EXHIBITOR APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!
Click here, and to skip straight to the application.

When is it: October 6-7, 2018, 10 am – 6 pm
Where is it: Inside 11 venues in Balboa Park.
What’s it all about: People can do incredible things… when they let themselves do it!

And we’d like to invite you to once join us for Maker Faire San Diego! Last year, we broke attendance records and we’re looking to do it again. But we can’t do it without YOU.

This year we’re really focusing on our thematic motto: People can do incredible things… when they let themselves do it. This festival showcases the amazing work of all kinds of makers – anyone who embraces that do-it-yourself or do-it-together spirit. We’re looking for exhibitors, performers, speakers, start-ups, tinkerers, and anyone excited to showcase what they create with an interested and curious audience.

What’s the timeline?

• June 1— Applications open.
• August 1— Final application date for exhibits with fire and/or safety concerns: submit a General Safety Plan and/or Fire Safety Plan (forms available soon).
• August 30— Applications close for Commercial Maker and Non-Profit / Agency / Cause / or Mission Based Organization Payment Due. This is only for makers who fit these categories.
• August 31— All Applications Close.

What are we looking for? Everything!

We are seeking creative people who want to share their energy and talents with others. We are inviting artists, musicians, engineers, craftsmen, entrepreneurs, students, teachers, businesspeople, comedians and creative people of all ages and backgrounds to inspire attendees with what we as humans can do. Here’s a big list.

Remember, this event is all about celebrating the act of making, so a project doesn’t need to be completed in order to be considered. At your exhibit, you can give the audience the chance to learn more about your craft, watch you work, or let them play-test (and beta-test!) your creations!

Maker Faire wouldn’t be Maker Faire without the plethora of hands-on activities or interactive, and applicants with an activity or interactive element are given priority status.

Be sure to fill out your application carefully! Public facing info will end up on our Meet the Makers page if you are accepted.

So once more! Here are some quick links for you:

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Mark your calendars! Laser it onto a board! 3D print a sign! NEEDLEPOINT IT! Maker Faire San Diego 2018 returns to Balboa Park! When?

Saturday and Sunday, October 6+7, 2018

New surprises and old favorites are lining-up for this year and we can’t wait to share them with you! We’re already working on the next round of hands-on activities, huge spectaculars, and talking to our amazing community of tinkerers, entrepreneurs, artisans, craft enthusiasts, scientists, engineers, cosplayers, tech lovers, artists, inventors, and SO MANY OTHERS! Museums in Balboa Park are getting their exhibits ready and we couldn’t be more excited to bring makers and museums together again.

There is one other day to remember! JUNE 1st!

• Exhibitor applications officially open on June 1st.
• Early Bird tickets go on sale on June 1st.

We look forward to making things with you again at Maker Faire San Diego 2018!

Stay involved:

• Sign up for our newsletter!
• Join the movement! Click the following for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

[Our] goal is that all people, young and old, come to see themselves as makers, creators and doers because I know that the people who have the skills and knowledge to make things have the power to make the world a better place. – Dale Dougherty, leading founder of the Maker Movement.

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We’re excited to share with you a first at Maker Faire San Diego! Ever wonder what it’s like to be someone else? Inquiring minds will not want to miss The Living Library, and The Tommy Edison Experience.

The Living Library

Based on the Human Library, The Living Library is a collection of people from diverse backgrounds and experiences who will be on hand to share openly and candidly about their lives. Storytellers will be makers and include survivors of trauma, students with special needs, and members of the blind and disabled communities.

Each storyteller is an open book, ready to answer questions like, “What’s it like to be you?” The Maker Movement is all about inclusion and so is the San Diego Museum of Man, which is hosting this experimental experience.

“One of our goals is to help re-humanize people from marginalized communities,” says Dr. Mel Ganus, director of Quality of Life Experiments, who is bringing The Living Library to Maker Faire San Diego. “It’s an experiment in making human connections. We are building bridges while others are building walls.”

