Manufacturing Day 2026: how to find a factory tour near you
Manufacturing Day is Friday, October 2, with events through October. Here is how students and job seekers can find open houses and tours.
Today is Manufacturing Day, an annual event held on the first Friday of October, when factories and training programs open their doors to show what modern manufacturing work looks like. Events continue throughout October.
The day is organized mainly by the Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Network, a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. According to NIST, there are more than 3,000 Manufacturing Day events across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, with more than 325,000 participants expected. Many are plant tours, open houses and career fairs, and a lot of them are aimed at students.
The goal is to connect people with skilled jobs. Manufacturers use the day to show the technology on today's factory floors and to recruit the next generation of workers. For a high school student who likes building things, a parent helping a teen think about options after graduation, or an adult considering a career change, a tour is a low-pressure way to see the work up close and ask questions.
To find an event, NIST suggests starting with the Manufacturing Day page on its MEP website, which highlights events by state. You can also contact your state's MEP Center directly, since the list online shows highlights rather than every event. Community colleges often host events as well.
Today, look up your state's MEP Center and check whether a tour near you is open to the public this month.
Sources
Facts were checked against these sources when the post was written. Details can change, so check them for the latest.