Calling all Makers for 2017!
Join us this October 20-21 for the 2017 Louisville Mini Maker Faire! Our call for makers application is open, and we NEED you to apply!
NEW this year: Friday night public hours, with a block-party-style setting that you won’t want to miss!
Are you an inventor? An artist? Anyone with a creative project to show off? Think of this as the biggest, coolest show-and-tell you’ll ever attend–complete with robots, drones, and costumes!
Sign up as soon as possible. Spots are limited!
CLICK HERE to APPLY
How Do We Do it?
How do we fit SO MUCH AWESOME into such a small space? Check out our map and event schedule to see how it’s done!
Don’t Miss the After Party!
Join us for the MAKER FAIRE AFTER PARTY at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. The FOOD TRUCKS will be hanging around and there will be evening entertainment including the popular SPLELING BE that starts at 8pm. (This event is a 21+ event inside the KMAC w/ a cash bar available.) Click on the image to RSVP.
Maker Deadline Extended
The deadline to apply for booth space at the 2015 Louisville Mini Maker Faire has been extended to September 13th.
Calling all Makers!
There is still time to apply for a booth at the 2015 Louisville Mini Maker Faire.
Fill out the application here to get started.
Louisville Mini Maker Faire returns!
We are excited to announce that Louisville Mini Maker Faire will once again host its street festival of makers!
After our inaugural event last fall, we return to the 800 & 900 blocks of East Market Street in downtown Louisville. Many of our amazing makers from last year return for the 2014 faire and we’ll have even more new experiences that amaze, amuse and delight.
Why a “mini” maker faire? Mini maker faires are smaller versions of the awesome, full-size maker faires like the original in San Mateo, California, featuring over 900 makers! Compared to these super size events, ours seems a bit on the small side. However, Louisville Mini Maker Faire is BIG on opportunity to engage in lots of demonstrations, hands-on making and interactive experiences.
Help us make our second annual “mini” maker faire even bigger – mark your calendars today and spread the word on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and more!
Stay tuned for more information and ways to get involved.
“Nerdy Derby”: Beg, borrow, or make your racing cars!
Have you ever heard of the Boy Scouts’ Pinewood Derby?
Well – forget it. Well, some of it. Okay – forget most of it!
The “Nerdy Derby” is a no-rules*, anything-goes race of DIY cars on a Pinewood Derby track. We’ll have a “Nerdy Derby” at Mini Maker Faire, in which we’ll be sending vehicles down a Pinewood Derby track. Pretty much anything you can make, that rolls, will qualify.
We mean anything goes!
Image from Discovery News
We want to make sure that everyone knows you can bring a Pinewood Derby or similar sized car or make your own! We will have materials at the Louisville Mini Maker Faire to build your own car, but for that extra special car you may want to get started this weekend.
Tell your friends, parents, former Scout troop members, anyone you think might have something they want to make or race!
For more inspiration, check out www.nerdyderby.com and the awesome stuff going on at this weekend’s World Maker Faire in New York.
*OK, there is ONE rule: the cars must fit on the track. The standard gauge is as follows:
Wheel spacing – The spacing in between the wheels shall not be less than 1 ¾” or greater than 2” in width. The outside of one wheel to the outside of the other wheel must be less than 2 3/4″.
Call for Makers is closed!
We have had terrific response to our Call for Makers. This is our first year and we had no idea how many to expect. We were only anticipating some 30 to 40 makers. Instead we are pushing 70 and running out of comfortable space. This is terrifically exciting and we can’t wait to show everyone off!
In the meantime, our Call for Makers is closed. We may still be able to include certain Makers on a case-by-case basis – so if you have a solar car or something truly awesome contact makerfairelou@gmail.com to discuss. There are no guarantees, however, as we are deep into logistics planning with the current slate.
We will post a full list of this year’s Makers shortly!
Preview: Experiments in Water Filtration
The Louisville Water Company will be joining us on Sept. 28th at the Maker Faire for interactive “Experiments in Water Filtration” sessions. Learn about LWC’s rich history and innovations in making the “Best Tasting Tap Water in America”. Then, try your hand at making a water filter. Fun for all ages! Sessions will begin at the top of each hour, starting at noon with the last session ending at 6pm.
Thanks to the Louisville Water Company, there will also be a “Louisville’s Pure Tap” booth on Market Street pouring free water all day. Bring your own water bottle or buy one of LWC’s BPA-free bottles, and stay hydrated!
Event Preview: Power Tool Drag Racing
We’re finalizing the details but are working to bring Power Tool Drag Racing to MakerFaireLou on September 28th! If you’re unfamiliar with it, this event is a bracket-style competition where power tools such as circular saws, belt sanders, or weed whackers race against each other until one is crowned champion. Other prizes are given out for ‘most creative’ and ‘crowd favorite’, and depending on judge discretion, ‘ugliest’ or ‘best wreck’.
This year Louisville will be the first leg of a ‘Triple Crown’ of tool racing, with other legs in Columbus and Cincinnati. Here’s a preview of what to expect:
Why not build your own? Track and racer specs are available at the Ohio Tool Racing site.