Bay Meadows

Maker Faire comes to the San Mateo Events Center on May 17 and 18, just next door to Bay Meadows. Often called the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth it’s a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. The event is brought to you by  Maker Media, the publisher of MAKE magazine, the first magazine devoted entirely to Do-It-Yourself (DIY) technology projects and unites, inspires, informs, and entertains a growing community of resourceful people who undertake amazing projects in their backyards, basements, and garages. MAKE celebrates your right to tweak, hack, and bend any technology to your will.

In fact, the City of San Mateo has launched its very own Innovation Week May 12-16 to celebrate the spirit of creativity, productivity and innovation right here in San Mateo. Between partnering with the Burning Man Project to present a panel discussion to explore the ways Burning Man values have inspired individuals to build community through art, technology, and culture to parklet design demos and “Gallery Walls”, a rotational downtown art project – San Mateo invites you to get innovative.

From Maker Faire – photo courtesy Creative Commons, SparkFun Electronics on flickr

Experience the Unseen.  Think Burning Man meets Silicon Valley Tech Geek. Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, 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. This 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.

A big part of Maker Faire is the DIY crowd – garage scientists and artists who come up with amazing designs and innovations but get very little exposure.  Maker Faire is the perfect 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 and are 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.

What to expect? This is what Yelpers said about Maker Faire:

‘If you haven’t been, GO! If you’ve been and are really into the DIY community, go! …the flashy exhibits are the same too (cupcake cars, talking giraffe, fire spouting things)’ – Jennifer W.

‘It’s Michaels meets Etsy meets Fry’s meets Google meets Grandma’s kitchen meets preschool sandbox. Oh and let’s not forget the Steampunk time travelers. Whew!’ – Randy B.

First time at the Maker Faire and mind officially blown… loved the Tesla Coil demo, R2-D2s, Steampunk people wandering around, Fire Art, life size Mousetrap game… I could go on and on… get there early and enjoy all the demos, 3D printers, Legos and robots.’ – Scott P.

Come celebrate MAKE magazine’s 17th Maker Faire and ninth anniversary in the Bay Area, showcasing creative and resourceful people who love sharing what they can do in the areas of science and technology, engineering, food, and arts and crafts – right here in San Mateo.

Saturday – May 17th, 2014 from 10am – 8pm
Sunday – May 18th, 2014 from 10am – 6pm

Tickets can be purchased on-line here, and you will receive an email confirmation with a link to print your eTickets from your computer. Don’t miss the Maker movement that has brought the pre-1970s world of amateur tinkering into the digital age that will leave you believing “you can”.

Fame x Frame Photo Contest
As we develop community, we want to see how you live or play at Bay Meadows. Share your fun lifestyle photos with our community by using #baymeadowslife. You could WIN $50 or our Grand Prize of $500 at the end of 2014 and be featured in a live pop-up gallery exhibit event.View official rules here: https://baymeadows.com/photocontestrules/

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Featured Photo Credit: photo courtesy Creative Commons, SparkFun Electronics on flickr