Craft vs Make
The annual Maker Faire is going on this weekend in San Mateo, but I’ve decided not to attend this year. I did think about it at first, and even tried to organize some friends to go, but the interest wasn’t really there.
Personally, I went to the 2006 and 2007 shows, and they were ok for what they were worth. I think the 2006 show was best, because it was the first and everything was new to my friends and I. However, when I went last year, it all seemed to be about the same, and it didn’t seem quite as good. They did make an effort to increase the crafty bits, but nothing that compelling. Also, the free goodies from 2006 totally disappeared.
I think the biggest problem with it is that they’ve jacked up the ticket price this year. Last year it was $15 per person for a single day, but this year it’s up to $25; apparently the weekend passes have nearly doubled as well. That would be ok if there was enough added to make up for the cost, but I don’t think that’s the case. And if you’re going there with the aim of buying things at the craft fair part of it, then it’s quite a hefty entrance fee, especially if you include the $8 parking. That’s like having to pay more than $30 to get to shop on Etsy or go to your local craft store, with no added bonus other than getting to see the same old displays of robots and LEDs and steampunk contraptions that were there the year before (assuming you’re even into that sort of thing).
I mean, I’ve been to craft events where you have to pay in order to get in, and then you end up shopping from the vendors for most of it, and maybe only learning a new technique from a vendor instead of taking a class. But the entry price for that is never more than $10, and there are usually coupons available. Plus the vendors are usually only selling in person at these events, and they pay to do so, thus lowering your own cost.
Ultimately, I guess it would be nice to have the “Craft” part of Maker Faire as a standalone event, but without the obnoxious entry fee. Maybe it’s a lot to ask for, especially seeing how much overlap there is between the Make and Craft magazines (which I wish there weren’t). But that’s all a lot of us want to go for in the first place, and it just isn’t worth it at more than $25 a person. More on the craft, less on the geek!
kelly said,
May 6, 2008 @ 2:29 pm
I completely agree with you! I found my ticket to last year’s Maker Faire in the pocket of a jacket last week and was blown away that the price had jumped from $15 to $25 in one year.
I did go again this year, because I wanted to see The Yarn Harlot and that was 100% worth the price of admission — she was terrific. However, if she was not there, I would not have gone… as you speculated, much was the same.
I would say that the Bazaar Bizarre was much larger this time, which was nice. BUT the whole place was at least twice as crowded as last year — I couldn’t believe how many people were there! That wasn’t so fun. They’ve definitely outgrown the space.
I had a friend who showed up at 2pm and she could not even park. It turned out later there was a shuttle, but there weren’t any signs indicating this (at least, from what she could see). For $25 (plus parking), they should really have done a better job of handling the huge crowds.
Meanwhile, the good news is that Bazaar Bizarre will be in SF in November and it was $1 to get in last year. So we can find the craft there! (http://www.bazaarbizarre.org/)
(Um, I may be de-lurking with this super-long comment. Sorry if I’ve jumped in with a huge bang here… I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of months and really enjoy it!)