Maker Faire Atlanta Turns Engineering Into Entertainment

Fourth Annual Maker Faire Atlanta Set For Oct. 4 and 5, 2014

Faire Moves To New Location In Decatur And Is Extended To Two-Day Festival

Atlanta: Get ready to invent, create and inspire. Maker Faire Atlanta will take place this year on Oct. 4 and 5, 2014, in the Downtown Decatur Square. Maker Faire Atlanta is the biggest “show and tell” in the Southeast. The weekend highlights Atlanta’s “Makers,” ranging from tech enthusiasts to crafters to homesteaders to backyard scientists and garage tinkerers. Makers share their inventions, creations and ideas in a hands-on learning environment. The enormous festival is an all-ages event and completely free to attend.

The goal of the event is to bring together creators, innovators, tinkerers, hobbyists and amateur enthusiasts to learn, share, experiment and expand upon a great tradition of making in the South. The Maker Movement is here and these passionate individuals are responsible for the revolution.

Maker Faire Atlanta will take place over two days this year: Saturday Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday Oct. 5 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The organizers of this year’s Faire expect at least 15,000 people in attendance. New this year, the Faire will be hosted by the City of Decatur and will take place in downtown Decatur on North McDonough Street and in the large parking area surrounding the Callaway Building.

The enormous growth of the Faire has afforded the event a new title and increased notoriety this year. Attendants of last year’s Faire will remember that it was called Atlanta Mini Maker Faire. Once a Mini Maker Faire reaches 10,000 participant attendance, it has the option to become a “featured faire.” Atlanta has reached this milestone and now joins the ranks of other featured Faires in cities like Rome, Paris, Detroit and Kansas City. Unlike these other featured Faires, however, Atlanta’s event is completely free to attend, thanks to support from generous Atlanta-area companies and organizations. Maker Faire Atlanta is the only featured faire to offer free attendance.

Part of the mission of the Maker Faire is to educate the next generation of innovators by giving kids increased access to design tools and resources. With renewed emphasis on STEAM (Science, Technology, Arts, Engineering and Mathematics) learning in schools and after-school programs all over the country, the Maker Movement provides the perfect framework and support system for continued involvement in project-based, experimental learning.

For more information about Maker Faire Atlanta, how to be a sponsor, or how to volunteer, visit the event website http://makerfaireatl.com/ or contact makerfaireatl@gmail.com. Get your free ticket to the event through Eventbrite: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/maker-faire-atlanta-2014-registration-123869...

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 2013 celebrated its eighth annual show with some 900 makers and 120,000 people in attendance. World Maker Faire New York, the other flagship event, has grown in three years to 500+ makers and 55,000 attendees. Detroit, Kansas City, Newcastle (UK), Rome, Shenzhen, Oslo, Tokyo, Silver Spring, Milwaukee and Atlanta are the home of “featured” 2014 Maker Faires, and community-driven, independently organized Mini Maker Faires are now being produced around the United States and 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.