Two Bit Circus co-founders Brent Bushnell and Eric Gadman (left)
Brent Bushnell, the co-founder and chief executive of high-tech amusement company Two Bit Circus, has announced the launch date for STEAM Carnival – an entertainment showcase that re-imagines the classic midway with lasers, fire and robots.
The inaugural event will take place in Los Angeles' Crafted port-side warehouse on 25 and 26 October and will combine hands-on social games with project-based learning to inspire children to pursue science, technology, engineering, art, and maths (STEAM).
“We're out to show kids that engineering is the new rock 'n roll. We're using high tech games, project-based kits, and other fun to demonstrate what's possible with a technical background,” said Bushnell.
The idea for the STEAM Carnival came after several members of the Two Bit Circus team helped make a video for Chicago rock band OK Go. The engineers built a machine for the video which pours water, rolls balls down tracks, knocks over chairs, swings sledgehammers, releases umbrellas and balloons and fires paint – all in time with the music.
“After the video launched we received a lot of calls from parents and teachers telling us how inspired their kids were,” said Bushnell. “As nerds who build games and entertainment for a living we realised we had an opportunity to rebrand what it means to be an engineer. It's not just pencil ties and lab coats! This experience helped us realise that art has the power to bring a different audience to the engineering table. Love fashion? Introduce fashionistas to electronics to create wearable technology. Love music? Create a musical robot band!
The STEAM weekend will include live performances, interactive experiences, workshops, contests, and artisanal carnival food. There are also plans to take the carnival to San Francisco in 2015.
As part of the STEAM focus, student participants will have the opportunity to showcase projects through a variety of exhibitions including a wearable electronics fashion show and a junior arcade.
The STEAM carnival project gained momentum last June after a campaign on crowdfunding website Kickstarter raised $102,699 through user donations to fund its development.
Support has continued to swell since and the project now counts top LA officials among its supporters.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
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Two Bit Circus co-founders Brent Bushnell and Eric Gadman (left)
Brent Bushnell, the co-founder and chief executive of high-tech amusement company Two Bit Circus, has announced the launch date for STEAM Carnival – an entertainment showcase that re-imagines the classic midway with lasers, fire and robots.
The inaugural event will take place in Los Angeles' Crafted port-side warehouse on 25 and 26 October and will combine hands-on social games with project-based learning to inspire children to pursue science, technology, engineering, art, and maths (STEAM).
“We're out to show kids that engineering is the new rock 'n roll. We're using high tech games, project-based kits, and other fun to demonstrate what's possible with a technical background,” said Bushnell.
The idea for the STEAM Carnival came after several members of the Two Bit Circus team helped make a video for Chicago rock band OK Go. The engineers built a machine for the video which pours water, rolls balls down tracks, knocks over chairs, swings sledgehammers, releases umbrellas and balloons and fires paint – all in time with the music.
“After the video launched we received a lot of calls from parents and teachers telling us how inspired their kids were,” said Bushnell. “As nerds who build games and entertainment for a living we realised we had an opportunity to rebrand what it means to be an engineer. It's not just pencil ties and lab coats! This experience helped us realise that art has the power to bring a different audience to the engineering table. Love fashion? Introduce fashionistas to electronics to create wearable technology. Love music? Create a musical robot band!
The STEAM weekend will include live performances, interactive experiences, workshops, contests, and artisanal carnival food. There are also plans to take the carnival to San Francisco in 2015.
As part of the STEAM focus, student participants will have the opportunity to showcase projects through a variety of exhibitions including a wearable electronics fashion show and a junior arcade.
The STEAM carnival project gained momentum last June after a campaign on crowdfunding website Kickstarter raised $102,699 through user donations to fund its development.
Support has continued to swell since and the project now counts top LA officials among its supporters.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
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