas works were really expensive, and coming home with art usually meant you were spending on a print of some sort, and I should have come prepared with some kind of drafting tube to carry prints home safely, because it was CROWDED with people bumping into you from every direction possible. I got my www.sweet-meats.com "hambone" - FINALLY, and was super excited that I did not have to pay full price or shipping... I was especially excited when she wrapped it up in butcher block paper - complete with pricing SKU and everything... [how cute!] - I also got a "I love you more than STEAK" pin, I got to make a free notebook, I got free craft magazines, and a ninja/bunny t-shirt for the bf from FAT BUNNY FARM.
I was dissapointed that the bizarre bazaar was missing a few of the greater artists that help kick start the fair last year - which made it GREAT and drool-worthy. The food was good, but pricey - and they had a good assortment of various treats like the best "MONSTER" corn-dog you'll ever have, oysters, tamales, bbq sandwiches, etc... Bathrooms were abundant, and there was no need for port-a-potties.
It was pretty awesome, but finding parking was a pain, and I had to gamble for a spot that had a high chance of giving me a ticket... Thankfully, I came up yesterday.
You should definitely buy tickets ONLINE because they're cheaper, AND you go straight to the head of the line. Next year, I'm going to try to take the train or something... =D
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (2)
Review for the Maker Faire 2008 @ San Mateo County Fair Grounds:
OVERALL IMPRESSION: Don't let the three stars mislead you - the Faire itself was a lot of fun with a lot to see and do. Great fun for the family (most of it's more appropriate for older kids, but some good stuff for the younger kids, too) for the entire day. However, the Faire gets two stars stricken from the rating mostly for their cheating us out of 4 hours that we paid a lot of money for, for an uninformative website and for badly organized /planned parking. See details below.
1. LOGISTICS: Ignore the official website. They need help. The hours they post are very misleading. While they posted the hours to be from 10am to 10pm today, (Saturday) nowhere did it say the exhibits in the buildings closed at 6pm! Suffice to say, we felt cheated and disappointed. We missed a lot because we thought we'd have until 10pm to look around the inside exhibits, so started off seeing the outside exhibits first. So Sunday Faire goers, verify the hours as soon as you get there!
2. TICKETS: Basically, it's $25 for adults per day pass. If you bought your ticket ahead of time and you have your ticket in hand or it's at will call, go to the head of the (long) line! Lucky you! But if you are buying that day, be aware that there will be two lines - one for credit card only and the other is cash only. The cash only line is much faster.
3.. GETTING THERE: If you're driving, find an alternate route to getting there. Do not get on the 92W. It is a parking lot. If possible, don't drive. Take the Caltrain. They have free buses making FREQUENT pick ups and drop offs from the nearby Hayward Park Caltrain station.
4. PARKING: If you're driving and either don't want to pay $8 to park in their lots or if their lots are full, you can park at the Hayward Park Caltrain station or, as we were directed to, park in the adjacent KMart parking lot.
5. FOOD: Recommended to bring your own. At least snacks if you're planning on making a day of it. It is expen$ive there!!! Food averaged around $4-$8 per item there. Soda cans are $2.50. Water bottles are $3.00. There are water fountains in the main exhibition hall for you to refill throughout the day for free. Otherwise, if you want hot food, there is actually a pretty wide selection of decent quality food you'd normally find at other fairs.
6. OTHER INFO: No need to use the porta-potties scattered on the edges. There are proper bathrooms in and around the exhibition halls. Bring a light backpack or easy to carry bag for all the schwag and crafts you pick up.
