Unicorn Palooza!

A Creative Fundraiser Celebrating 15 Years of Assemble's STEAM Programs

Event Details:

When: Saturday, September 19 from 6 - 9 PM with a VIP Hour from 5 - 6 PM

Where: The Workingmen’s Beneficial Union (WBU), 1958 Varley St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

What: A fundraiser for Assemble like you have never seen, featuring the Unicorny Awards, Maker-Experience Carnival Games, Costume Contest, music, food, drinks, and more!

Who: Assemble lovers and supporters, like you! (Unicorn Palooza is a 21+ event)

Theme: UNICORN! Have you seen one? Costumes highly encouraged!

About Unicorn Palooza

2026 is the FIRST EVER Unicorn Palooza. You might be saying, "Why did Assemble wait so long to have such a fun event?" Great question! We decided to remix MakerDate (thank you for all the years) and transform it into something new, like nothing before. Instead of bidding on dates during the live and silent auction, we will be remixing carnival games where folks can "spin the wheel" to land on a learning experience with a local ceramist, welder, writer, or celebrity! Pick up the duck to see if you won tickets to a museum or a charcuterie board! Unicorn Palooza will have plenty of amazing opportunities to connect with creatives, artists, makers, and technologists. Want to sign up to offer a making experience? Fill out our Maker Form here!

The Unicorny Awards

In celebrating 15 Years of Assemble, we want to shout out our gratitude to the folks who have helped Assemble to keep Assemble-ing! The Unicorny Awards celebrate individuals whose creativity and dedication strengthen our communities and inspire others to imagine what's possible. The awards recognize excellence in philanthropy, leadership, behind-the-scenes community impact, and hands-on creativity through the Funder, Afrofuturist, Unsung Unicorn, and Maker Awards. The Unicorny Awards are made by the folks at the Industrial Arts Workshop.

Announcing the 2026 Unicornies

Fabulous Funder: Gregg Behr, The Grable Foundation
Afrofuturism Activist: Representative La’Tasha Mayes, PA House
Unsung Unicorn: Jess Gold, Educator
Magical Maker: Ms. Junyetta Seales, Artist

Why Unicorns?!

Our mascot, which was designed by Brenna Thummler in 2016, is a Unicorn Robot in Outer Space. From kids to grown-ups, folks love Unicorns - and feel like them too! Do you ever feel like you have something special to share, yet it might not be visible to others? You, too, might be a unicorn.

All funds raised at Unicorn Palooza directly support Assemble’s STEAM education programs for youth, teens, and adults, like Assemble Afterschool, Saturday Crafternoons, Hack the Future, and Summer Camps!

What to expect at Unicorn Palooza:

DS Kinsel, MC extraordinaire
Carnival Games, featuring a variety of local Makers Experiences
The inaugural Unicorny Awards
Silent Auction by the Assemble Parents That Art (PTA)
Release of the 15 Year Celebration Video by Bright Archives
Flash Tattoos and temporary body art
Drinks by WBU, Trace Brewery, Two Frays Brewery, and Velum Fermentation
Delicious hors d'oeuvres by Sprezzatura
Community Cookie Table (sign up here!)
Hands-on Unicorn Making activities by Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse
Green-screen photo booth by Assemblers
Music by Soulful Femme and DJ B MIC
Spectacular fun for a good cause!

Event tickets include drink tickets + hors d’oeuvres.

All proceeds raised at Unicorn Palooza support Assemble’s STEAM education programs.

Thank you to our generous sponsors! Click here to sponsor Unicorn Palooza 2026

Innovator Level Sponsor:

Duolingo

Builder Level Sponsors:

SLB Radio Productions // Mary McKinney Flaherty and Mark F. Flaherty // Steel City Media -BOB FM 69.9

Crafter Level Sponsors:

Carnegie Mellon School of Art // The Heinz Endowments // James & Stephanie Dewar Charitable Fund // PGH Print Ship Copy Center

Doer Level Sponsors:

Trellis Legal LLC // Schell Games // See Your Able // BOOM Concepts

Learner Level Sponsors:

Carnegie Mellon University // evolveEA // Hennessy Blotzer, LLC // Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse // Derrick Perkins //

Red Tree Web Design // University of Pittsburgh Center 4 Creativity

Neighbor Level Sponsors:

The Kindling Agency // Handmade Arcade // Industrial Arts Workshop // Humotech // Citizen's Science Lab //

Shiftworks Community + Public Arts // NexTier Bank

Unicorn Palooza

Celebrate 15 Years of Assemble!

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