The Living Library will be located in the San Diego Museum of Man. Event-goers will have the opportunity to “browse” the various storytellers and ask the burning questions most are uncomfortable asking in everyday social interactions.

“Our Living Library aims to improve understanding of other perspectives and connections between people of different ages, cultures and abilities,” says Dr. Ganus. Other storytellers include elders in their 80s and 90s facing the ends of their lives, members of our veterans community living with injuries and PTSD, and our own makers, with stories of how they discovered their passions for doing what they do.

The Blind Film Critic

YouTube sensation Tommy Edison, the Blind Film Critic, is famous for answering questions about what it’s like to be blind. At Maker Faire San Diego he’ll host a workshop where he’ll give makers a unique marketing experience by interviewing them about their projects and work on clearly articulating who they are and why they do what they do, with the caveat, “Explain it to me like I’m blind.” Maker Faire San Diego attendees are invited to come meet Edison and watch the fun!

July 16, 2016 – James Rath, Tommy Edison at the shoot for “How Pokemon Go Affects Blind People”

Kirk Adams, President of the American Foundation for the Blind, will also be in the Living Library. “This is an opportunity I don’t want to miss, a chance for people to ask me questions they’d never feel comfortable asking if they met me on a bus.” On Sunday, Adams, who has been blind since age five, and his colleague George Abbott, blind since birth, will be presenting their unique perspectives on Maker Faire San Diego, and their visions of increased inclusivity.

Be There

Meet makers and your fellow humans at the San Diego Museum of Man on October 7+8, 2017.

Tickets on sale now.

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A veteran with traumatic injuries. A kitten with an amputated paw. Some stories are just too moving for a blog post, but we’re going to try.

Meet Karolyn Smith. A native of San Diego, Karolyn enlisted in the US Army shortly after the events of 9/11. Serving as a machine gunner during combat patrols resulted in numerous injuries, including severe spinal injuries, post-traumatic stress, and a mild traumatic brain injury.

After years of medication and pain, Karolyn’s life began anew when a cutting edge treatment from UCLA’s Operation MEND gave her a spinal fusion. But that wasn’t all – that same year, Karolyn met Sophia.

Little Sophia was a kitten and an amputee. “She had no mother’s milk,” Karolyn said, “She was eight days old and she was still trying to get up… I saw the structural issues that I had for so long. I was like, ‘You are me.’”

There was an abandoned male kitten, Leonidas, that had bonded with Sophia. Karolyn adopted them both and found herself inspired. She embarked on a quest to create the first ever 3D printed detachable prosthetic for a cat. “This bore out of the necessity to know how she must feel, because it’s how I felt,” she remarked, “It’s what I saw coming down the line for her.”

At first, Karolyn was surprised no one had created a 3D printed detachable prosthetic for felines yet. “Of course no one’s done it, because it’s really frickin’ hard!” Karolyn laughed. “But that’s what innovation is about.”

Karolyn turned to the incredible makers at Fab Lab San Diego, where together they designed and developed a prototype.  Now, Karolyn is learning more and more about coding at the Fleet Science Center, growing as a maker, and developing the expertise and connections needed to finalize the design of the prosthetic.

The prototype is in its third iteration, still in development, and Karolyn is reaching out. She’s sharing her story and seeking those like-minded individuals eager to help cats like Sophia and their owners, or maybe just excited for the challenge.

“I came to the shelter to save a cat… but she really saved me.”

Hear the story. Learn the details. Meet this inspiring maker.

We’re honored to have Karolyn Smith speaking at Maker Faire San Diego.

Stay tuned for our speaker schedule.

Advanced tickets are on sale now.

Interested in learning more right away? Head to 3PawsUp.org, Karolyn’s nonprofit ambassador program, or seek out her children’s book titled, Sophia: The Bionic Cat. The book was written in an open dyslexic font, a new open source font created to increase readability for those with dyslexia.