SUMMARY: It is worth going to. You can easily spend a whole day there and be entertained the whole time. The crafts section is especially nice for getting some really early Christmas shopping done. But save yourself a LOT of aggratvation and take the train!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
So, I was pseudo-impressed by the Maker Fair: I have definitely never been to anything like it before. This was my introduction to steam-punk, which was a really neat element, and the mingling of that culture with the anti-consumerists, and the hand-sew crafty people, plus the engineering side: it was a very neat atmosphere. Then, of course, I really enjoyed poking around trying my hand at new handi-crafts like leather working, or marbling paper, and though I didn't participate, the clothes swap is a great idea. Additionally, I was really into the idea of a person-sized Mouse-trap game. How fun is that?
So, it sounds great, right? I know; I was so excited! The disappointing thing was though, even with the steam punk and the crafts, it was basically just a fair with normal people waiting in line for regular fair food and looking at other people- not so fantastical.
Still cool though.
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
Talk about growing pains. We left SAN FRANCISCO at 11:30, and got to the fair at 2:00. A 30 minute car trip turned into the wait from hell. The planning and execution of traffic to the faire was handled horribly. The main parking lot, and the 2 overflow lots were all full, yet they kept directing traffic through small streets, waiting for another 30 minutes to get there, and then have to turn around and find parking at a random shopping center. Grrr. They really needed to work on communication. Once we got there, and swam through the cluster fuck of people to get our will call tickets, we breezed in. The faire was pretty fun, but so many things were off about it, that our day was less than spectacular. It is too crowded on saturdays. There were a ton of unruly kids running amok, grabbing and pushing their way to whatever booth was nearest. Two different booths had non operational exhibits because parts had been stolen. We couldn't see the robot wars because the room was too small to fit the crowd. The bazaar closed down at 6 pm., even though the faire went until 10pm. I really wanted to like this event, and I kinda did, I would love to see some tweaking, and adjusting and maybe I'll give it a shot next year
OMG. i've never seen anything like this... so awesome... and so reasonably priced. only $25 per day and you leave with a shopping bag of gifts that you made for the whole family. and you get once-in-a-lifetime play time with giant toys and science experiments that will blow your mind!
i took a hell-ton of photos, you can view here: http://www.photoblog.c...
(and make sure you view the ones from 05/04/08 as well).
my friend and i went on saturday from 10am-10pm. be sure to read all of your signs, because most exhibits that were housed indoors closed at six. that was a gyp for anyone that thought they could arrive shortly after noon and still get a day's worth of play in. parking was awesome and close and at $7, it was worth the convenience (hey, i hiked a mile to my parking space at coachella, which was free).
my boyfriend and i took caltrain there on sunday and the walk was very reasonable... only about ten minutes from Expo Center to Hayward Park and the convenience of caltrain can't be rivaled.
see my awesome pictures for some of my favorite events. (i apologize for the crazy orientation of some photos... i messed up).
get your geek and crafts on (and you won't even stick out from the crowd!)
Maker Faire, I wanted to love you. I really did. I thought that you would be the Woodstock for do-it-yourselfers. You fell short, and this is why.
1) Too many kids. Not that I don't like kids, but 1/3 10 1/2 of the activities were for kids. Perhaps have a separate event for children?
2) Too much being sold, and not enough being 'made.' (self explanatory)
3) The Microsoft pavilion was pointless, just a large advertisement.
4) Too many $10,000 CNC machines, not enough homemade goodness.
5) What was with the cosplayers/renaissance fair types? What did they have to do with making things?
6) What was with all of the overflow from Burning Man? Yes, those 'machines' were "made," but what exactly do they do (besides look neat)?
Still, you get 4 stars because you are the first of your kind. I am not so sure that I will go with the same enthusiasm next year (if I go at all). I would really like to see more 'scratch made' items, emerging technologies, and 'how to' workshops. Tune down the commercialism.
Tip: Go as early as possible, because the crowds are crazy.
People thought this was:
Useful (13)
Funny (6)
Cool (12)
Maker Faire is definitely worth the $15 admission and $7 parking if you're into crafty things, science and technology. There really is something for everyone. I wanted to see the giraffe robot walking around but missed it on my way in and out. That means allow yourself more than 2 hours to walk around.
