San Diego Maker Faire a binational event

Tech enthusiasts, tinkerers, educators, students and other “makers” from both sides of the border are expected to gather at Balboa Park on Oct. 3 and 4 for Maker Faire San Diego.

The two-day event — the first full-scale Maker Faire in Southern California — will include a wide range of displays as well as hands-on exhibits. Organizers describe it as “part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new.” It will be staged throughout the park.

The event’s organizers, counting on participation from Tijuana “makers,” have been working with the city of Tijuana and the civic group Tijuana Innovadora to spread word of the opportunities to display creations — from crafts to drones to robots. The exhibits will have strong hands-on components.

Tijuana Innovadora has been invited to produce one of the exhibits, called Maker:Innovate. Laura Araujo, the group’s director of binational affairs, said the aim is to bring together entrepreneurs and innovators within a single space, the park’s San Diego Hall of Champions Museum.

Maker Faire “provides an opportunity for Balboa Park and museums within it to run a truly binational event that involves individuals and organizations from both sides of the border,” Peter Comiskey, the partnership’s executive director, said in an interview on Tuesday. “This is the opportunity for Balboa Park to start ensuring that everything we do is considered from a binational perspective.”

Reaching young people is one of the event’s key goals, Comiskey said. The city of Tijuana is offering free tickets for 1,000 students to attend, and will help with transportation, organizers said.

The first Maker Faire was held in May 2006 in the San Francisco area, and since then the event has been staged in numerous cities across the country and around the world. Those interested in participating can sign up through the website sdmakerfaire.org.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com