Maker Faire

This SF bazaar hosts five main shows per year, including the J-Pop Summit (a Japanese pop culture festival) and the Urban Epicurean Festival, a modern marketplace that features artisanal food and culinary workshops. Their most popular fair, however, is the yearly Maker Faire in San Mateo. The DIY-focused fair celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2015, and is so much more than your regular craft fair. It’s an interactive experience in which you can learn how to knit, watch 3D-printed robots being made, shoot an arrow and play in a life-sized mousetrap. Dubbed “the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth,” the family-friendly extravaganza feels like a science fair hosted by a collection of crazy inventors; some say it’s like a child-appropriate Burning Man. Over 215,000 people attend each year, and tickets range from $15-45.