Maker Faire Singapore Celebrates Lifelong Learning

Last year, the organizers of Maker Faire Singapore decided to go big and host their first large-scale Faire, featuring over 550 makers, 250 maker exhibits, and drawing 10,000 attendees over the course of the weekend. To put the exponential growth of their maker community in perspective, in 2012, when they hosted their first Singapore Mini Maker Faire, they featured 20 maker exhibits and drew 1,000 attendees. It’s always exciting to see the community come together, grow, and continue to inspire others to join in the fun of making.

This year, the fifth annual Maker Faire Singapore promises to be even bigger with 600 makers, 320 exhibits, and 78 presentations and workshops. Being bored there be virtually impossible. The largest maker event in Southeast Asia takes place June 25 and 26 at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

This recap video from last year’s Faire gives a window into the welcoming vibe of the community:

Among the many highlights in 2015 was a giant cardboard teddy bear head that transformed into a dark room for light painting, made by Bart Ting of OneMakerGroup (OMG). Yes, MakerBear at Maker Faire.

And a huge PVC robot sculpture made by the Strawbees team. Look how much fun they had going to Singapore:

Plus all of these smiling faces and creative projects:

Maker Faire Singapore is organised by A*STAR, Science Centre Singapore, IDA Labs, SUTD and supported by the Lifelong Learning Council, Intel, Cognizant, Autodesk and HOPE Technik. Dr. Kiruthika Ramanathan, senior manager of education services and outreach at Science Centre Singapore shared what else is new this year:

We have more sponsors on board this year. Intel and Autodesk are coming back, and we have support from Cognizant and Mouser as well as HOPE Technik, a local engineering company.

An interesting new initiative this year is the “Every Day, a Learning Day” passport that we will be issuing to all the visitors to the Faire. This initiative is supported by the LifeLong Learning Council and ties in with Singapore’s vision of building a strong culture of lifelong learning. The council supports Maker Faire Singapore owing to the strong educational angle of the Faire, as well as because most makers view learning as a lifelong journey.

Here’s how the passport works:
1. Pick up a free learning passport at any of the information counters.
2. Try your hand at making something at one of the hands-on booths or workshops.
3. Snap a photo of your creation.
4. Share it on Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #LearnSG.
5. Head to a photo booth to print your photo.

What a neat way to celebrate the joy of picking up a new skill and learning how to make something! There will be no shortage of workshops and hands-on booths to choose from. Check out the full workshop schedule in advance to plan and maximize your day.

Also, be sure to check out the full listing of makers who will be exhibiting this year, with diverse and interesting projects including a human-sized hamster wheel, a cotton candy shooter, bikes that spray water, and of course a learn to solder area where you can make your own light-up keychains. The organizing team has also put together a series of short maker profile videos, where you can get an intimate look at a number of makers and projects.

All the information you need to attend Maker Faire Singapore is on the site, including the link to register to attend. All registered attendees get a free maker kit upon arrival. Join the fun!