rochesterfaireinfo, Author at Maker Faire Rochester

We had an exhibit at the New York State Faire over labor Day Weekend as part of the inaugural S.T.E.A.M. Exhibit! Thousands of attendees stopped by our booth and tried on our Big Face Boxes for the first time!

We’ve had a close relationship to the Buffalo Mini Maker Faire as they were our inspiration to start the Rochester Mini Maker Faire. Attending their faire is always a treat as we love chatting with their producers and seeing the mix of Buffalo, Rochester, and Western New York makers all gathering together.

While in Austin for a work conference, we were able to stay with one of the Maker Faire Austin producers and help out during their faire! Below are a few highlights from their faire.

We attended the 2nd Annual Maker Faire Producers’ Summit in Miami this past weekend! All weekend, Maker Faire Producers traded tips, tricks, and stories from their own faires. It is beyond inspiring meeting others like us from all over the world, including Germany, China, Nepal, France and all over the US. Below is a great summary on the events from the weekend.

2016 has been a crazy year for the Rochester Mini Maker Faire team! We attended 5 other Maker Faires, met tons of other Faires at the Maker Faire Producers Summit in SF, helped represent the NYS Maker Movement at the Nation of Makers Kickoff at the White House, participated in or first regional Burning Man event, created large art installations with the community for TEDxAllendaleColumbiaSchooland the Rochester Fringe Festival, and meet hundreds of Makers throughout the Greater Rochester area and beyond. It’s been a year beyond our wildest dreams.

The other faires we attended include: Mohawk Valley Mini Maker Faire, Troy Mini Maker Faire, World Maker Faire New York, National Maker Faire, and the Fredonia Mini Maker Faire. We also attended the Wellsville, Penfield, and Lima Primary School Maker Faires.

Huge thank you to everyone who attended the Rochester Mini Maker Faire today. From our initial numbers, it looks like we had around 2,000 people in attendance again! Here are some highlights from the 3rd Annual Rochester Mini Maker Faire.

Jimmy DiResta from the Making It Podcast, and of Discovery Channel & HGTV fame, will be returning to the Rochester Mini Maker Faire. He will be joined by Bill Grigg (TheMakersGuide.com and the CNC Router Tips Podcast) and Rory May (DirtySmith.com and DragonForgeLTD.com) to host a panel on Making.

The panel will be taking place from 11am-12pm in the Riverside Court at the faire.

We will be hosting two community meetings that will be comprised of updates, including our final list of accepted Makers, volunteer information, set up and day of the faire instructions, Q & A, and time to meet your fellow local Makers. The meetings will take place at the Rochester Makerspace (map) on:

Thursday, November 10th, 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 12th, 10:00 a.m.

The Makerspace does have a parking lot that can be accessed via Scramton St.

The same information will be covered at each meeting and posted online afterward, so don’t worry if you can’t make one.

We will also have postcards to give out to help spread the word about the faire.

Wow! We currently have about 120 applications. We will be adding and updating a list of Makers as we confirm their participation. We are looking at a much bigger event this year. And YES, Toothpick World will be back this year!

It is not too late to submit for the call for makers, we will continue to accept Makers as space allows, and place others on a wait list if space opens up.

Calling all makers, crafters, tinkerers, and artists: the application for the third annual Rochester Mini Maker Faire is now open!

On November 19th from 9am to 5pm at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center, join us as Rochester celebrates the act of Making with attractions, exhibits, talks, demonstrations, and performances showcasing the intersection of science, technology, arts, and crafts — many of them immersive and interactive.

Rochester Mini Maker Faire is calling for all makers to apply to exhibit what they love to do! Come out and show your creations to thousands of curious attendees and meet fellow makers. Our application is open; we encourage you to apply early: http://bit.ly/RochesterMiniMakerFaireApplication2016

What is a “maker”? Everyone is a maker. People who create, tinker, and craft. People who are artists, scientists, engineers, inventors, and students. Anyone who enjoys making things. And you’re all invited!

Rochester Mini Maker Faire attracts a broad array of people and exposes them to technology, art, and engineering. Dan Schneiderman, co-chair of Rochester Mini Maker Faire and NYS representative of the White House Nation of Makers Initiative, says, “Maker Faire brings everyone together: from kids to grandparents, artists to engineers, professionals to hobbyists. Anyone with a passion for making.”

Rochester, with its history of creativity and invention, is an ideal place for a Maker Faire. Last year’s event showed a wonderful range of creativity:

A bridge made of hundreds of balloons that all participants could contribute to
CNC machines, 3D printers, and other leading edge inventions and technologies
Movie costumes and props made by a 14 year old, and other young maker booths
Hands-on robotics
A Giant Seesaw that everyone played on
Illuminated electric violins that created light shows as they were played
Board and computer games created by Rochesterians
Areas where attendees created their own cardboard structures, took electronics apart, and created new covers for old books
Soldering workshop with an electronic badge that attendees were able to take home
Student projects from local schools and colleges
The crew behind the Making It Podcast talked to us about making

This year we anticipate an area for fire arts. Additionally, the “Dark Room” will be back with light-based art.

The Rochester Mini Maker Faire celebrated its first event in November of 2014 with over 90 maker exhibits from across Western New York and 1,500 visitors of all ages in attendance. In 2015, we had 115 maker exhibits and approximately 3,000 attendees. We anticipate even more growth this year, and space is limited, so we encourage you to apply early!

Acceptance Dates for Makers