Thousands of makers, inventors, students, engineers and artists are听expected to converge on the Belknap Campus this fall as and UofL host a two-day听Maker Faire听Festival Sept. 28-29.
The upcoming event听was announced today.听
The Louisville Maker Faire听will be a free, family-friendly event that includes spectacle acts,听exhibitions, competitions, hands-on听workshops, speakers, musical performances and more.
鈥淲e look forward to bringing听the community together on our campus to create, discover and be inspired,鈥 said President Neeli Bendapudi. 鈥淭his event will show the incredible power听of partnership between our university and local industry.鈥
鈥淗osting our city鈥檚 first full-feature听Maker Faire is an example of how businesses and organizations are working听together to drive听innovation, and a reflection听of the听budding听tech sector听and thriving art scene that have gained momentum in Louisville and across听the region,鈥 said Larry Portaro, president of FirstBuild.
Rob Keynton, UofL’s interim executive vice president for research and innovation, said the university is a “hotbed for innovation,” adding that his office is dedicated to working with community partners to do even more.听
“This September, thousands of makers, artists and entrepreneurs from across the U.S. will see, first hand, what our students and faculty can do when they attend Maker Faire on our campus,” he said.
GE Appliances, one听of the event鈥檚 flagship sponsors, backs FirstBuild and is a Louisville-based听maker that has been inventing and听manufacturing home appliances for more than听100 years.听
鈥淭his Maker Faire will be听the largest gathering of inventors, creators and makers that this city has ever听seen,鈥 said Kevin Nolan, president and听chief executive officer of GE听Appliances. 鈥淗osting this event in the hometown of GE Appliances showcases the brain听power and creativity of our听community.”
Similar Faires have been听held in cities across the globe since 2006. Louisville has hosted a听smaller-scale, single-day mini maker faire for the past听six years.
鈥淔rom my first day as the听city鈥檚 mayor, innovation and lifelong learning have been among my听core pillars to help our community thrive and grow,鈥 said听Louisville Mayor Greg听Fischer. 鈥淢aker Faire will help us continue to advance that vision.鈥
Organizers are seeking makers,听sponsors and volunteers to contribute to the success of the event. Makers can听sign up to provide an exhibit,听presentation, performance, workshop or demo.听.听
See more .
Check out video from today’s press conference:听
