Nearly 5,000 Visit Germany’s First Maker Faire

Half an hour before the opening of the first Maker Faire in (Hannover) Germany this past weekend we suspected it would be a success. A long queue of visitors stretched before the door. And the best thing for us was that so many families with children had gathered to admire the projects of the makers, the exhibitions, the performances, and flight shows.

Soon after the doors opened, the first children romped into the workshop tent outside to learn how to solder. Inside the main hall there was plenty to look, touch, try and make: 3D printers, light objects, robots, steampunk creations, quadcopters, paper art, cars driven by cordless screwdrivers, a cooker controlled by a Raspberry Pi, and much more. Retro fans were able to chat with almost primeval telex technology from 1950. The German Amateur Radio Club was also represented as an exhibitor. Over head, an Arduino-controlled zeppelin cruised through the hall. Despite the high summer temperatures the atmosphere was very relaxed and happy. You could read the enthusiasm on most visitors’ faces.

In the adjacent park a hovercraft with a chair on it (“Chair Force One”) drew a lot of attention from a loud misfire. Students built it in just four days. The community of Autoquad used Maker Faire for their international annual meeting. Attending were copter pilots and developers from the U.S., Spain, Poland, Denmark, Germany, and other countries. Meanwhile in the pond, a remote controlled shark was chasing the ducks.

Two stars of the Maker Faire Hanover were the robot “afreakin bass player” and “Sir Elton Junk” by Berlin artist Kolja Kugler. Every hour they performed in front of a crowd and received wide acclaim.

Overall there were 85 booths with 250 makers, 20 speakers, and nearly 5,000 visitors, much more than we expected. And the feedback from the speakers, makers, and visitors was clear: please do it again. A demand, we hopefully will fulfill.

Here are some scenes from the fair:

The crowds lined up to get into Germany’s first Maker Faire. By Martin Klauss.

Steampunk brain. By Martin Klauss.

“A Freakin Bass Player”, one of the hits at Maker Faire Hannover. By Martin Klauss.

Cosplay takes flight at Maker Faire Hannover. By Martin Klauss.

Quadcopters always draw a crowd. By Martin Klauss.

A Frankenbot? By Philip Steffan.

More steampunk creations. By Martin Klauss.

An Arduino-powered blimp motors overhead. By Martin Klauss.

Alfons Schraeder was a co-organizer of Maker Faire Hannover and is general manager of the Heise Zeitschriften Verlag GmbH & Co. publishing group. Daniel Bachfeld was a co-organizer of Maker Faire Hannover and is editor-in-chief of c’t Hardware Hacks

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