Walking around the craft section, especially near My Paper Crane (http://www.mypapercran...) or My Favorite Mirror (http://www.myfavoritem...) is cute overload. Many of the designers or creators have websites or Etsy shops, but offer discounts on items when purchased at the faire. My Paper Crane didn't offer any discounts, but My Favorite Mirror offered their pocket mirrors for $5 instead of $6.50, and a silkscreen print I bought from artist Jaime Zollars (http://www.jaimezollar...) was $35 instead of $40 on her website.
The only food that I would recommend at Maker Faire is the barbecued corn on the cob for $3. Otherwise, go eat someplace else, or bring a picnic!
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (3)
the minute i walked into the big make/craft building, my heart exploded into a million tiny handstitched confetti hearts as doves descended from heaven on grosgrain ribbon and i shouted YES! MY CRAFTY BRETHREN!
it was maybe not that dramatic, but nonetheless exhilarating to be surrounded by folks who create. i am mostly referring to the ladies and gents of Bazaar Bizarre, the crafty wonderland that i finally got to witness, in person, inside the Maker Faire. BB is what i came to see, and it did not disappoint. small indie crafters are my inspiration! i walked around, soaked up the amazingness, and bought a pink donut plush from ms. heidi kenney of mypapercrane. luff!
the rest of the faire was a great mix: technology geeks, robots, builders, rocket scientists, music nerds, flickr nerds, hipsters, hobbits, kids and grandparents were all present. and of course, there was funnel cake!
People thought this was:
Useful (10)
Funny (7)
Cool (14)
Now, I must admit that I work for Make Magazine, which puts on the Maker Faire, but I can confidently say that the faire is AWESOME. It's the most wonderful, feel-good gathering of every kind of person imaginable: old engineers, young crafters, moms, dads, grandparents, kids, geeky teenagers, hip teenagers, historical re-enactors, programmers, burners, tinkerers, lego-enthusiasts, knitting enthusiasts, robots, circuit-benders...I could go on and on. And everyone is HAPPY, and sharing ideas, and learning from each other, and exploding stuff. It's a beautiful thing.
(Note: Bay Area Maker Faire dates for 2008: May 2 & 3. Maker Faire Austin 2007: Oct. 20 & 21!)
People thought this was:
Useful (9)
Funny (5)
Cool (12)
FUNNEL CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (so worth the heartburn i got before even making it through the whole plate...oh man, i can feel my esophageal wall thickening just at the thought, but i'll suffer barrett's for funnel cake!)
GIANT NOSEPICKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! seriously, why not?
BICYCLE POWERED RIDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if only i weren't a "grown-up" and could ride the rides instead of powering them :-\.
ROBOTIC RICKSHAW + RICKSHAW-WALLAH!!!!!!!! if only i could ride it too :(.
I CAN SEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (apparently :) ). made me a nifty little tank with random stuffs tacked on and also purty lil chinese skirt that my fat arse busted through within moments of coming home...but now i can operate a sewing machine, so i can fix it too :).
...this place was awesome. i'm totally inspired to do all things fun and craftsy again. i haven't felt this much like a kid since, well, i was a kid. i just wanted to run around and yell, "WOW!!! LOOK AT THIS!!!" and then run to the next thing...that's what i've got yelp for, i guess :).
definitely coming back next year!
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (1)
Cool (4)
Sweet Jesus, take me home!
What a great time. I was able to apply a tourniquet to my wallet before the hemorrhaging got too bad, & got out of there with a new messenger bag [VAYA BAGS RULE THE SCHOOL] & a new wallet made out of old bike tubes.
I particularly enjoyed the crafts & tech tent, as all the stuff in there was more approachable on a mass-appeal level.
Lots of good peoplewatching as well. I'll be back next year!
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
I've attended for both years that have (currently) been running these and have had a blast both times. It's a total geek out and it leaves me with a huge smile by day's end :)
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (4)
I wouldn't even call myself a geek but this was really a lot of fun!
