Attention, makers of all ages and types: Marshall University is the place to be Oct. 24 as the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC) presents the 2025 West Virginia Makes Festival, the state’s largest celebration of creativity and ingenuity.
The annual festival – now in its 12th year – will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on and around Marshall’s Memorial Student Center Plaza in Huntington. There is no cost to participate or attend.
Artists, crafters, entrepreneurs, hobbyists, inventors and students of all ages are invited to showcase their creations as well as enter the Design Challenge in either the youth (17 and under) or adult (18 and older) category for a chance to win cash and other prizes.
“Show us what you make,” said Tyler Brandstetter, MAMC Make Vault/STEM Education Coordinator and chief organizer of the event. “Creativity can take many forms. In past years, participants have exhibited inventions, innovations, crafts, games, science projects, even music and performance art. The variety is part of what makes this festival unique.”
Individuals and groups can participate in the October festival in a number of ways:
- Showcase your creations, whatever they may be
- Enter the Design Challenge to compete for cash and other prizes
- Offers hands-on making activities for attendees
- Revel in the sights, sounds and activities by planning a school field trip or attending with family and friends
Participants, including those entering the Design Challenge, do not have to be West Virginia residents. Makers also may sell their creations during the event, Brandstetter said.
Marshall University’s June Harless Center will present its annual Pumpkin Drop during the festival. Student groups will create pumpkin protectors to see whose creation preserves their pumpkin as it’s dropped from high above campus. Details about the Pumpkin Drop will be release soon.
“Whether you’re eight or 80, the West Virginia Makes Festival offers something for everyone. You might just find the inspiration to become a maker yourself.”
To learn more or sign up for the festival, visit www.mfg.marshall.edu/wvmakes25.
The 2025 West Virginia Makes Festival is made possible, in part, by the generous support of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
Aug. 24, 2025
