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Sun, palm trees, afternoon thunderstorms, and e little many Disney magic are all part of the Orlando landscape. Oh, and robots and power racing too. If that sounds too good to be true, that’s because Orlando has always had a knack for making the impossible look possible. It’s a city where engineers build fantastic worlds (or (spaceship) ships that take you there), artists turn imagination into immersive experiences, and an army of behind-the-scenes craftsmen, fabricators, programmers, and technicians make things move, fly, glow, and sometimes defy explanation.
But the creative energy isn’t limited to the region’s theme parks and entertainment studios. Across Central Florida, independent makers are building robots, experimenting with electronics, designing elaborate costumes, engineering unusual contraptions, and turning garages and workshops into laboratories for creative discovery. And, every November, many of these inventive minds come together at Maker Faire Orlando, where the city’s spirit of experimentation and attention to highly detailed creations takes center stage. Make’s Gilliam Mutti, who will be attending the event this weekend, shared 10 things she can’t wait to see at Maker Faire Orlando to whet your appetite.
Press Start: Retro Gaming Showcase at Maker Faire Orlando
An exhibit you don’t want to miss…but may have already heard…bleep, bleep, boop. Few things have the power to transport us back to the future quite like the familiar bleeps, bloops, pixelated sprites, and chunky joysticks of a vintage video game. But retro gaming is having a moment that goes far beyond nostalgia. From recreating original arcade cabinets and CRT displays to Raspberry Pi-powered emulation, FPGA recreations of classic hardware, homebrew games, and lovingly restored vintage computers, a whole generation of makers are finding new ways to keep old-school gaming alive. Some maintain the machines and software that shaped the industry; others are changing, remixing, and reimagining them for a new generation.
This passion for pixels and circuit boards comes with a practical twist at MFO. This DIY arcade is all about seeing what happens when makers get into the machines, build their own hardware, restore forgotten technology, and create entirely new experiences inspired by gaming’s golden age. As the efforts of MFO makers illustrate, today’s retro gaming movement isn’t just going backwards. It is about reinventing the invention of earlier technology, understanding how it works, and using modern tools to extend its life.
The 2026 lineup gives us some particularly good examples of this crossover between nostalgia and invention. And better, showcase the efforts and community spirit of prominent Central Florida makerspaces.
HackArcadeof Tampa Hackerspace, features homemade and lovingly restored arcade games and vending machines. The centerpiece of this effort is our homemade claw machine. Come play!
PiPlayRun by creator Shea Silverman features retro video gaming, Raspberry Pi projects, and homebrew game development explores video gaming through Raspberry Pi, Game Boy Advance, and NES platforms. Even better, PiPlay helps you build your own console.
Retro computer from outer space!!!!!!!of the Central Florida Retro Computer Club, brings working computers from the 1970s, 80s, 90s and beyond. Playable vintage computers and hardware from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, including classic 8-bit systems like the TRS-80, VIC-20, Atari 400, Commodore 64, Apple II, and 6502/Z80-based homebrew machines. Chat directly with hobbyists, collectors, and builders who restore and create these systems or discuss finding your maker community with retro computing with Mark Kounalis (Main Stage, Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. with others from the MakerFX Makerspace crew).
Raise your hand if you’ve ever played Jai-alai? Jai-Alai Heroes takes a distinctly Florida approach to retro-inspired gaming with an original arcade exclusive sports game. developed by Astro Crow, which delivers fast-paced retro-style action inspired by the lightning-fast sport of Jai-alai. Styled with vibrant 80s/90s pixel art and inspired by arcade classics like NBA Jam and Windjammers, the game features head-to-head competitive play where players cartoon-pelotaris control balls against a wall at breakneck speeds.
Conqueror of Planet Makey! It’s just what it sounds like… part carnival game, part color-matching challenge, and part interactive engineering experiment – all wrapped up in a frantic mission to save the cows. The Maker Group came up with a brilliant concept: The Makeys have invaded the farm, and they’re taking the cows! It’s up to you to stop them with the Color Cannon, an interactive air-powered launcher filled with lights, sounds and colorful mayhem. The experience comes alive with illuminated cannon effects, sound feedback and ambient lighting that react to every shot. Behind the scenes, a custom ball recovery and recovery system keeps the action going so players can bounce right back.
