Curious about what you might see? Take a look at our list of makers, and the schedule of events, or just take a sneak peek at our programme of events!

Historic 5th Street School
401 S 4th St
Las Vegas, NV 89101

Need to know how to get there and where to park? Parking is available across the street from the event for $3 all day.

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Cirque Mechanics is a great example of what happens when Makers and performers intersect! They’ll be at the Las Vegas Mini Maker Faire performing and showing off their custom made equipment.

Pololu has been selling robotics and electronics on the internet since 2001 and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada! In addition to selling kits and electronics, they also offered laser cutting services. Pololu has long been a great supporter of the Las Vegas tech community, hosting the Robotics Club, Las Vegas Ruby Group, and Toastmasters to name just a few!

We are thrilled to have Pololu as a sponsor and exhibitor!

Downtown Project believes in catalyzing community efforts in hopes of inspiring people to follow their passions. That belief is a guiding principle in their work to help build the most community-focused large city in the world.

For more information, see our press release announcing the sponsorship!

Thank you Downtown Project and Las Vegas!

Please RSVP by Sunday, October 28th so we know you’re coming. It’s easiest to park at the El Cortez and walk a block to the location.

SYN Shop is a space for sharing, creation, collaboration, research, development, mentoring, and of course, learning. SYN Shop’s motto is: “Let’s make stuff awesome!”

SYN Shop was started back in 2008, when a bunch of DIY enthusiasts decided that instead of hiding in our garages, workshops and offices, they should instead come together and start a community around the things that they are passionate about. In the near future, SYN Shop will be expanding to new facilities downtown in order to accommodate more equipment, tools, and more members using the space.

SYN Shop aims to facilitate discovery for all ages. The barriers for learning tech, science and manufacturing are actually lower than common perception. SYN Shop aims to provide an environment where people can share tools, resources and knowledge in order to demonstrate how easy it is to pursue a new interest or hobby with the right help and equipment. For example, if you’d like to learn how to solder, sew, woodwork, or weld (or all of these!) SYN Shop can help with getting you started.

So where does the name ‘SYN Shop’ even come from? When computers need to talk to one another over the network, SYN is the first packet sent out during the TCP three-way handshake.You can also say that Syn, could stand for ‘Synergy’. Synergy is defined as two or more things functioning together to produce a result not independently obtainable, which also fits well with the Hacker Space ideals. And lastly since the hackerspace is located in Las Vegas, SYN is a fun play on words and the city’s often heard nick name ‘Sin City’.

Video below: The SYN Shop makers built a ‘Donado’ (donation tornado!) for use at their First Friday Booth. Fun!

Repurpose has been making a name for itself by providing services to local businesses that allow them to make use of extra materials they are unable to recycle that would otherwise be wasted. Everything from leftover trade show displays  to PVC pipe can be repurposed and reused . With access to their resources and a few incentives, they are helping businesses save money and be responsible socially and environmentally.

They’ve been doing their part to support the local community as well, by making any products still usable in their original state available to community organizations, non-profits, schools and even artists.

Here, Zachary Delbex breaks down Repurpose America and shows a few examples of the creative ways materials can be repurposed. As an added bonus, the flute and saxophone in the background music are pretty catchy. Groove with it if you gotta!

Find out more about the great work they do: http://repurposeamerica.org/

The school was built in 1936 during the Great Depression to address the population boom caused in part by the construction of the Hoover Dam, though back then, we’re only talk about approximately 12,000 people. It was originally built as the Las Vegas Grammar School and housed between 150 and 200 students in 1st through 8th grade up until 1966 when it closed its doors. In later incarnations, the building was used as a Clark Count Courthouse Annex and then a Police Substation. In 1988 the school was entered into the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2004 the Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency began a reconstruction project to restore the exterior of the building to its original appearance and to update the interiors. In 2008, the “New” “Old” Historic Fifth Street School opened its doors as an event venue. Today the Fifth Street School is host to events like the Vegas Valley Book Festival, Downtown Oktoberfest, DjangoVegas! and many, many weddings! In addition, tenants such as the UNLV Fine Arts Program, the Nevada School of the Arts, and the American Institute of Architects hold office space there.

We’re proud to be hosting Maker Faire at the Historic Fifth Street School in 2013!

Fun facts:

• The address of the Fifth Street School is actually 401 S. Fourth St! During one of the reconstruction phases, the rear of the school became the front and now faces Fourth Street. Fifth Street is now better known as Las Vegas Boulevard, home of the famed “Las Vegas Strip”.
• The water fountain in the main outside corridor didn’t really work reliably until after the 2008 reconstruction effort.
• Adjacent to the school’s Centennial plaza is a pedestrian corridor and poet’s bridge where the quotes from 20 local poets are embedded in the concrete.
• The Centennial Plaza is so named because is contains a time capsule to be unearthed in the year 2105.

  

Maker Faire is made up primarily of independent exhibitors, but also features vendors, hands-on workshops and talks. As you may have guessed, the theme of the event is ‘Makers’, but it’s not bound to any specific kind of Making. From 3D printing to lego sculpture, from robotics to soap making, from scrap booking to amateur rocketry – you will find it at Maker Faire! Chip tunes musicians and traditional luthiers, circuit designers and costume makers, choreographers and hot rodding gear heads – we are all makers!

The first Maker Faire was put on in San Mateo in 2006 to an audience of 70,000 attendees. Follow up events were held in Texas, San Mateo and New York. Since 2010, the two flagship events are held in San Mateo and New York each year. In addition to the flagship events, Make has decided to embrace local communities by licensing and supporting numerous local ‘Mini Maker Faires’ all over the world. In 2013 we are very excited to bring the first one to Las Vegas! It’s still too early to tell you exactly what to expect at Maker Faire Vegas – every local Maker Faire is different and shapes its self around the local community. We are sure that it’s going to be a stellar event and that it’s going to be due to YOU! Remember that we have an open Call for Makers until December 22nd and encourage you to apply if you have something you’d love to share.

Want to see what’s possible? Here are some videos from other first year Mini Maker Faires:

Get inspired!