I really loved seeing alll the cool stuff going on- some of it seemed more carnival then geek, but nonetheless...cool. The crafts were really nice too- definitely nicer than any you'd see at most street fairs- actually MADE by these people...very nice. Most of them took credit cards and had websites too- they know how to do business!
Anyway- I'd recommend it for any self respecting geek, nerd, dweeb or otherwise...definitely a good time and lots to see that you've likely never seen before!
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (3)
Holy Mother of God!!!!
R and I went last year and it was a fantastic event. So of course we marked our calendars as soon as we heard the dates for this year's.
After weeks of anticipation, the date arrives. So I'm drivin' round the backside of the Fairgrounds and we notice the parking lot is PACKED. (we always park on nearby streets anyway.) We walk towards the entrance and see a HUGE line. We see exhibits spread over the ENTIRE grounds.
Diet Coke gushers. Robot fights. Art cars. Sugar sculptures. Bizarre musical instruments. Weird bicycles. An amazing Tesla coil demonstration. Jimmy Kimmel doing spot interviews. Do-it-yourself rockets. Self-powered carnival rides. Exhibits and activities were even more breathtaking than last year, too! In one short year the Maker Faire has gone exponential, and later this year they're going country-wide!
Go. Take your friends, take your neighbors and their children. Just go.
http://makerfaire.com/
original review 5/19/07
=================
Update 5/20/07: Day Two was equally impressive as Day One. There was even some cool stuff inside the hall occupied by Microsoft! : )
I think we managed to see everything...whew!
Mark your calendars: 2008 Maker Faire, same place, May 3-4!
...and in the meantime, 2007 Maker Faire: Austin, Oct 20-21
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Annual home base and family reunion for DIY all ages all sizes.
Be there or be [[[[]]]].
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (3)
I'm fairly sure my husband loved the Maker Faire as much as he loves me, if not more. I assumed I wouldn't not be too too into it, but I went because I'm just that good of a wife. Oh how wrong was I?! We were like kids in a candy store. Once we entered the hall where all the Crafters were set up, we split up, he went running to the Tesla coil and I went running to the pillows that resembled meat. Seriously, how cute and clever are these people? Then I made my way over to the Carlo Rossi jug painting craft area to get boozed up and creative. My jug sucked, the wine was Carlo Rossi, but it was free and after glass number two I felt so much more "creative." Yay for BOOZE AND CRAFTS!
When we met back up we had some lunch and went for a romantic tandem (is it still tandem if it's side by side) bike ride. All in all it was a very lovely day. Oh and they also had funnel cake. Did I mention funnel cake? Because it's not a fair without funnel cake (which I was only able to consume half of, but still). Nerds love funnel cake!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (2)
I loved it!
I had seen so many pictures previewing the exhibits. It did it absolutely no justice compared to what I experienced at the SM Fairgrounds! You had to be there to see the giant nose picker, giant Mouse Trap contraption, and all the beautiful, big-brained geeks!
Half of the exhibits promoted energy efficiency with human powered activites such as the Cyclecide area where parents powered a Merry-Go-Round and a human sized hamster wheel to pick a giant nose.
And the other half used up enough electricity to power a Las Vegas casino. There were Telsa Coil demos every hour -- think what powered Frankenstein and you have an idea what this spectacle looked like. Fighting robots and power tool racing buzzed through the halls.
This was a family friendly event with lots of activities for kids and all very educational. As an adult I still had fun learning what the near future holds... and it looks exciting! Especially the part where someone else could pick my nose...
I would gladly make this an annual affair!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (2)
The Maker Faire is THE SHIT. Time totally flew by at this event and I still don't feel like I saw everything that I wanted to. There are a ton of awesome hands on activities, demonstrations, and great speakers like Woz. I'll definitely be clearing my calendar for future Maker Faires!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
