Call for Makers Is Open for 7th Annual Maker Faire Kansas City at Union Station
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 9, 2017) — The “Call for Makers” is now open for the 7th Annual Maker Faire Kansas City, scheduled for June 24th & 25th. Described as the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth – Maker Faire showcases amazing innovation and invention of all kinds and from all ages. Anyone who tinkers, creates or builds is invited to apply for space to demonstrate their creativity. The deadline for Maker applications is May 14th and space is limited.
Makers of all kind participate in this annual Faire. Booths are free for individuals solely demonstrating their projects and/or offering hands-on Maker activities throughout the weekend. Other categories are offered for a small fee. Please visit kansascity.makerfaire.com for additional details.
Maker Faire Kansas City is a family-friendly event that attracts guests interested in what and how people are inventing, making and creating. Last year’s Maker Faire featured more than 1,800 Makers and Maker Assistants. The two-day event filled Union Station Kansas City both inside and out with more than 17,000 attendees and 350+ Maker booths with hands-on activities.
“Last year, our 6th Annual Maker Faire was a huge success by every measure,” said Christy Nitsche, Director of Advancement & Community Engagement. “We welcomed Makers from seven states and attendees from nearly all 50 states. And with more than 45 percent of Makers new each year, the event feels fresh year-after-year. Union Station is proud to host one of the largest Featured Maker Faires in the world. We encourage innovators, entrepreneurs, artists, inventors and anyone who wants to share their passion and inspire creativity to apply. Attendees to Maker Faire get a glimpse into the future and are inspired to become Makers themselves.”
New this year, Maker Faire Kansas City is also welcoming Strawberry Swing, recently recognized as one of the top 35 fairs of its kind in the world. This indie craft fair features handmade works of art combining traditional craft techniques with modern, off beat and unconventional styles, contexts and subject matters. Maker Faire visitors will meet expert crafters celebrating the handmade movement in the most unexpected ways.
Maker Faire 2016 was supported by 40+ sponsors and partners and more than 120 volunteers who put in over 1,000 hours in three short days.
Local establishments and foundations have again stepped up to support one of the biggest community events of the summer. Sponsors of the 2017 Faire include: Make:, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Missouri S&T, JE Dunn and the Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund of the City of Kansas City, Missouri, just to name a few. Their support ensures Maker Faire Kansas City’s success and directly encourages a community-wide enthusiasm for innovation and entrepreneurism.
Makers are encouraged to act soon and apply online. The May 14th application deadline will be here before you know it! For additional information, visit kansascity.makerfaire.com.
Finally, for business, organizations and individuals interested in sponsoring Maker Faire, please contact [email protected] to learn about the full array of options.
Maker Faire Kansas City is independently organized and operated under license from Maker Media, Inc.
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About Union Station Kansas City, Inc.
Union Station Kansas City — a 501(c)3 non-profit organization — is a 100-year-old historical landmark and celebrated civic asset renovated and reopened to the public in 1999. The organization — dedicated to science education, celebration of community and preservation of history — is home to Kansas City’s internationally-awarded Science Center; the popular Model Railroad Experience; the NEW Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium; the Regnier Extreme Screen Theatre, H&R Block City Stage featuring live theater, and a selection of unique shops and restaurants. Union Station is also home to prominent area civic organizations and businesses, and regularly hosts world-class traveling exhibitions. Awarded “Top Banquet Facilities in KC” by KC Business Journal, the facility regularly hosts community events and private celebrations of all sizes. Visit www.unionstation.org for details. Also, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Maker Faire
Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker Movement. It’s a place where people show what they are making, and share what they are learning.
Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters to homesteaders to scientists to garage tinkerers. They are of all ages and backgrounds. The aim of Maker Faire is to entertain, inform, connect and grow this community.
The original Maker Faire event was held in San Mateo, CA and in 2016 celebrated its eleventh annual show with some 1300 makers and 150,000 people in attendance. World Maker Faire New York, the other flagship event, has grown in five years to 900+ makers and 95,000 attendees. Forty larger scale Maker Faires occur in cities around the world—Detroit, Atlanta, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, and Shenzhen to name a few— and over 150 community-driven, independently organized Mini Maker Faires are now being produced in the United States and in 37 other countries around the world.
About Make: Magazine:
Make: is the first magazine devoted entirely to Do-It-Yourself (DIY) technology projects. Make: 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. Download a free issue here.
Besides the magazine and the faire, Make: is:
a vital online stream of news and projects, blog.makezine.com;
a retail outlet for kits and books, the Maker Shed;
a steady stream of fun and instruction via our YouTube channel;
Make: Projects, a library of projects with step-by-step instruction;
a publisher of best-in-category titles via Make: Books, including introductions to electronics, Raspberry Pi, 3D printing, Arduino and more.