When I was in school the end of May and September were especially painful times — I’d stare at this blog with envy as it filled with photos and video from the Bay Area and New York Maker Faires. I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it to a show until I graduated, since I was either in school or working elsewhere during those times.
So, instead of waiting for an opportunity to attend a “featured” Faire, I decided to start a Mini Faire myself (and you should, too!). I held the first Atlanta Mini Maker Faire in the parking lot of the one of the Mechanical Engineering buildings at Georgia Tech in September of 2011, and it was a blast. Now, more than two years later, I’m going back for the third annual Faire at Georgia Tech, and I am extremely excited to see how it’s grown.
The lineup of Makers for this year’s show is impressive, and extensive. With 125+ exhibitors and nice weather in the forecast, it’s bound to be a fantastic day. I’m especially excited to see a few:
Georgia Tech Invention Studio: One of the largest and most impressive student-run makerspaces in the country will be out in full-swing, showing off some student projects. Many of the studio members have been an integral part of the Faire production as well.
Maker Joe: Joe is a veteran of the Atlanta Maker Community — his insanely intricate kinetic art sculptures made him one of my favorite makers from the inaugural year, and I’m excited to see what electromechanical projects he’s been working on recently.
Swap-O-Rama-Rama: The international community of clothing swaps comes to Atlanta for the first time this weekend! Swap encourages creative reuse through the recycling of used clothing (so bring a bag of unwanted clothing with you). 
On top of that, founder Wendy Tremayne will be talking about it and her new book, the Good Life Lab.
Robot Combat: One of the most popular events from last year’s show was the Micro Robot Combat tournament (1 and 3lb bots only). Thanks to the hard work of a few Atlanta-based robot builders, the tournament will take place in a brand new arena this year!
The show is completely free to attend, but tickets are required (pick them up here). So come join me, Maker Faire founder Dale Dougherty and many others on Georgia Tech’s beautiful campus this Saturday! I’ll be bringing a few Maker Shed products to sell and some swag to give away, so please stop by and say “hey”.
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