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It all started because a friend wanted some cool wedding photos. Richard didn’t know what light painting was until a friend asked him for help. With a little ingenuity, curiosity, and some Arduino, maker Richard Truong created some photographic magic!

What is Light Painting?

Light painting is a photographic technique in which exposures are made by moving a hand-held light source and taking a long exposure photograph. This illuminates a subject or to shine a point of light directly at the camera during long exposure. Have you seen YouTube videos of people drawing letters or designs with sparklers or glowsticks? That’s the idea!

The Light Painting Stick uses an array of densely packed RGB LEDs to produce vibrant abstract and realistic images onto the camera. Richard build two sizes of light-painting stick: a one meter that packs 144 RGB LEDs and a 2-meter that packs 208 RGB-LEDs.

Images and patterns are stored and selected from a microSD memory card, navigable by using a 2.5 inch touch-screen. “Recently, I had to redesign the Arduino board to include a switching power supply and add more power for the LED strip.” Richard said.

TL;DR: The light painting stick displays an image or pattern pixel by pixel as the light-painter moves, allowing you to ‘paint’ light in the air and onto your photograph.

Painting in Balboa Park

Richard, who grew up in Thousand Oaks, CA, met us for a night out in Balboa Park. There we got to see the light-painting stick in action!

“I exhibited for the first time in [Maker Faire San Diego] 2016.” He smiled, “I got great feedback.” And since then, he’s been light-painting everywhere with Pac-Man, Star Wars, logos, multi-colored swirls, and anything else you can thank of!

Painting our way through Balboa Park, we were stopped plenty of times by curious on-lookers. These folks wanted to learn more about the tech and technique that went into the Light-Painting Stick. Getting their photos taken was great, too! More than happy to share and explain his craft, Richard exhibited everything we love about our maker community.

“As a maker, we make from our hearts.” He said, “It does not matter if it is small or big, when you design and make from the heart, it is gratifying. A message I tell myself is, ‘Today. I will make.’”

We’re thrilled to have Richard back for 2017! Find him on October 7+8, say hi, and get inspired!

• Click here for ticket information. 
• Meet more Makers!
• Join the event on Facebook.

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This year we’re launching a new volunteer program: STREET TEAM!

Our 3rd annual Maker Faire San Diego is just around the corner and we need YOUR HELP spreading the news! The Street Team is a group of volunteers who will help in the distribution of flyers, rack cards, and help spread news about this huge event!

It’s a great way to get involved with MFSD! In thanks, Street Team-sters get 2 adult Two-Day passes to Maker Faire San Diego, worth $76.00.

Street Team-sters Duties

After signing up, you’ll meet with an MFSD teammember, who’ll give you a Street Team Kit containing materials and guidelines. You’ll want to read this information carefully! Then, take the contents of the kit and post them in high traffic venues. (Please be sure to ask for permission when appropriate, as we definitely want to respect other’s property!)

Along the way, you’ll snap photos in ALL the places you decide to post! Windows and walls, libraries and labs! We want Street Team-sters to share these materials and have fun with it. You need a MINIMUM of 10 different pictures from 10 different locations. Share on social media with #MakerFaireSanDiego and help us digitally spread the word! Share your stories and photos with us, then we’ll email your tickets.

Here are a few places you can share flyers and postcards:

• Bookstores
• Coffee shops
• Toy Stores
• Hobby/Craft Shops
• Restaurants
• Scrap Stores
• Community Centers
• Hackerspaces
• After-School Programs
• Garden Centers
• Art Stores
• Thrift Stores
• Schools

Be aware, it DOES take a bit of time. Spaces are limited! So if you feel this isn’t for you, please let someone else join instead of receiving the packet and not fulfilling the Street Team requirements.

Sign-up Deadline: September 15th, 2015. Spaces are limited!

Click here and sign up soon!

Curious about other ways to volunteer? Check out our Volunteers page and see what catches your interest!

