📖 Open-Source Culture & Front-End Layout: Princeton ZineFest + iCode! 🎨💻

Event: Special Event: Princeton ZineFest 2026

When: Saturday, June 20, 2026, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Where: Princeton Public Library (Community Room)

Event link: Princeton ZineFest 2026

Who it’s for: All Ages

Why we love it 💛 Before the internet allowed anyone to publish a blog or launch an indie game, creators used paper, scissors, and a photocopier! The Princeton Public Library is hosting its 3rd Annual ZineFest, a massive celebration of DIY culture featuring over 40 local zine-makers, creatives, and comic artists. Attendees can browse the marketplace, connect with artists, and even make their own mini-magazine at the “Zine Creation Station.” We absolutely love Zine culture because it embodies the ultimate maker mindset: if you have an idea, you don’t need a massive company to build it for you—you can just create it yourself!

How this event aligns with iCode Princeton 🌈⚙️ Self-publishing a DIY zine is the exact analog equivalent of Open-Source Software and Front-End Web Design!

• Front-End Layout (HTML & CSS): Deciding where to glue a picture and where to write the text on a zine page is the physical version of “Front-End Design.” In our Web Development Tracks, we teach kids how to use HTML and CSS to build these exact layouts digitally! They learn how to structure web pages, align graphics, and adjust text formatting so their digital publications are just as beautiful and readable as a handmade zine.

• Open-Source Culture & Indie Development: Zine culture is all about sharing ideas freely and creating outside of the mainstream. In the tech world, this is called “Open-Source Culture” and “Indie Development”! We teach our older students that they don’t need a massive budget to launch software. In our Game Design and Python Tracks, kids learn how to independently code, debug, and publish their own video games and apps from scratch, sharing their unique creations with their community.

Join the fun, then keep the momentum going at iCode 🎒🚀 Create your own zine at the library, then bring that world-class DIY energy to iCode Princeton where we teach you how to build the software!

👉 Explore iCode Princeton: https://icodeschool.com/princeton-nj

🟣 Progression-based Belts (K–12): https://icodeschool.com/princeton-nj/belts/

🔍 See what’s running now: https://icodeschool.com/princeton-nj/activity-finder/

🎟️ Ready to build the future? Book a Free Trial Class: https://icodeschool.com/princeton-nj/book-a-free-trial-class/