More than 15,000 people flocked to Balboa Park over a two-day period for the inaugural Maker Faire San Diego. On Saturday, Oct. 3, Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Councilman Todd Gloria joined the Maker Faire San Diego team to officially kick off Balboa Park’s Fall Centennial event of the year. “From the World Expo in 1915 to Maker Faire in 2015, San Diego is still putting our innovative spirit on for the world to see. And best of all, San Diego continues to be a place of innovation,” said Faulconer. He urged San Diegans to join in on the festivities that included a fire breathing robot, cupcake cars roaming the Plaza de Panama, a rolling remote controlled AR-duo and Russell, the giant 12-foot electric giraffe, among other spectaculars. During the two day festival participants made air-rockets, LED button lights, self-watering planters and automatons. Attendees learned about the most innovative ways to use lasers, 3D printers, drones, intricate crafts, and a huge array of the newest technology.
Mayor Jorge Astiazarán from the City of Tijuana and José Galicot from the non-profit group, Tijuana Innovadora also joined the stage on Saturday morning to announce the first-ever binational event. Makers showcasing innovation and creations from both sides of the border exhibited in the Hall of Champions on both Saturday and Sunday. In this first year and exclusively for Maker Faire San Diego, inventors from the Qualcomm Inventor Lab were also on hand in Balboa Park for the two day event. Nicholas Hanna roamed around the Plaza de Panama on his TrikeWriter, a three-wheel vehicle that dripped recycled water-written messages from the back of the bike. James Parr, unveiled his game changing 3-D printed Ultrascope and his vision to defend the planet from asteroids with the use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon and 4G LTE technology straight from a smartphone. Parr took over the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center dome theater center on both days. What is it?
Maker Faire San Diego is a festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the burgeoning Maker movement in the San Diego Region. Unlike other Maker Faires, MFSD will incorporate all of Balboa Park in what we are calling an “outside-in” model to include Maker exhibitions within the museums as well as throughout the park. In the spirit of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, San Diego Maker Faire will partner with Tijuana Innovadora to showcase innovators, creators, and makers from our bi-national region. This partnership seeks to foster regional partnerships in creation, innovation and manufacturing. Website: http://sdmakerfaire.org/
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