Maker Faire Los Angeles + A Century of Learning
This weekend, Sunday, April 26th – the City of STEM + Maker Faire Los Angeles is back for another year of science connections, creativity and discovery for everyone. More than two hundred organizations dedicated to science and education, along with creators and inspiring special guests from across Southern California will transform Exposition Park’s South Lawn into a hub for hands-on experience with activities, live music, expert panel conversations, science and making-themed entertainment for people of all ages and much more. City of STEM is the official science festival of LA County; Maker Faire Los Angeles completes the all-day celebration and is sponsored by the Los Angeles Public Library.
What: 2026 City of STEM Festival + Los Angeles Maker Faire I When: Sunday, April 26th from 9:00 a.m. – 5 :00 p.m. I Where: Exposition Park/South Lawn @ 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007
As the LAPL celebrates makers and elevates project-based learning within the event, it is also celebrating a milestone of its own. 2026 marks the 100th year of service for the institution, which has been a “light of learning” for the city and a beacon in the evolving downtown area.
Fun fact: To mark this milestone, crews retrieved a historic copper time capsule from 1925 that had been placed inside the building upon its commemoration. To find the box, the team had to work through the building’s interior. Inside, they found a second, older capsule from 1881. This surprising find contained items from President James Garfield’s funeral, including dried moss and mourning cloth.
What’s Happening At Exposition Park
This year, festival attendees will have the opportunity to hear from engineers working on the ‘Europa Clipper’ program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, see JPL’s Mars display and experience their 8-wheel rover. There also will be an update on NASA’s Artemis mission early in the day.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory holds a unique place in the universe as a leader in robotic space exploration, sending rovers to Mars, probes into the farthest reaches of the solar system, and satellites to advance understanding of our home planet.Experience the thrill of planetary exploration! Join us for a hands-on demonstration with our 8-wheeled Mars rover prototype. Learn how we’re navigating Mars today and how we’re preparing for the first human footprints in the future.
Everyone will be invited to learn from education teams from Los Angeles’ most beloved museums, connect with diverse non-profits and creative makers, girls in STEM groups, major tech companies and much more. Families and people of all ages will also have access to a lineup of live, science-themed presentations including, ‘A Spark in the Sky,’ an inspiring play dedicated to the trailblazing journey to space of American astronaut and engineer, Ellen Ochoa. In 1993, she became the first Hispanic woman to go to space, serving as a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Discovery.
A nod to the event’s location in the former Olympic grounds and in preparation for Los Angeles’ role as host of the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, the City of STEM + LA Maker Faire will also debut a Science of Sport Pavilion and STEM in Sports Panel that will spotlight the intersection of sports, technology and youth culture. The panel conversation will be headlined by special guest and skateboarding icon Paul Rodriguez (P-Rod). From X Games gold to global influence, P-Rod has redefined what it means to perform at the highest level and now he’s breaking down the science behind it all. Representing Nike SB and as the founder of Primitive Skateboarding, Rodriguez will share his insights on the evolution of skateboarding as an Olympic sport and share the stage with representatives from Nike SB and the Los Angeles Lakers.
There will also be a presentation designed by the Los Angeles Lowrider Alliance–a Leadership Council created of volunteer members to advance the prominence of the car culture in the greater Los Angeles area–that will include hands-on activities for kids and give the public an opportunity to meet the creative designers and builders of dozens of lowriders and learn about all of the science that makes lowriders come to life.
Outstanding craftsmanship and ingenuity are Mr. Wernecke’s forte. Submarines / Senior machine builder ( Human Genome project ) Kid Sub / Whistling Rocket / Movie Con Air ( model bulder ) / Godzilla ( model Builder ) / sculptor of marble and bronze
Meet Octo-Capitol, a walking US Capitol octopod! It is powered by Raspberry Pi and is able to ‘walk’ back and forward, make turns, and it has a 360 degrees video surveillance system called Uncle Sam. Made by software developer, Alex Shlyakhovyy.
