No script. Just a workbench and the people who will help you build what comes next.
Join us on December 12–13, 2026, for ALPHA Camp, a new space for hands-on learning, experimentation, and collaboration at Maker Faire Shenzhen.
Bring an unfinished project, a problem you cannot quite solve, or simply the curiosity to try something new. Across two days, you can explore practical skills, work alongside fellow makers, and discover what happens when people, tools, and ideas share a workbench.
Two-day early-bird pass: $ 59.9 · Just 100 available · Early-bird sales end November 20
The Future Is Something You Make
AI tools can help us do extraordinary things. But when we let the same tools shape every idea and decision, where does our own creativity go?
We believe there is still something irreplaceable about picking up a tool, working through the resistance of real materials, and feeling a prototype come to life for the first time.
The future takes shape through those moments: a circuit repaired, a mechanism adjusted, one more screw turned until something finally works.
That spirit is behind ALPHA Camp.
At Maker Faire Shenzhen 2026, we are creating a space to test ideas, learn through trial and error, and build with people who share your curiosity.
Here, “camp” means a place to practice: to develop a skill, challenge yourself, and get better by doing.
Bring your hands. Bring your questions. Make the future your own.
Why Call It an Experiment?
Because finding a new answer means being willing to try something unfamiliar.
ALPHA Camp is an experiment in what a maker gathering can become when participants help shape the experience. We are bringing together practical sessions and room for unexpected collaborations. Even we cannot predict everything that will happen over these two days.
The topics can go anywhere.
There is no single theme to squeeze your ideas into. If it involves making, testing, or building, there is room to explore it.
The people may surprise you.
The person beside you might be an experienced fabricator, a first-time maker holding a breadboard, or the future collaborator who stays up late helping you finish a project. Degrees and job titles do not determine who belongs here.
The best moments may happen between sessions.
An impromptu debugging session could become a group challenge. A conversation over a workbench could lead to a workshop nobody had planned.
What you take home is yours to discover.
A strange new prototype? A useful skill? A different way to approach a problem? That is part of the adventure.
Everyone who walks in helps shape the experiment. Bring your unanswered questions, your half-finished build, or the determination to make something work. Then see where the next conversation takes you.
Choose Your Role—or Try Both
You can join ALPHA Camp as a participant, a session host, or both.
Come to learn: Get your pass → reserve the sessions that interest you → get hands-on at the event.
Come to share: Submit a skill or project experience → connect with interested participants → confirm your session → teach, demonstrate, or lead a workshop and get paid.
Our job is to connect “I want to learn” with “I can teach.”
We care about sessions that help people make real progress. A single workshop that gets a project moving can be more valuable than a packed schedule of talks with nothing you can put into practice.
You do not need an impressive portfolio to participate. You need curiosity, a willingness to try, or a practical skill you are ready to share.
Our aim is for you to leave with something useful: a skill you can apply, someone you can turn to for help, or an idea you are ready to build.
For session hosts, compensation combines a base stipend and a share based on actual attendance. Payment terms and required materials will be agreed before each session.
Have an idea for a spontaneous workshop or collaborative build during the event? Talk to the organizers about adding a session.
Two-day early-bird pass: $ 59.9 · Just 100 available · Early-bird sales end November 20
What Would You Like to Learn—or Teach?
Soldering. CAD. 3D printing. AI-powered hardware. Electronic textiles. The fabrication tricks you learned the hard way.
If you have practical experience and can help others understand and use it, we would love to hear from you. Big ideas are welcome, too—bring them down to a real project, a working prototype, or a problem we can tackle together.
Possible topics include:
- Electronics: soldering, circuit repair, PCB design, and prototyping.
- Embedded systems: microcontrollers, firmware, and open-source hardware.
- Digital fabrication: laser cutting, 3D printing, CNC machining, woodworking, and metalworking.
- Robotics: robots, robotic arms, drones, and ROS.
- AI on hardware: edge AI, local model deployment, and bringing large language models into physical devices.
- Connected devices: IoT, sensors, and wireless communication.
- Creative technology: wearables, fashion tech, interactive installations, and art.
- Further experiments: music synthesis, biohacking, agricultural projects, and more.
These are examples of potential topics, not a confirmed workshop schedule. Sessions and booking details will be announced through official channels.
Share the Skill Someone Else Has Been Looking For
That difficult bug you finally fixed, the failed prototype that taught you a better approach, or the small adjustment that made everything work could be exactly what another maker needs.
Bring a real project, a clear explanation, and tools people can put to use.
Submit your skill, and our matching system will help connect you with people who want to learn it. Once your session is complete, you will be paid according to the agreed terms and actual attendance.
Submitting a session proposal is free. We welcome practical teaching and honest experience. Sales pitches disguised as workshops are not a fit.
Your Two-Day Early-Bird Pass
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Dates | Saturday–Sunday, December 12–13, 2026 |
| Venue | Vanke Cloud Design Commune, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China |
| Early-bird price | $ 59.9 per person |
| Regular two-day price | $ 89.9 per person |
| Savings | $ 30 |
| Early-bird deadline | November 20, 2026 |
| Availability | 100 early-bird passes only |
What Is Included?
1. Two days of ALPHA access
Join the program across both days, with approximately 40 workshops and skill-sharing sessions planned. The program will continue to develop as sessions are confirmed. Individual sessions have limited capacity and require reservations.
2. Your own NFC maker badge
Receive a personal NFC badge at check-in and use it throughout the experience. It is your maker ID, your way to check in to workshops, and your companion for challenges, booth visits, and interest stations. There is even a virtual pet inside to level up along the way.
Any guesses about your new companion?
3. Practical workshops led by experienced makers
Explore skills such as laser cutting, advanced soldering, 3D printing, and AI-powered hardware. Around 70–80% of the program is designed around hands-on practice, led by makers with real project experience.
4. Lunch on both days
Your two-day pass includes an on-site lunch each day.
5. A certificate of completion
Complete the workshop and challenge requirements to receive your certificate at the event.
6. Maker merchandise
Take home a sticker pack, a custom woven tote bag, and other event merchandise. Final items will be confirmed on-site.
Merchandise from Maker Faire Shenzhen 2025, shown for reference only.
7. A maker passport
Collect stamps as you explore participating exhibitor booths.
8. Priority workshop reservations
Use the dedicated booking system to reserve your preferred sessions in advance. Places are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
9. Access to the ticket-holder community
Get program updates and connect with fellow participants before the event.
See What Happens When You Start Building
Somewhere, someone is wiring a circuit, testing a prototype, or trying to understand why a machine will not move. Someone else has an idea they have been carrying for months, waiting for the right tool, a little guidance, or a person willing to build alongside them.
ALPHA CAMP brings those people together.
Tell us what you want to learn. Show us what you know. We will help connect the people and sessions—and give those ideas a place to take shape.
Come ready to try, get something wrong, share what you discover, and try again.
Confirmed sessions, schedules, session pricing, and materials lists will be released progressively.
Maker Faire Shenzhen 2026 · December 12–13 · Shenzhen, China
No script. Just a workbench.
