This past weekend we joined in on the month-long Maker Festival and headed to their Maker Extravaganza at the Toronto Reference Library!
The Maker Festival is made up of over 100 events around Toronto that brings together creative people and projects, with the Maker Extravaganza being the main event where makers show off their projects to the public. So we headed over to the Toronto Reference Library at lunchtime on Saturday to check it out for ourselves!
The event started on the side street outside of the library where people were wandering around the Outdoor Maker Lane, checking out trailers and booths with a variety of different makers including a blacksmith... a blacksmith! So cool.
We then proceeded indoors where three floors of the Toronto Reference Library were filled with projects of all shapes and sizes.
The event started on the side street outside of the library where people were wandering around the Outdoor Maker Lane, checking out trailers and booths with a variety of different makers including a blacksmith... a blacksmith! So cool.
We then proceeded indoors where three floors of the Toronto Reference Library were filled with projects of all shapes and sizes.
The projects on display ranged from the techie BB-8 Builders Club, to DIY origami, to tiny ships in bottles. There were also a number of interactive activities such as laser cutting and virtual reality. We spent an hour or so wandering around being inspired by all of the amazing creations; some people's hobbies (or businesses) are truly impressive.
There were also a number of booths for "Makerspaces" which are places that are set up with tools and resources for people to go work on their own projects. Some of these spaces also offer workshops and learning opportunities. Walking around the Maker Extravaganza definitely got our creative juices flowing.
The rest of our day was fairly food-focussed, with some all-you-can-eat sushi for lunch and we went out for dinner with some friends on Saturday night for Summerlicious - aka the Summer version of Winterlicious.
Here are some more photos of our time at the Maker Extravaganza:
The rest of our day was fairly food-focussed, with some all-you-can-eat sushi for lunch and we went out for dinner with some friends on Saturday night for Summerlicious - aka the Summer version of Winterlicious.
Here are some more photos of our time at the Maker Extravaganza:
(SLIDESHOW)
Curious what we were doing this time in previous years? Last year we visited the Chihuly exhibit at the ROM, in 2015 we tried out an escape room for the first time, in 2014 we were exploring old fortifications at Castle Hill, and in 2013 we checked out the MUN Botanical Gardens.