MCParks: Building the Magic
Orlando is famous for theme parks: what happens when you take the same ambition and create a pixelated block at the same time? That’s the idea behind MCParks, an ambitious project that has spent more than 13 years recreating some of the world’s most popular parks in Minecraft. Working at a true 1:1 scale, the team combines satellite imagery, architectural blueprints, photos, video, custom software, and 3D models to reproduce everything from iconic park landmarks to working rides and elaborate shows.
Cosplay makes everyone happy
Cosplay has become one of the most colorful and inventive parts of Maker Faire Orlando, reflecting a city where theme park spectacle, entertainment production, pop culture and crafts naturally collide. What might start as a favorite character brought to life can quickly become an exercise in advanced manufacturing, combining 3D printing, foam sculpting, electronics, sewing, metalwork, and elaborate prop construction. The Faire’s cosplay community featured everything from the Florida 501st Legion and its screen-inspired Star Wars costumes to the Daleks of Florida, Orlando Ghostbusters, and increasingly ambitious independent creators.
This year’s lineup continues that tradition with projects like The Fallout Xperience, an immersive wasteland environment built around handcrafted props and interactive photo opportunities, alongside award-winning giant cosplay builder Matthew Harden of The Cosplay Teacher, the incredible work of Allison Chase, veteran costume designer Robbie Jumonville of RobbieJCosplay characters, and Darkheart Creation’s Casey Cross.
The Fallout Experience
“Do good, build cool things, and bring people together.”
When I asked Maker Faire Orlando founder Ian Cole what we should highlight at this year’s event, he (of course) said everything, but expressed particular excitement about the work of Autumn and Tyler. Know Ian, this is not just because The Fallout Experience throws down some superfine cosplay in a traveling immersive experience format – reminiscent of a souped-up, interstellar, old-time, post-apocalyptic carnival wagon, but also because they do it with a simple mission: to do good, build cool things and bring people together through the Fallout universe.
The Fallout Xperience is a traveling immersive cosplay exhibition created and directed by Tyler and Autumn, two fans of Fallout and cosplay who have turned their passion for world building, props and community into something much bigger than a convention display. What started as a small collection of handmade props has grown into a full Wasteland themed experience, complete with large-scale builds, interactive photo areas, and screen-inspired details made with love, creativity, and lots of super glue.
Robot Ruckus returns!
Robotics is not all about precision engineering, careful programming, and machines performing perfectly choreographed tasks. At Robot Ruckus Engineering is decidedly more aggressive. Combat robots have been part of Maker Faire Orlando since 2013, growing into one of the event’s signature attractions and a major gathering point for the regional combat robotics community. Returning for 2026, more than 100 fighting robots will enter the arena, where builders will compete in weight classes ranging from one-pound plastic ants and Ant Pro Bots to three-pound Beetleweights. Exciting weapons, flipping mechanisms, flying panels and plenty of spectacular mechanical destruction as competitors fight their way through qualifying rounds and elimination brackets.
Among the Florida teams to watch is Lakeland-based Jupiter Robotics, which will bring its award-winning Space Junk and the newly developed Space Junk 2.0, alongside Pluto’s Revenge. Also competing are local builders Midnight Combat Robotics, with its redesigned New Horizons and formidable Pioneer, and student builders from Ruckus Robotics, whose MikuBot and Baker’s Dozen demonstrate that combat robotics is as much about inspiring the next generation of engineers as it is about winning battles.
Make a small car! Tiny Cars Go Fast! So fun!
That just explains what it’s all about…oh and your car project speedracer can only cost $500 or less.
Young Makers Are The Heart Of Maker Faire
Makers are what makes a Maker Faire, Orlando as much as any other. But for Maker Faire producers and for the entire enterprise, the work of young makers is especially important, because making is about learning, about trying and sometimes succeeding and sometimes trying again, and about inspiring others to find joy in learning. Here are some Young Makers sharing their work in Orlando this weekend and hopefully many more Maker Faires to come.
* Read First, Play Later – Max Johnson | Manufacturers Faire Orlando
* Colin the Soap-a-Rama | Manufacturers Faire Orlando
* Rock Springs Critters | Manufacturers Faire Orlando
* The plus side of things | Manufacturers Faire Orlando
* TherianLoveDesign – Anthropomorphic Cosplay | Manufacturers Faire Orlando
Find out everything you need to know before you go – WARNING – and see more about what’s happening – SINGERS TO SEE AND DO!
