The Maker Faire is one of the biggest dates in the year for those entrenched in Maker culture. To many, it’s as significant as IFA or CES, and much like those events, most of this year’s Maker Faires have taken place online.
This isn’t the case for the first Maker Faire to take place in Shanghai, which will be going ahead with limited scope to reduce the risk to its attendees.
A Cautious Return to In-Person Events
The Shanghai Maker Faire will happen in Tonglefang, Jing’an, on November 7 and 8, 2020. It’s the first Maker Faire event to happen in Shanghai, and the event adds to the 200+ other events sharing the name around the globe.
It’s unclear how many tickets were sold, but the event is completely sold out, and registration has been disabled on the Maker Faire Shanghai website.
It promises to be the same meeting of enthusiasts, educators, artists, and commercial exhibitors that are characteristic of other large scale Maker Faires. However, the original scale had to be cut down to account for exhibitors’ and attendees’ safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s a fitting location for a Maker Faire, as Jing’an has transformed in recent years from an industrial area to the city’s thriving arts, culture, and innovation center. The Shanghai event is being organized by event agency City Moments and Tongji University College of Design and Innovation.
An Event Focused On Education
While all of the elements that give Maker Faire its unique feel will be present, there is a definite focus on education at the Shanghai event.
Multiple universities will be participating and presenting projects to the public. Workshops will be available, though it remains to be seen whether they will be restricted due to fear of a COVID-19 outbreak.
Featured speakers include Francesca Valsecchi, a professor at co-organizers Tongji University, and Salverio Silli, Educational Programmes Director at makerspace Fablab O – Shanghai, among many others.
A Year of Online Gatherings
This year has seen almost all physical events canceled, but many are moving online. There are virtual music festivals being streamed on Twitch, and most large scale symposiums have created some kind of online alternative.
Maker Faire is no different, and the worldwide Virtually Maker Faire took place between May 23-24, 2020, featuring speakers and online workshops from every corner of the globe.
The event was a resounding success and spawned several more, but those not attending the Shanghai Maker Faire will be wondering when the sense of community that Maker Faire fosters will be possible to experience in-person once again.