Maker Faire Philadelphia 2026 Returns to Cherry Street Pier and Race Street Pier.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Emily Silverman, emily@phillymakerfaire.com

What Do Combat Robots, Biotech Experiments, and Handcrafted Textiles Have in Common?

They’ll All Be at Maker Faire Philadelphia 2026

Event Date: Sunday, April 19, 2026, 10am — 4pm
Event Location: Cherry Street Pier, 121 Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19106 

PHILADELPHIA, PA (January 20, 2026) – What do combat robots, biotech experiments, and handcrafted textiles have in common? They’ll all be at Maker Faire Philadelphia when the event returns to Cherry Street Pier and Race Street Pier in 2026.

Now in its sixth year, Maker Faire Philadelphia has become the region’s premier gathering place for inventors, artists, engineers, crafters, and tinkerers of every kind. It’s where 3D printers sit alongside analog art installations, where rocket builders share space with fashion designers, and where the only requirement is a passion for making and a willingness to share it.

The 2025 event demonstrated the Faire’s growing momentum. As Hackaday reported, “The pier was packed with fascinating exhibits and excited attendees, and when the dust settled, everyone I spoke to was thrilled with how the day went and felt extremely positive about the future of the Faire.”

What Visitors Will Experience

Attendees will explore:

• Interactive Demonstrations: Watch creators at work and learn the stories behind their projects.
• Hands-On Activities: Try new techniques and experiment with different tools and materials.
• Innovative Exhibits: Discover projects spanning traditional crafts to emerging technologies.
• Community Connections: Meet makers, entrepreneurs, educators, investors, and mentors who share your curiosity.

Join us for Philadelphia’s largest celebration of DIY innovation and creativity.

Call for Makers https://philly.makerfaire.com/call-for-makers/

Maker Faire Philadelphia is seeking participants for 2026. If you’ve built something, programmed something, grown something, or crafted something with a Do-It-Yourself (or Do-It-Together) spirit, we want you there.

We’re seeking makers working in any area: digital fabrication (3D printing, laser cutting, CNC), sustainable technology, glass work, toys and games, robotics, drones, VR/AR, textiles, woodworking, interactive art, food innovation, unusual machines, and more. Solo inventors, student teams, makerspaces, and creative startups are all encouraged to apply. We especially value exhibits that are hands-on, interactive, and reveal the making process.

Participation is free for makers sharing their craft rather than selling products or services.  

Maker Application Deadline:  February 28, 2026

Call for Volunteers https://philly.makerfaire.com/volunteer/

We’re building something extraordinary for 2026, and we hope you’ll be part of it! To our past volunteers: thank you for the energy, enthusiasm, and heart you brought to the Faire. You helped us celebrate everything that makes Philadelphia’s maker community remarkable.

We’d love to have you back or joining for the first time.  Veterans, your experience matters; first-timers, your viewpoint keeps us growing and evolving.

Volunteer roles span the full spectrum: event planning, welcoming visitors, assisting exhibitors, venue setup and breakdown, and more. Whatever your skills or schedule, there’s a way to contribute. You’ll connect with inspiring people, see the Faire from a whole new angle, and help create an experience that brings our community together.

We do it best when we do it with you.

Open and Accessible https://philly.makerfaire.com/tickets/

Maker Faire Philadelphia is committed to being an event for all. Tickets are available on a pay-what-you-can basis:

• Supporter ($25): Help a neighbor join us
• Market ($10): Standard admission
• Community ($5): Reduced admission
• Neighbor (Free): We’re glad to have you!

Attendees are encouraged to pay based on their resources—if you work full time, consider a rate along the lines of your hourly pay.  

Maker Faire Philadelphia is independently organized and operated under license from Maker Media, Inc.

Maker Faire Philadelphia, aka Philly Maker Faire, is a fiscally sponsored project of Digital Harbor Foundation.

Sponsorships and Partnerships Available

Philly Maker Faire is looking for partners and sponsors to build an even better event in 2025. This is the premier event in the region for innovators to show off their ingenuity to an engaged public. Maker Faire is designed to inspire attendees to create their future. 

