It’s Burning Man meets craft fair meets science fair meets art, said Pittsburgh Maker Faire Director Kayce Dewey.
At least 250 makers will showcase original creations Oct. 15-16 on the North Side. Individuals, groups and organizations across the tri-state area will present the latest in technology, art and invention. It celebrates anyone who makes anything, Dewey said.
“It’s getting back to the basics of using your hands and using different skills that you have to make something and learn how to do it yourself,” she said.
From chefs to technical tinkerers, Dewey said the event participants are the pioneers leading Pittsburgh’s renaissance.
More than 30 countries are host to roughly 200 Makers Faires, but Pittsburgh’s event is unique in that it focuses on technology and community engagement.
“It’s such an amazing thing and a celebration to see with Pittsburgh,” Dewey said. “Because sometimes we all get caught up in our own worlds and in our own neighborhoods. We don’t get to see what other people are doing. This is a great way for people of all ages and all difference backgrounds to see what their city has to offer.”
Whether through dance performances, drone races or food trucks, the fair serves as a public platform for local ideas to be presented on a public stage, Dewey said.
The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, a main sponsor of the event, is also a national leading center for the maker movement.
“There’s something there for everyone,” Dewey said.
In addition to attracting practicing makers to the city, Dewey said organizers hope to encourage young attendees to bring out their own creative projects.
“You make something, you build something, you have an idea,” she said. “Everyone is a maker.”
Tickets go on sale July 25.
