Education Day, New 'Future of Food' Focused Area, and Healthcare Theme Lead the Offerings This Year

SAN FRANCISCO, May 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Maker Faire, the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth, is primed to welcome tens of thousands of making enthusiasts to San Mateo, California, for the largest gathering of makers in the world during May 19-21, 2017. This event marks twelve years in San Mateo, which is where Maker Faire first began and is an important player in the greater Bay Area's role in the global Maker Movement.

Maker Faire Bay Area kicks off on Friday, May 19, with a special preview day—FRIDAY@MakerFaire, from 1pm to 5pm—designed to give Maker Movement supporters the chance to get more face-to-face time with makers. Another key group in attendance for FRIDAY@MakerFaire will be students from local schools. One hundred schools are signed up to take in the afternoon at the Faire with over 3,400 students from all sorts of public and private schools ranging from kindergartners through to high schoolers, and a few community colleges. Nearly 1,200 students will represent schools serving underprivileged areas, giving them the opportunity to explore what making means for them and how it can change how they learn and affect their life's direction. Maker Faire provides scholarships for FRIDAY@MakerFaire to a number of schools that would otherwise not be able to attend.

New this year to Maker Faire Bay Area is an area focused on the future of food. First established at Maker Faire Rome 2016 by Future Food from Bologna, Italy, this area will demonstrate the potential for innovation and the ability to create positive impacts on the entire agri-food chain. From alternative proteins from insects, vertical greenhouses, and new super foods from around the world, this area will educate attendees about the 'food maker movement.'

In addition, the Faire has curated many projects centered around healthcare including products, services, and makerspaces at healthcare centers. Leading the charge is MakerHealth helping to create makerspaces in hospitals as well as build a powerful network of health care providers sharing how-tos. Attendees will find projects such as an Arduino-based, mouth-controlled input device that enables people with little or no hand movement to operate a touchscreen device; a brain-wave-mapping smart earphone that tracks users' brain activity to understand their mental state, analyze their stress level, and help them calm down; and other innovations from health care professionals around the globe who are creating their own modified solutions based on experience and patient need.

The Faire, as always, is curated in ways that allow attendees to find the makers who align with their interests as well as identify new projects they can learn about while at the Faire. In addition to the areas noted above, attendees can take in the dark room for projects that light up; a large hands-on activities area; Learn to Solder; Lock Picking 101; Maker to Market; electronics; robotics; drones; Homegrown Village; arts and crafts; and more.

Tickets for Maker Faire Bay Area 2017 are on sale now and available at online only, advance pricing through Thursday, May 18, at https://mfba2017.eventbrite.com. In addition, Whole Foods Market at Park Place near the venue has tickets available for purchase while supplies last. Tickets can also be purchased at the Faire during May 19-21.

About Maker Faire

Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness, and celebration of the Maker Movement. It's a place where people of all ages and backgrounds gather together to show what they are making and share what they are learning.

Maker Faire has celebrated 191 Faires in 2016 alone and has engaged more than 1.4 million attendees globally in 38 countries around the world. The 11th annual Maker Faire Bay Area welcomed some 1,300 Makers and 150,000 attendees. World Maker Faire New York, the East Coast flagship event, has grown in seven years to 930+ Makers and 95,000 attendees.

Located in San Francisco, California, Make: has been widely credited with jumpstarting the worldwide Maker Movement, which is a transforming force in innovation, culture, and education. The Maker Faire global events brand, Make: magazine, including Make: books, are all part of Make:.

Calendar Editors

A celebration of DIY culture, Maker Faire Bay Area 2017 runs Friday-Sunday, May 19-21, 2017, at the San Mateo Event Center, 1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo, CA. Friday, 1 pm to 5 pm; Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm; Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm. Tickets range from $20.00-80.00 (ages 3 and under are free) and can be purchased at https://mfba2017.eventbrite.com. World Maker Faire New York 2017 is slated for Saturday-Sunday, September 23-24, at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, New York. More information about Maker Faire can be found at http://www.makerfaire.com.

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Maker Faire Bay Area 2017 Sponsors
Presenting Sponsors: Intel, Avnet; Goldsmith: Google, Microsoft; Silversmith: Air France, BOSEbuild, Cognizant, Digi-Key, Mimaki, Kickstarter.