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- The Ottawa Maker Movement is Growing
The Ottawa Maker Movement is Growing
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- Last updated :
- February 25, 2023
- 2026-03-16 12:15 pm
- By :
- Design 1st
What do a robot bird, sky-high lego buildings and a mechanized popcorn machine all have in common?
Believe it or not, they’re part of a rising global movement – that call themselves makers – and they came to Ottawa in droves last weekend for the annual Mini Maker Faire.
Design 1st is out every year to take in Canada’s biggest gathering of creators, makers, tinkerers, hobbyists and hackers.
It’s a chance to mingle with the minds of creators and see up and coming talent who celebrate the fusion of art and science.
The talent pool gets bigger every year, as more and more people are finding out that Ottawa is also a creative capital. The weekend had an estimated crowd of more than 6500.
It’s come a long way in four years, when Ottawa became the first Canadian city to host the maker extravaganza. Since then, several other Canadian cities have tagged onto the creator craze, like Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver.
Design 1st has watched it grow, a sponsor since 2013.
“We want to inspire young makers and let them know that there is a large community of support to help them be successful,” says Kevin Bailey, owner of Design 1st.
It’s one of the reasons we’ll keep coming back.
With more than 50 exhibitors, our heads are still spinning from all the highlights, but we were able to replay some of the action from our experience at the Ottawa Mini Maker Faire in a video by fellow maker and life long cameraman Richard Burman.
While it’s a wrap for this year, at Design 1st we’re more confident than ever that we’ve made our home in the right place, helping the multitude of Ottawa inventors making their napkin-sketch ideas or garage-bound projects a commercial reality. And by working with local manufacturers, welding and fabrication shops and universities we feel part of a bigger ecosystem – one where innovation is not only encouraged but forged through the passion and dedication of Ottawa’s creative many.
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