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Maker Faires are a celebration of making. There’s a lot of good that comes from makers exhibiting their projects and attendees getting inspired by what they see and do. But these events don’t happen by themselves! Maker Faire Volunteers are a huge part of our awesome team!

Call for Volunteers

Maker Faire San Diego is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to be a part the event! The team needs assistance ​with set-up, tear-down, exhibitors, attendees and and so much more while the event is up and running. A volunteer must have a positive, hardworking attitude and excellent communication skills. (A love of terrible jokes will get you in good with the event coordinators, or at least the one writing this blog post).

Available shifts for volunteers at Maker Faire San Diego 2017:

Tuesday – Thursday, October 3 – 5

VARIOUS DUTIES and hours available as we prepare for the weekend!

Friday, October 6 – SET UP

8:00am – 12:00pm, 11:30am – 3:30pm, 3:00pm – 7:00pm

Saturday, October 7 – SHOWTIME

7:30am – 11:30am, 11:00am – 3:00pm, 2:30pm – 6:30pm

Sunday, October 8 – SHOWTIME

7:30am – 11:30am, 11:00am – 3:00pm, 2:30pm – 6:30pm

Sunday, October 8 – TEAR DOWN

6:00pm – 10:00pm

For more information…

Check out our Volunteer page! Or just click here to send an interest form. We’ll follow up with you soon!

The post Call for Volunteers 2017 appeared first on Maker Faire San Diego.

Calling all makers! Want to exhibit at Maker Faire San Diego this October? Come show-off your your work, creation, and hobbies with an enthusiastic audience! Maker Faire San Diego showcases the amazing work of all kinds and ages of makers – anyone who is embracing the do-it-yourself (or do-it-together) spirit and wants to share their accomplishments.

Click here to skip straight to the application.

Apply to exhibit at Maker Faire San Diego
Balboa Park | October 7+8, 2017
10am – 6pm

What are we looking for?

You can apply as an exhibitor, performer, and/or speaker! Yes, you can have an exhibitor booth, and sign up to be a speaker. (However, you do have to submit two (2) separate applications and make sure your booth is staffed during your speaker time.) We’re looking for makers who make everything, including:

3D Printers and CNC Mills
Arduino projects
Beer makers
Bicycle Hackers
Conductive materials projects
Drones (Racing, DIY, etc.)
Electric Vehicles
Electronics
E-Textiles
Food makers (not concessionaires)
Home devices
Homegrown (NEW!)
How to Fix Things or Take them Apart (Vacuums, Clocks, etc.)
Interactive art projects
Kit makers
Large-scale Art
Music Performances and Participation
Puppets, Kites, and Other Whimsical Creations
Radios, Vintage Computers and Game Systems
Raspberry Pi
Robotics
Rockets and RC Toys
Science, Biology/Biotech, and Chemistry projects
Shelter (Tents, Domes, etc.)
Space projects
Student projects
Sustainability & Green Tech
Textile Arts and Crafts
Unusual Tools or Machines

More Information

Remember, this event is all about celebrating the act of making. A project doesn’t have to be complete to be considered. First and foremost, we’re looking for exhibitors who can give attendees the chance to learn. That could be through demonstrations, by letting them play-test your creations, or any number of ways! Afterall, Maker Faire wouldn’t be a Maker Faire without the plethora of hands-on activities and interactives. Applicants with an activity, demonstration, or interactive element are given priority status.

Makers can exhibit absolutely free! Vendors, businesses, and non-profits, do have to pay a small fee. Click here to learn more.

In addition to sharing passion projects and innovations with enthusiastic crowds, exhibitors will also have an exclusive opportunity to mix and mingle with fellow makers during the Maker After-Party!

Exhibited in 2016? We’d love to have you back. Have a friend you think should exhibit? Encourage them to apply!

We look forward to reading your application!

– The Maker Faire San Diego Team

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Maker Faire San Diego 2017

If you haven’t already, save the date, grab your safety glasses, and get ready to dive into creativity, engage with new, quirky tech, and get your hands dirty in Balboa Park on October 7+8.

