As I sit down to write this post a quick glance at the calendar reminds me that it’s the final day of 2017. Where has this year gone hey? It’s flown by. At times like these we all tend to reflect on what we’ve done in the year and speculate over what we might do in the upcoming 12 months. Here at MakeFest Manor things are no different and we’re doing the same. It’s more of a manor in the Ray Winstone cockney abstract sense than anything physical by the way but I digress.
2017 has been another good year for makers and creatives from all over but of course a highlight for us would have to be Liverpool MakeFest 2017 which took place back in June. So let’s hop on the nostalgia train and reminisce a little, cue Wayne and Garth, diddalooo diddaloo diddaloo….
Looking Back:
On a sunny June morning (Saturday 24th to be precise) all the hard work, late nights and preparation finally came together as the doors opened at Liverpool Central Library for Liverpool MakeFest 2017. Since it’s inception in 2015 Liverpool MakeFest has gone from strength to strength and that’s really down to all the fabulous people who come along each time to exhibit their wares, share their genius and help educate others. In short, the makers! In 2017 we had over sixty projects in attendance on the day. Projects of all kinds making use of the LEDs, circuit boards and robots you might expect but so much more to boot: textiles, artists, painters, printers, scientists, educators and of course our full sized Dalek door man keeping everyone in line. “YOUR BOOK IS OVERDUE!!!!” (I was doing the voice there but you’ll have to imagine that for yourselves).
(Dalek photo by Robin Parker, posted under CC BY 2.0 License. Original source )
Over half of the projects were interactive and we had many many workshops because what is knowledge if it’s not shared and built on? With 222 makers of all ages and descriptions involved in 2017 we continue to grow. Involving kids is something we take pride in. We hope to inspire the upcoming generation of creative technologists and artists. In fact, keep reading because there’s more exciting news on that front in the next section.
(Photo above by How To See Thoughts, posted under CC BY-NC-SA License 2.0. Original source )
It was really gratifying to see so many people come through the doors and get involved with around 3000 attendees on the day!
Check out our MakeFest 2017 album on Facebook for more of our photos like the one above.
You can see much more content on our Facebook page which of course you should join and tell your friends about. You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with developments, and that brings me nicely to the next section…
Looking Forward:
There’s plenty to look forward to in 2018 and we really hope you’ll come to join us! Liverpool MakeFest 2018 will be on Saturday June 30th at Liverpool Central Library.
Get Tickets: Attendee tickets are available via Eventbrite so grab some now.
We’ve already put out our call for makers so come and get involved in the New Year. You can make an application via the online form right now. Got an idea you want to share? A project you’ve been working on maybe? Let us know — MAKERS APPLY NOW
Remember I said there’d be something for all the up and coming young makers out there? Well it’s called YOUNG MAKEFEST and it’ll be happening in Central Library on March 23rd 2018. Stay tuned for more details on that in the coming weeks.
So as we say goodbye to 2017 it’s time to get excited about 2018. We already are, can you tell?
We wish everyone a Happy New Year and we hope to see you all in 2018!