Make it real with eufyMake. At our booth, visitors can explore the world of UV printing through live, interactive demos and hands-on creation. Attendees can watch designs printed directly onto real objects—such as acrylic, wood, metal, leather, and more—and learn how digital designs become vibrant, durable, full‑color prints in minutes. From textured effects to custom decals and personalized items, guests will see how UV printing empowers creators, small businesses, and makers to turn ideas into tangible products they can touch, customize, and take inspiration from. READ OUR REVIEW
Welcome to Motion Paper Studio! I’m an 11-year-old maker who turns flat sheets of paper into amazing, moving fidget toys. In a world full of screens, I discovered a whole new world of fun right in my own hands. At my booth, experience the magic of “Motion Origami“—tactile, kinetic sculptures that pop, spin, and transform. I’ve curated a collection of my favorite paper fidgets, from infinite kaleidocycles to satisfying action models. family team led by 11-year-old Chihiro, who designs and folds the intricate fidget models. The rest of the family supports him by brainstorming new play mechanics and helping assemble larger-scale kinetic installations. We work together to transform his creative visions into interactive exhibits.
Skylar Makes: My basics of circuitry exhibit challenges kids to figure out how to make a light-up hairclip / toggleable LED using an LED, a coin-cell battery, a hairclip, and some tape.The light-up hairclip would be made with a battery between the two LED legs. In addition to this exhibit, I am showcasing some of my projects, including people-tracking animatronic eyes, a domino clock, and an E-Ink calendar.
Every day most of us see and interact with world 3-dimensionally, so much so that we take if for granted. Similarly we see and take photos mostly with cellphones, all of these 2-dimensionally, and likewise take it for granted that photography is by nature a 2-dimensional experience. But 3-dimensional photography has been available as long as photography itself. Barry Rothstein of 3dDigitalPhoto.com will be showing 3-D photography including my special style photographic phantograms, and teaching and encouraging those attending to discover and play with 3-D photography themselves via a number of free online tools.
Blue Ribbon winners Crappy Happy Robots were super fun at Maker Faire Bay Area last year and they made it to LA. Come play with our silly goofy robot friends as they try to flap and wave and spin around. The (Very Small) Robot Choir is excited to sing with you! By coloring in a paper grid you can program and direct your own unique tiny robot performance.
Making It Happen…
The City of STEM + Los Angeles Maker Faire is produced by the Columbia Memorial Space Center and is made possible by event partner the Natural History Museum of LA County and the generous support of the Los Angeles Public Library, Metro, Financial Partners Credit Union, Southern California Edison, Northrop Grumman, Expo Park, Tesoro, Office of Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, the City of Downey, and the City of Los Angeles. City of STEM is also recognized by the Science Festival Alliance, the national organization dedicated to connecting and promoting unique STEM events. City of STEM is part of the Science Festival Accelerator, a program of the Science Festival Alliance, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. For more information, visit www.cityofstem.org and follow @CityofSTEM and on Instagram to learn about program partners and efforts all year long.
About City of STEM: City of STEM is L.A.’s largest community-based initiative focused on science, technology, engineering, and math. It also has been declared the official science festival of Los Angeles County by the unanimous consent of the County Supervisors. Created in 2015 by the Columbia Memorial Space Center to encourage and inspire the public, City of STEM is also a celebration of Southern California’s historic achievements in science – and all the groundbreaking research and innovation that is happening here today. Recognized by the Science Festival Alliance as LA’s science fest, City of STEM brings together over 200 local STEM partners to produce and promote dozens of STEM events and activities throughout Los Angeles every day in the month of April as well as regularly throughout the year.
About the Columbia Memorial Space Center: The Columbia Memorial Space Center is a space museum and hands-on STEM learning center located just south of downtown LA in Downey, CA, on the former site where all of NASA’s Apollo spacecraft and Space Shuttles were designed and built. The mission of the Space Center is to ignite communities of critical and creative thinkers. The Center includes LA’s only public robotics lab and Southern California’s only Challenger Learning Center, a one-of-a-kind space mission simulator. Through engaging programs, world-class exhibits and unique events, the Space Center strives to be the most accessible STEM opportunity in Southern California.
About Los Angeles Maker Faire: As a hub for imaginative minds, the Los Angeles Maker Faire celebrates the creative and the curious. Sponsored by the Los Angeles Public Library, it offers a platform for hobbyists, engineers and artists to share their crafts, experiments and projects that embody the spirit of the global Maker Movement.
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