What Maker Faire does

Maker Faire is the global flagship brand of the maker movement, operating as Make Community LLC from the San Francisco Bay Area since its founding in 2006 by Dale Dougherty. The company produces a portfolio of in-person festival-style events that celebrate invention, creativity, and hands-on making, anchored by the original Maker Faire Bay Area event and extending to a network of 232 licensed Maker Faires across 27 countries on five continents as of 2025. Beyond events, Maker Faire supports a connected ecosystem including Make: Magazine, Maker Shed retail, the Makerspace Directory, the annual Yearbook archive, the Global Faire Map, and licensing programs for community and school organizers.

The underlying platform is an event management and community system comprising online ticketing with tiered pricing (early bird, advanced, door, VIP All Access), a Call for Makers application portal, a Global Faire Map for event discovery, and a Yearbook digital archive—standard web-based event infrastructure rather than proprietary technology. The flagship Bay Area event attracts 1,000+ participating makers and 100,000+ attendees worldwide, with the 20th anniversary edition scheduled for September 25-27, 2026 at the Historic Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, CA.

Maker Faire generates revenue through five primary streams: direct ticket sales to consumer attendees ($45-$105 per pass), licensing fees from community and school organizers ($99.99 annually for schools), commercial maker and startup exhibit fees ($500-$1,500), corporate sponsorships from technology and tool companies (including xTool, Microchip Technology, Snapmaker, iFixit, Mimaki, and others), and specialized school group bookings for Field Trip Day at $10 per student. The licensed-producer model allows the company to scale its global footprint with minimal capital expenditure by enabling third parties—museums, libraries, schools, and community organizations—to operate regional events under the Maker Faire brand. The go-to-market is a hybrid of community-led growth, event-driven flagship marketing, and channel-partner licensing across consumer, education, and enterprise customer segments.

Name

Maker Faire

Legal name

Make Community LLC

Website

https://makerfaire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Maker Faire is a global event platform and brand, founded in 2006, that produces family-friendly festivals celebrating the maker movement. It serves families, makers, K-12 schools, and corporate sponsors through flagship events, a licensed-producer network spanning 27 countries, and supporting media and community products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Maker Festivals & Event Licensing

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Community & Multi-Category Fairs (MPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family, Kids & Education Fairs (MPAGAFAH)

Keywords

• Maker festivals
• Event licensing
• Community events
• STEAM education
• Creative technology

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Direct ticket sales for flagship Maker Faire Bay Area and other major regional events. Tickets sold through online platform with tiered pricing including early bird, advanced, and door rates. Also includes VIP/All Access passes with premium benefits.
2. Exhibitor and Maker Booth Fees: Commercial makers and companies pay exhibit fees to showcase products and services. Commercial maker fee is $500, startup sponsorship packages start at $1,500 for qualifying startups.
3. Licensing Fees: Community organizations, schools, and businesses pay licensing fees to organize and brand their own Maker Faires. School Maker Faire license is $99.99 annually. License fees vary for community faires based on size and type.
4. Sponsorship and Corporate Partnerships: Technology companies, tool manufacturers, and brands sponsor flagship Maker Faires. Sponsors receive visibility at events, booth space, and brand association with the maker community. Current sponsors include xTool, Microchip Technology, HotoTools, CrunchLabs, Weller, Yeeps, Mimaki, iFixit, and Snapmaker.
5. Field Trip Day School Group Bookings: Specialized school group ticket sales for Friday Field Trip Day at Bay Area, offering discounted rates of $10 per student and $15 per chaperone for groups of 10 or more.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Maker Faire organizes and produces a global portfolio of family-friendly festivals celebrating invention, creativity, and the Maker Movement, anchored by the flagship Bay Area event launched in 2006. The company licenses the Maker Faire brand to local producers worldwide, enabling Community Faires, School Maker Faires, and regional Featured/Global Faires, while monetizing through ticket sales, exhibitor booth fees, licensing royalties, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Maker Faire is a global event platform and brand celebrating the Maker Movement through a portfolio of annual festivals and supporting services. The core offerings include the flagship Bay Area event, Global Faires (Paris, Hannover, Rome, Tokyo, Shenzhen), Featured Faires in major cities, Community Faires organized by local producers, and School Maker Faires for K-12 education. Supporting products include Field Trip Day educational programs, ticket sales platforms with tiered pricing, the Global Faire Map for event discovery, the Yearbook archive, Maker Spotlight editorial features, Call for Makers application system, and licensing programs for Community and School Maker Faires. The ecosystem is completed by the Make: Magazine subscription service and Maker Shed merchandise store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Maker Faire Bay Area The flagship annual Maker Faire event and the original celebration of the Maker Movement, a family-friendly showcase of invention and creativity featuring tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, and makers of all ages. Open to the public with tiered ticket pricing.
• Global Faires Major international Maker Faire events held in key global cities (Paris, Hannover, Rome, Tokyo, Shenzhen), featuring thousands of exhibitors and performers as the largest and boldest maker meetups in the network.
• Featured Faires Regional flagship Maker Faire events featuring hundreds of exhibitors, interactive zones, live talks, and expert makers across major cities.
• Community Faires Local Maker Faire events organized by licensed community producers, bringing together neighborhood makers, crafters, and gadget-builders for a day of showcasing and sharing skills.
• School Maker Faires Hands-on events designed for K-12 students, produced by and for school communities, where students exhibit projects they have designed, built, and coded across science, technology, art, and craft.
• Field Trip Day A specialized Friday educational event at Maker Faire Bay Area for K-12 school groups featuring hands-on STEAM activities, maker demonstrations, and curriculum-connected experiences, with discounted student tickets of $10 per student and $15 per chaperone for groups of 10 or more.
• Community Maker Faire Licensing Licensing program allowing community organizations, museums, libraries, and businesses to organize and brand their own Maker Faires, with access to brand assets, ticketing platform, marketing materials, playbooks, and the global producer community. License fees vary based on faire size and type.
• School Maker Faire Registration Annual registration program for K-12 schools to host their own Maker Faire events at $99.99 per year, including a customizable logo, a spot on the Maker Faire map, the School Maker Faire Playbook, a digital Make: magazine subscription, and access to the project curriculum and video library.

