A diverse collection of artists, tinkerers, chefs, writers and educators will gather in and around downtown Dover in mid-September to celebrate creativity and innovation at the annual day-long NH Maker Fest at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire.

What: NH Maker Fest
When: Saturday, June 1
Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, 6 Washington St., Dover

The NH Maker Fest is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. From engineers to artists to scientists, to chefs, the Maker & Food Fest is a venue for these makers to show hobbies, experiments, projects, and fantastic food.

The NH Maker Fest is a day-long festival that invites all ages to explore the creativity and ingenuity of area makers, hobbyists, artisans, performers and more. The team at the Children’s Museum call it “The Greatest Show and Tell on Earth” — a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness.

“It’s a fun and affordable day of discovery for all ages,” said Neva Cole, the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire’s Communications Director. Admission to the Fest, which takes place inside the museum and outside in the adjacent Henry Law Park, is a suggested $5 per person donation (which can be made online), but it is not required to enjoy the Fest.

This year’s NH Maker fest will feature a Rube Goldberg machine expert, bug motels and seed balls, a marimba petting zoo, roaming robots and dinosaurs, a jump rope team, and will end with a foam dance party, which is provided by another Fest Maker, Sages Entertainment!

Some Makers will be set-up inside the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire’s many unique exhibit spaces, like Laura and Sarah from the Creative Guts podcast, or Zach Umperovitch, the Rube Goldberg machine expert.

There will be Makers in the museum’s Play Patio, like volunteers from Seacoast Permaculture offering bites of wild edible plants or helping to build bug motels.

Some makers will be out in the park like volunteers from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard helping to drive SeaPerch robots around a huge pool. Some Makers will be performing on the stage like Patti and the Pop Tarts musical ensemble.

There will also be Makers roaming inside and out, like Star Wars cosplayers from the 501st New England Garrison and a life-size dinosaur puppet from Sages Entertainment. Fat Pockets food truck will be parked along Washington Street and serving authentic falafel pockets.

If that wasn’t enough, the education team at CMNH also offers up several drop-in activities and challenges like Tile Tie Dye, a Parachute Challenge, a Bubble Bin, and make-and-take upcycle stamps!

“The NH Maker Fest is just one way we offer up hands-on fun to our visitors,” shared Xanthi Gray, CMNH Education Director. “It’s fun to mix it up for a day-long event, and invite all ages to take part in the discovery. We hope to see just as many adults as kids enjoying the Fest-ending Foam Dance Party.”

Visit here to learn more about the Fest, to support this event, or to apply as a maker.