• Sponsorship helps cover the costs that come with organizing a Maker Faire, which means we can level up.  With that financial support, we bring in materials, equipment, and other resources for even more awesome workshops and demos.  This means a more dynamic, inspiring event for attendees and smoother operations for our volunteer team.  
• Sponsorship allows Philly Maker Faire to be a rich, memorable experience that’s accessible to everyone through sliding-scale admission. The event draws creators and innovators across generations, giving sponsors natural opportunities to connect with potential collaborators, customers, and talent in an authentic setting. By hosting hands-on activities or workshops, you’ll forge genuine connections with attendees while gaining valuable insights for future innovations. Plus, supporting Maker Faire aligns perfectly with initiatives focused on education and strengthening our community.
• This is THE opportunity for talented inventors, engineers, designers, innovators, and entrepreneurs to show their creations and ingenuity.
• Share your message with a highly educated and motivated audience of creatives, trend setters, and early adopters.
• Associate your name with engaging hands-on experiences which have a memorable, lasting impact.

More information about sponsorship opportunities can be found at the link
https://philly.makerfaire.com/sponsorship/  or email hello@phillymakerfaire.com

About Cherry Street Pier

Cherry Street Pier is a year-round, mixed-use public space on the central Delaware River Waterfront. Built into the shell of a century-old municipal pier, it is a reflection of Philadelphia today—creative, diverse, historic, adaptable, and inspired. To learn more, visit CherryStreetPier.com. 

About the Race Street Pier

Race Street Pier, located along the river at the intersection of Race Street and Columbus Boulevard opened in 2011 as the first park to be completed by DRWC. The design of Race Street Pier is a nod towards its original function as a bi-level shipping pier built-in 1896. To learn more, visit https://www.delawareriverwaterfront.com/places/race-street-pier

About Maker Faire

Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker Movement.  It’s a place where people show what they are making and share what they are learning.  Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters to homesteaders to scientists to garage tinkerers.  They are of all ages and backgrounds. The aim of Maker Faire is to entertain, inform, connect, and grow this community.

The original Maker Faire event was held in San Mateo, CA and in 2025 celebrated its 17th show at its new location on Mare Island, CA. Annually, many large-scale Maker Faires occur in cities around the world—Orlando, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Lille, Prague, Rome, Tokyo, and Shenzhen to name a few—alongside a wide variety of independently organized Community Maker Faires.

Besides the magazine and the faire, MAKE is:

• a vital online stream of news and projects (makezine.com);
• a retail outlet for kits and books, the Maker Shed (makershed.com);
• a steady stream of fun and instruction via our YouTube channel (youtube.com/make);
• a publisher of best-in-category titles via Make: Books, including introductions to electronics, Raspberry Pi, 3D printing, Arduino and more; and
• a gathering point for discussion, project sharing, finding assistance, and accessing unique content at Make Community (make.co).

More info: https://makerfaire.com

Press Contact

Emily Silverman, Producer

Maker Faire Philadelphia

emily@phillymakerfaire.com

Global Maker Faires

Exciting exploration for two of Maker Faire Philly’s key organizers. Evan made a dream come true and traveled to Maker Faire Tokyo and Maker Faire Seoul. He shared some highlights at Makezine.com. And in a few weeks, Tex will be at Maker Faire Shenzhen as an Innovation Ambassador. Keep an eye on Upcoming Maker Faires to include these events as part of your own travels or to make it the reason to hit the road.

In 2025, The Philly Maker Faire Finds Its Groove

Check out this fabulous write-up from Tom Nardi at Hackaday.

Taking Time to Breathe and Talk Design with Artist Deanna McLaughlin

This week we’re chatting with artist Deanna McLaughlin. She is a visual artist and designer who makes unique artwork and custom creations. Deanna worked for several years as an art therapist in state mental hospitals and for over two decades as a public school art educator. She was one of five Americans to participate in the First Artist Exchange with the Union of Artists at St. Petersburg, Russia.

What do you make?

I create one-of-a-kind 2-d and 3-d artworks. I let the idea dictate the materials I use when I set out to figure out how to make my concept or idea work! There are exceptions to this. Sometimes the idea is born from the material I find. When this happens the idea is born from the object itself. I have made pieces from sticks I found in nature, and from objects, people discard as in the “Rara Avis” sunglass lens piece recently on view at Park Town Towers. There is no one set material I create with. I have never found one medium to be the singular best to represent an idea. My preference is to work with found materials. We live in a culture of excess. When possible I use materials that I find or reuse things that already exist and modify them into a new form.

