Unleash your creativity at Maker Faire Lake County
Published January 22, 2026
Creative minds are invited to wow the crowd with their talents at the 6th annual Maker Faire Lake County Saturday, April 18 at College of Lake County’s (CLC) Grayslake Campus.
Interested in being a maker? Submit your application. It is free to exhibit and free to attend. Maker Faire applications will be accepted until March 15.
The biggest show-and-tell in Lake County
Maker Faire celebrates the multifaceted fields of making—from engineers to scientists to crafters. The event also showcases CLC’s home for makers: the Baxter Innovation Lab, which opened in 2018. The event is free and open to the public. More than 1,500 community members attended the event last year.
Innovations can be hobbies, experiments or projects, ranging from human-powered machines and drones to wearables and e-textiles. Showcase items from your organization, after-school program, club, scout group or startup. Attendees delight in seeing technology such as 3D printing, computerized numerical control programming, and laser cutting. Or consider items where the attendees also can become makers, with projects including interactive art and technology, kites, puppets, robotics, rockets or sustainability.
“Engineering is frequently seen as a structured profession focused on only science and math,” said Engineering Instructor Jan Edwards. “Maker Faire serves as a great reminder that every new invention was fueled by a spark of creativity.”
For more information, including how to answer the Call for Makers, visit the Makers Faire Lake County website or email clc.makerfaire@clcillinois.edu.
On the same day, CLC is hosting its annual Open House from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at all three campuses, Advanced Technology Center and Prairie Restaurant at Brae Loch. More details to come.
More ways to participate
Projects from Make A Thon, coming up on February 28, will be on display at Maker Faire, showcasing Arduino technology and ingenuity. This one-day workshop (1-5 p.m. on the Grayslake Campus) will kick off with an introduction to coding. A specific challenge will be revealed for your team to complete. Sign up with friends or family or you can be assigned to a team upon arrival. Use your creativity and CLC's makerspace resources (laser, vinyl/print cut machine and lots of cardboard) to complete the challenge. Mentoring and technical assistance will be provided by CLC engineering interns.
Take part in Make A Thon 1-5 p.m. Feb. 28 – It's Free!
Event information
Maker Faire Lake County
10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Saturday, April 18
College of Lake County, Grayslake Campus
Apply to be a Maker
Attend Maker Faire
Make A Thon
1 p.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 28
College of Lake County, Grayslake Campus
Participate in Make A Thon
CLC Open House
9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Saturday, April 18
All 5 College of Lake County locations
Make plans to attend Open House