This year, you’ll have access to 10 circuits in Balboa Park. To make the most of your time at Maker Faire San Diego, you’ll want to “complete the circuit”. Over 250 local and regional makers display their creations at Balboa Park – mostly inside participating museums, each it’s own circuit!

Each circuit will hold a different array of makers and activities – so be sure to explore them all! Here are the 10 circuits you can expect to complete:

• MF1. San Diego Museum of Man
• MF2. The Old Globe
• MF3. Japanese Friendship Garden
• MF4. San Diego Model Railroad Museum
• MF5. San Diego History Center
• MF6. Fleet Science Center
• MF7. Outdoor Zone 1
• MF8. San Diego Natural History Museum (theNAT)
• MF9. Outdoor Zone 2
• MF10. Spanish Village Art Center

Robot Resurrection – Resurrected!

The Maker Faire San Diego team is pleased to announce the return of Robot Resurrection – your favorite 30-foot tall, human piloted, articulating, fire shooting sculpture! It might be the only 30-foot tall, human piloted, articulating, fire shooting sculpture you know, but it definitely deserves to be your favorite! Robot Resurrection returns in all it’s fire-shooting glory.

Want to Exhibit at Maker Faire San Diego 2017?

Maker Faire San Diego showcases the amazing work of all kinds and ages of makers — anyone who is embracing the do-it-yourself (or do-it-together) spirit and wants to share their accomplishments with an appreciative audience. But this isn’t just the time to talk and talk. We encourage exhibitors to show how they make what they make, have an interactive display, or really let visitors touch, play, manipulate, and get hands-on! This is an ideal test audience, eager to explore and learn.

If that sounds like your kind of crowd, check out our Makers page for more details and information. Get ready – applications go live June 30th.

What’s Maker Faire all about?

It’s part high-tech science fair, part-county fair, part something entirely new. Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, engineers, artists, scientists, artisans, machinists, cosplayers, and so much more. Makers will be sharing, showing, and making awe-inspiring creations that are practical, built for fun, or constructed just to push the limits of imagination and technology. And most importantly? All of these makers don’t just want to show you what they have created, they want to teach you how you can do it too. There will be lots of hands-on activities and enthusiastic people who will talk to you about making anything you can dream up.

This will be a huge collaborative effort between the San Diego Makers Guild, Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, and the City of San Diego. Stay tuned for the latest updates as we work to showcase innovators and creators of all kinds.

Take a peek at the sorts of things you can expect in October and check out the North County Mini Maker Faire is happening this weekend, June 17th-18th, at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum in Vista, CA. Check it out.

We look forward to seeing you in October!

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Save the Date: Maker Faire San Diego 2017

The Return to Balboa Park

Fire up the laser cannons and let’s get this robot rolling! Maker Faire San Diego returns to Balboa Park October 7 + 8! We can’t wait to see what our makers have been up to and what new exhibitors will join us.

Makers Gonna Make

Do you tinker? Do you program? Experiment? Build contractions or construct costumes? Maybe you run a maker space and want to share your resources with the world! Be on the look out for our Call to Makers. Because we want YOU to exhibit!

Remember, your project doesn’t have to be complete by October. The best part about a Maker Faire is watching people create something wonderful and getting your hands dirty! We’re partnering again with the San Diego Maker’s Guild – so stay tuned for updates and check out meet-ups for the opportunity to join with the maker community here in San Diego.

The Venues

We’re thrilled to be back in Balboa Park! Changes are coming to MFSD 2017, but we couldn’t be more excited! We’ll have 10 zones for our makers to exhibit and for participants to explore, so start breaking in your new walking shoes (self-lacing or hover shoes encouraged), because you’ll want the full two days to dive in.

Switch to Channel Maker Faire

As always, join us on Twitter, Instagram, and DEFINITELY Facebook for updates, news, and our amazing maker community. Follow and share what you’ve learned or made with us at #MakerFaireSanDiego!

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