'The Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth:' The Louisville Maker Faire will return to UofL's campus

Sidelined for two years by the global pandemic, Louisville Maker Faire will return Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The free event will be held at the University of Louisville’s Swain Student Activities Center, 2100 S. Floyd St.

Equal parts street festival, science fair and business networking event, Louisville Maker Faire is billed as “The Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth.” Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters to homesteaders to scientists to garage tinkerers, all sharing the Louisville Maker Faire purpose – to entertain, inform, connect and grow the maker community.

Launched in 2006 in the San Francisco Bay Area, Maker Faires have been held in more than 200 cities throughout the world, according to Make:. The Louisville Maker Faire dovetails with UofL’s strategic goals, said UofL Interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez.

“UofL and Louisville Maker Faire share a common goal: applying creativity and innovation to address needs today and into the future,” Gonzalez said. “At UofL, we concentrate our research and scholarship efforts behind three Grand Challenges – Empowering Our Communities, Advancing Our Health and Engineering Our Future Economy – knowing the solutions we find will make a difference and create a thriving future for Louisville, for Kentucky and for the world. Louisville Maker Faire, and the makers it calls attention to, do likewise. We are proud to again host Louisville Maker Faire and are thrilled that it is returning.”

Sponsors of the event include GE Appliances, a Haier company, and FirstBuild, a co-creation community that is changing the way products come to market backed by GE Appliances and housed on UofL’s Belknap Campus.

“At GE Appliances, we’re always looking for new and better ways to make life easier for our customers, drive change in our communities through opportunity and create possibilities sparked by connection and curiosity,” said Kevin Nolan, president & CEO of GE Appliances. “The Louisville Maker Faire brings our community of makers and creators together driving inspiration, innovation and collaboration. The opportunity for students from kindergarten to college to experience creativity in action helps them see the potential of what can happen when we come together and what can be made from concept to creation.”

Maker Faires contribute greatly to fostering learning and inspiring a love of inventiveness in children and ultimately have a positive economic impact on the cities where they occur.

"Louisville Maker Faire helps us further advance our vision of innovation and lifelong learning for all by showcasing our active maker community, growing tech sector and thriving art scene that is building momentum across our city and the region,” said Grace Simrall, chief of the Office of Civic Innovation and Technology for Louisville Metro Government.

To participate in the 2022 Louisville Maker Faire, go the event’s Call for Makers web page.

See a video from the 2019 Maker Faire.