Here’s a travel diary from one of our members, Jeffrey, who recently attended FAB25, a global gathering of fab labs and makers held this year in Brno and Prague. He shares highlights from workshops, talks, late-night chats, and even a few vegan cakes.
After wrapping up the multimeter workshop at Metalab in Vienna, I continued my summer travels by heading to FAB25 in Prague, the annual gathering of fab labs and makers from around the world. This year’s theme? Bridge the Gap. And what better way to bridge communities than by bringing a bit of Ireland to the Czech Republic?
Day 1 – Brno
The conference this year was split between two cities: Brno and Prague. To kick things off, I jumped on a ~2-hour bus from Vienna over to Brno. After an uneven journey and a quick check-in, I was meeting people right away.
I caught up with Andreas Kopp and Charles Eck from the Erfindergarden Foundation based in Munich. We talked about all things repair and what we should cover in our upcoming working group session together.
The conference kicked off with a great opening, especially a talk from Scotty Allen on storytelling and making. There were also some interesting sounds and beats from Noisy Pots, a Czech duo who put on a great show to get things started.
Day 2 – Brno
The day kicked off in the beautiful Janáček Theatre with talks about the future of the Fab Foundation. In the afternoon, I joined the first of a three-part workshop by the Vulca Network (of which I’m a member), titled Define Your Erasmus+ Strategy.
The session explored how fab labs and makerspaces can access Erasmus+ funding and collaborate internationally. It was practical, clear, and very encouraging, demystifying a system that often feels daunting.
Later that day, I helped run the session How Repair Cafés Can Save the World alongside Andreas Kopp and Rafael Calado from Repair Café Lisboa. We explored how to start, sustain, and connect Repair Cafés across regions and the role they play in circularity, empowerment, and community resilience.
The evening ended with the Conquer the Castle Party, complete with traditional Czech music, brilliant views of the city, and lots of maker chat.
Day 3 – Brno
I tried to keep things low-key with talks and the second Vulca workshop session… but no day stays quiet at FAB25! I spent some time soldering up activity boards for my multimeter workshop, then somehow ended up at a brewery talking with other makers about project ideas and approaches. Managed to squeeze in some vegan Thai food too.
Day 4 – Brno
All the vegan cake was catching up with me, so I went looking for a gym. After hunting down some local currency (they were cash-only), I finally got a proper workout in. Felt ready for my last full day in Brno.
That afternoon, I gave my Essential Multimeter Skills: A Hands-On Workshop. Over two hours, we covered all sorts of elements — how to actually use a multimeter, why it’s such a great piece of kit, and how fab labs can use it better.
That evening, we partied late into the night, saying goodbye to Brno. Huge shoutout to 1flfsoap, who were playing real instruments and keeping the beat going. I don’t know how long I stayed, but there was plenty of dancing.
Day 5 – Maker Train to Prague
Travel day! Goodbye Brno, hello Prague. We took the maker train — yes, a train full of makers — and the atmosphere was class. We passed the time drawing postcards, chatting, and sharing snacks.
I had a lovely chat all the way to Prague with Behnaz Norouzi from Fab Lab Oulu, who made a strong case for visiting Finland for Fab27. That evening, I walked around Prague doing a bit of geocaching, spotted some great architecture, and found more vegan carrot cake.
No quiet nights, though, I ended up out with a crew of German-speaking makers. We bonded over cats and even made a WhatsApp group that’s still active today.
Day 6 – Prague
Back to the gym, this time a proper powerlifting gym near my hotel in Prague. Then I made it to the venue to catch the final few talks of the day.
One standout was Jan Kučera, who gave a session called Unveiling the Secrets of Precision — a talk all about multimeters and callipers. Right up my alley.
Later, I went to Transnational & Continental FabLabs Networks with Jason Pettiaux. I shared a bit about what happened with the Irish network and why it didn’t quite work out. Jason also convinced me to check out FOSSDAM 2026 in Belgium — might just do it!
Dinner that night was with the French-speaking network of makers, then rooftop drinks at the venue.
I finally met up with fellow Irish attendees Carl McAteer and Diarmuid Kelly, who had just finished Fab Academy at Creative Spark. They couldn’t make the full week, but we packed a lot of catching up into one night.
Day 7 – Prusa and My Mother Arrives
In the morning, I visited the Prusa Research factory — just wow. Seeing where all the printers are made, all the variants and production lines. Very impressive.
My mother arrived in Prague, her first time visiting! I moved to a nicer hotel in the old town and played the good son for a bit, collecting her from the airport and having lunch together before switching back into maker mode.
The evening was special: the Vulca Network dinner. Getting so many passionate people together around a table was brilliant. We finished the night at the farewell party — drinks, music, and finally, the Irish group photo I’d been chasing all week.
Day 8 – Public Day
The last official day of FAB25 was open to the public, with a full-on Maker Faire vibe. I had both hats on — maker and good son — as I brought my mother around the venue. She’s no stranger to making (she’s even showcased her work at Dublin Maker before), so it was great to introduce her to folks from Spain, Portugal, Croatia, and beyond, whom I’ve worked with on various residencies and projects.
Reflections
I was always a bit unsure about attending a FabX conference — after all, I’m not from a Fab Lab. But this experience has convinced me otherwise. The hackerspace and fab lab worlds overlap massively. We may not face the same challenges around funding, staffing, and community engagement, but we share the same passion for making, education, and open knowledge.
For all the photos, be sure to check out the gallery.
I came away from FAB25 with inspiration, new friends, follow-up projects… and a WhatsApp group full of cat photos. What more could you want?
Bonus: Days 9 & 10 (Not so makery…)
I won’t go into detail here, but I stuck around to explore Prague, the National History Museum, a cat café, and more cake. You can catch all that on my social media feeds.