Who do you make it for?

I make art to satiate my desire to make an idea come alive. I love the design problem-solving process. How can I make this idea come alive? That’s really what it is about for me. I exhibit to make sure the objects I make do not collect dust! It’s the process of creating something from nothing that satisfies me most. If I am accepted into a show that’s great but I do not hinge my art-making on the outcome- that would kill the joy of the process. My work is a way of processing the world around us and the irony of our culture.

Where are you located?

Center City, Philadelphia, PA

When did you start making?

This is nearly impossible to answer. I have been influenced to make things for as long as I remember. My parents and grandparents were master craftsmen and makers. Everyone was always working with their hands. Aside from working on the farm and gardening, The women made these beautiful crochet, knit, and sewn pieces, and on grandmother was an amazing quilter. My mom was a seamstress. For many years she designed wedding gowns.

How long have you been making?

I was sick a lot as a small child.

My mother would put a pile of stuff on the table- random scraps of fabric, paper towel tubes, scissors, thread and needle, glue- whatever we had and tell me to make something. I think it was her way of keeping me occupied. Inevitably, It was fantastic practice for working in public education as an art teacher. Although the arts are not supported in our educational culture, they are essential to teaching problem-solving skills.

What inspired you to make this?

My well of inspiration spans the arc from Nature to our cultural clashes. I hold the spark of the meaning of the outcome at the front of my mind while I work on problem solving the process of giving structure and form to whatever material I have in my hands. (see “What do you make” above).

What makers inspire you?

Historically I have a fine appreciation for the European masters of course, but I love more those who are less understood- Andy Warhol for instance understood our culture on a deeper level than most give him credit for. I am drawn to those who creatively manipulate materials. Microscopic artist Willard Wigan blows my mind away. His work is exceptional. He designs sculptures on the head of a needle. Microscopes are necessary to view his work. My favorite contemporary is Cornelia Parker. She also focuses on the absurd. It is the absurdity of our world that draws me in and toward others who view the world from another perspective.

What’s next for you?

I left teaching because I believed there are other ways I can educate beyond four walls. I am creating educational works of art. I am working on a series of playful remakes of board games from the 1970’s that will teach historical facts. I am also proposing a public artwork based on the 30 Articles of Human Rights. A document the USA signed in alliance with 48 other countries after WWII and which few are aware of. Regardless of the materials, I intend to continue creating works of art that bring attention to the absurdity of our culture.

What would you like to ask the maker community?

How did you find me?

What connections did you make at Maker Faire?

I met some new makers who were working with materials I had used a lot in the past- resin based works. I learned about some new resin products which peaked my interest for learning more. I really do love learning about new materials. It ignites me!

What was the best moment for you as a maker?

The best moment of the day was when a man walked up to my booth. He saw the leather settee shopping cart with a side table I had brought for part of my display and just stood there staring at it for the longest time. When I asked him if he had any questions, or thoughts about the cart, he said “ My wife is in a wheelchair and I am looking at this for ideas for her!” I was blown away- I had not thought about how someone would consider adapting what I had done to a wheelchair, or to use one of my carts as a wheelchair option- I was very touched by that moment.

Anything else you want to add?

I also teach yoga. It has been a very big part of my life for many many years.

Artist Deanna McLaughlin PHL Exhibition – a la cart at the Philadelphia International Airport

Deanna McLaughlin – a la cart is now installed at the Philadelphia International Airport at Terminal A-West through the end of 2022!

Artist Deanna McLaughlin Online

Art Links
Website https://www.deannamclaughlin.com

Furniture
InLiquid https://inliquid.org/artist/mclaughlin-deanna/
Artsy https://www.artsy.net/artist/deanna-mclaughlin/works-for-sale
Jewelry https://www.cartrageous.com/
Instagram @cartrageous

Yoga Links
Yoga https://www.taketimetobreathe.com/
Twitter @yogaah
Instagram @take.time.to.breathe
Email deanna@taketimetobreathe.com

On the Podcast: Taking Time to Breathe and Talk Design with Artist Deanna McLaughlin

Listen to Taking Time to Breathe and Talk Design with Artist Deanna McLaughlin on the podcast today!