An impressive number of Maker Faires are scheduled to take place in Germany (and Switzerland and Austria) this year, including eight large-scale Faires, five Mini Maker Faires, and a whole series of smaller Faires hosted in bookstores.
The organizing force behind this plethora of German Maker Faires is none other than Maker Media GmbH, a division of Heise Group, publishers of the German-language version of Make: magazine.
The 2017 German Maker Faire season kicked off last Sunday with the Dillingen-Saar Mini Maker Faire, which was a great success. Here are some images from the day:
And a neat video recap by MadTiXx:
This weekend, on March 25 and 26, the second annual Maker Faire Ruhr takes place at the DASA Arbeitswelt Ausstellung museum in Dortmund. The inaugural event in 2016 featured 60 maker exhibits and drew 4,500 attendees.
5 Clever Things to See and Do at Maker Faire Ruhr
With a full lineup of Makers, workshops, and presentations, there’s sure to be something for everyone at this year’s Maker Faire Ruhr. Here are just five of the many clever things to see and do.
Giant Crochet Playground by Den Draad
Den Draad from Belgium makes crochet art in XXL, including colorful ropes and balls that make up hand-crocheted playgrounds. Kids are invited to take off their shoes and play.
Art and Workshops by Machina Nostalgica
Steampunk art collective Machina Nostalgica will be showing off their beautiful works (like the lamp pictured here, made by André Kahlke), as well as running several workshops throughout the weekend, including the DIY 3D projector, build your own monster, and the upcycled flickering candle light.
Low-Cost Optics and Photonics by Myphotonics
The Myphotonics team from Osnabrück University is on a mission to create and share builds for low-cost DIY optics and photonics equipment based on Lego bricks. Pictured here is their two-beam interferometer. Come learn about lasers and light at their booth, and check out their Instructables for how-tos.
Kitchen Experiments for Kids by Dr. Sascha Ott
Physicist Dr. Sascha Ott shows kids how much fun science can be with his unique experiments using everyday objects. He’ll be offering two interactive shows a day. Check the schedule for times.
Original Vehicles by Abacus Theater
Crowd pleasers Abacus Theater are back with their unique and fantastical handmade art vehicles. They will be rolling around and performing throughout the Faire.
Upcoming Maker Faires
There are many Maker Faires coming up throughout the year in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and about half of them are still accepting applications from makers who wish to share their projects with the community. Most notably, the Maker Faire Berlin Call for Makers ends soon, on March 31.
Maker Faire Sachsen (Chemnitz): April 22 + 23
Salzburg Mini Maker Faire: April 29
Maker Faire Vienna: May 20 + 21
Maker Faire Berlin: June 9–11
Maker Faire Bodensee (Friedrichshafen): July 15 + 16
Maker Faire Hannover: August 25–27
Zürich Mini Maker Faire: September 9 + 10
Maker Faire Bergstraße (Bensheim): September 16 + 17
Steyr Mini Maker Faire: September 29 + 30
Phaeno Mini Maker Faire (Wolfsburg): November 10 + 11
Maker Faire Im Norden (Kiel): November 18 + 19
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