A ShareFest is an open, fun, participatory event designed to celebrate your local sharing economy, meet like-minded sharing enthusiasts, and introduce the sharing movement to the wider community.
Last year, Shareable supported over 40 communities from around the world in hosting ShareFests. Events ranged from small, intimate gatherings to multi-venue, multi-day festivals.
ShareFest participants in Silver Spring, Maryland get hands-on making birdfeeders
In Porto Alegre, Brazil, people gathered for music, dancing, panels, discussions and workshops; in Youngstown, Ohio, people shared skills, books, clothing and more; in Gothenburg, Sweden, events included presentations on the circular economy, the peer-to-peer movement, and the gift economy, a swap, and an online event titled "Education is a Commons"; in Pasadena, California, the ShareFest featured a repair cafe, art making booths, presentations, tabling, and an open dialogue between local organizations; Silver Spring, Maryland organizers aimed to bring attention to existing sharing services such as landshare programs, cooperative gardens, bikeshares, little free libraries and swaps. They also brought together makers, jugglers, and artists; the Madison, Wisconsin ShareFest featured arts and crafts, a swap, workshops in birdhouse building, seed saving, wood carving and more.
In Gothenburg, Sweden the multi-day ShareFest offered workshops, presentations and group discussions about the sharing movement
This year's ShareFests include Louisville, KY.; Porto Alegre, Brazil; Palo Alto, CA; Hartford, CT; Rimini, Italy; Oakland, CA; Madison, WI; Lowell, MA; Rochester, NY; Bloomington, IN; and more. Events in Rimini and Louisville have already taken place and the rest are in the works. The East Bay ShareFest in Northern California, is a multi-city, multi-venue affair that lasts the entire month of May and includes the Creating Commons Festival on May 9.
ShareFest participants in Youngstown, Ohio, getting their groove on
Are you interested in hosting a ShareFest in your town? We’ve put together the following resources to help you organize a successful event to jump start or grow your local sharing economy.
- Sign up to host a ShareFest
- ShareFest Guide
- How to Organize a ShareFest Webinar
- How to Organize a ShareFest Toolkit (google docs folder)
- ShareFest 2014 Video
- Interviews with ShareFest Organizers
- Sharing Cities Network Facebook Group
- ShareFest Toolbox with Table of Contents, ShareFest Activity Guides, Checklists, Forms, Spreadsheets, Media Kit and more
***Would you like a little guidance on where to start? Contact Tom with any questions or to set up an appointment to talk through your event: tom@shareable.net
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Top photo: Clothing swappers at the Madison, Wisconsin 2014 ShareFest