Quantifiable outcome

• 232 Maker Faires in 27 Countries across 5 Continents in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• xToolcoreTechnology or IntegrationWorkshop, Coal Shed, and Activity Sponsor for Maker Faire Bay Area 2026. Provides laser cutters and tools showcased at the event. xTool products are featured in maker demonstrations and workshops.
• Microchip Technology InccoreTechnology or IntegrationSponsor for Maker Faire Bay Area 2026. Provides microcontrollers and development tools for maker projects. Products featured in electronics and embedded systems exhibits.
• MimakicoreTechnology or IntegrationMedia, Community, and Exhibiting Sponsor. Provides large-format printing solutions showcased at maker exhibits.
• iFixitcoreTechnology or IntegrationMedia, Community, and Exhibiting Sponsor. Right-to-repair advocacy and tools align with maker movement values. Featured at sustainability and repair-focused exhibits.
• SnapmakercoreTechnology or IntegrationMedia, Community, and Exhibiting Sponsor. 3-in-1 maker tools (3D printing, laser cutting, CNC) showcased at the event.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• VidCon: Annual conference and festival for online video creators and fans. Comparable to Maker Faire as a community event that brings together creators, fans, and sponsoring brands, with tiered ticketing and a multi-track program.
• Instructables (Autodesk): Online DIY/maker community platform owned by Autodesk. Direct competitor in the maker community space; together with Maker Faire's Yearbook and Call for Makers, these platforms serve overlapping audiences of hobbyists and creators.
• South by Southwest (SXSW): Annual multi-track festival combining technology, music, film, and education in Austin. Comparable to Maker Faire in its multi-category format, large corporate sponsor roster, and emphasis on emerging tech and creative community.
• PAX (Penny Arcade Expo): Multi-city consumer gaming convention operated by ReedPop. Closely comparable to Maker Faire's regional Featured Faires structure with tiered tickets, exhibitor floors, and corporate sponsorships serving a passionate enthusiast community.
• SparkFun Electronics: Electronics education and maker tools retailer with a strong community focus. Comparable to Maker Faire's maker ecosystem participants and frequently exhibits at faires; overlapping target audience of electronics hobbyists and educators.
• Burning Man Project: Operates the large-scale participatory Burning Man event in Nevada. Comparable to Maker Faire as a community-driven, participatory cultural event with global regional reach and a strong DIY ethos.
• Adafruit Industries: Open-source hardware company and major maker community organizer. Overlapping audience with Maker Faire attendees; Adafruit regularly exhibits and is a longstanding presence in the maker ecosystem.
• Comic-Con International: Operator of the largest consumer pop culture convention in the US (San Diego Comic-Con). Closely comparable to Maker Faire as a flagship consumer convention/expo with tiered ticketing, exhibitor fees, corporate sponsorships, and a global community of passionate attendees.

Broad incumbents

• TED Conferences: Large-scale ideas conference with a global community and significant sponsorship/book/media ecosystem. Broader incumbent in the curated event space; comparable premium pricing, sponsor packaging, and brand-led event model, though focused on intellectual rather than hands-on content.

Emerging players

• FIRST Robotics: Operates K-12 robotics competitions with a comparable STEAM education mission and youth/family audience. Adjacent event-based STEAM organization that competes for school budgets and student engagement that Maker Faire also targets through School Maker Faires and Field Trip Day.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChtY6O8Ahw2cz05PS2GhUbg
• Xx.com/makerfaire
• Facebookfacebook.com/makerfaire

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maker Faire