Can we all give a big shout out to Angela Brown, Executive Director of Craft Lake City and member of Salt Lake City’s Business Advisory Board? It is local business leaders like Brown who are so critical to building up our economy and creating opportunities for everyone. Read on to learn more about their biggest event happening this week, the DIY Fest!
Craft Lake City is one of our biggest ‘maker machines’ in Salt Lake City, launching hundreds of businesses, and inspiring thousands more to create and innovate.
The 13th Annual Craft Lake City® DIY Festival® is the flagship event – an opportunity for new and experienced makers to exhibit and sell their products in a public, face-to-face setting. The opportunity is significant not only for exposure but also for an entrepreneur to get a better read on demand for their product.
This public event is scheduled to take place at the Utah State Fairpark on Fri., Aug. 13 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sat., Aug. 14 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sun., Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit the website for more information.
Response to Covid
Angela and her staff pulled off a major pivot last year, implementing a virtual version of the DIY festival and holiday craft market. Many of the lessons learned have and will be applied to only strengthen individual vendors and their approach to selling locally – both in person and online.
“As a non-profit, Craft Lake City needs and values the continued support of the community,” said Executive Director Angela H. Brown last year. “However, we are also empathetic to the hardships we are all facing.”
Their 2020 virtual approach worked. By partnering with a local game designer on an open-source social network, they were able to attract over 10,000 attendees over the three days. A big accomplishment.
This year, Salt Lake County Health Department will be on site at the 13th Annual Craft Lake City DIY Festival Presented by Harmons on Fri., Aug. 13 and Sat., Aug. 14 to provide free Johnson & Johnson vaccinations to attendees.
Let’s Meet in Person
This year, the DIY Festival will be held at the Utah State Fairpark.
In this fun, vibrant festival setting, Craft Lake City spotlights handmade talent from all across the state of Utah, championing small businesses and makers while fueling the local economy. Packed to the brim with local passion and artistic fervor, the Craft Lake City DIY Festival truly has something for everybody. Attendees can look forward to engaging with participating artisans and makers, learning about their artistic processes while browsing and shopping.
Opportunity for Makers Year Round
Craft Lake City facilitates programming for creatives throughout the year, providing artisans of all mediums with the chance to promote themselves and their work, as well as educating the community on the local DIY culture through workshops, exhibitions, curation opportunities and the Craft Lake Academy—business classes taught for creatives by creatives.
The DIY Festival is also helping to grow Utah’s future entrepreneurs.
Kid Row, a program highlighting young local will feature 30 local artisans. Kid Row gives young entrepreneurs the opportunity to share their work in a large festival setting, while teaching them many business skills. This also serves as a great platform for networking and collaboration between these artistic youths.
It has not been an easy year, but Craft Lake City is building back stronger and better than ever.
Thank you, Angela and your entire team for Craft Lake City and all of the great things you do for our community!
Craft Lake City® is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Their mission is to educate, promote and inspire local artisans while elevating the creative culture of the Utah arts community through science, technology and art. To learn more, visit http://www.craftlakecity.com.