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Brick Fest Live!’s Inspiration Stations, where participants can add to existing LEGO cities and make them their own (Photo courtesy Brick Fest Live!)
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The Brick Fest Derby, where participants can build and race their own LEGO derby car down 35-foot-long timed tracks (Photo courtesy Brick Fest Live!)
With more than 400 billion LEGO bricks created since 1958 and nearly half a billion dollars in receipts for 2014’s “The LEGO® Movie,” the block-centric franchise is still going strong with children and adults alike. Brick Fest Live!, the largest fan-created LEGO experience in North America, will bring 67,000 square feet of LEGO fun to the Greater Richmond Convention Center Sept. 17-18.
Founded and produced by a pair of “dad-preneurs” inspired by their children’s love of LEGO, Brick Fest Live! features creations from all over the world, from the intricate to the gargantuan, made entirely of the classic building blocks. Guinness World Records will be in attendance as event organizers attempt to set the record for “largest LEGO mosaic of a LEGO product” with a gigantic representation of Darth Vader from “Star Wars.”
“Brick Fest Live! was created to increase awareness that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are all in play when it comes to LEGO and other construction toys,” says Chad Collins, the event’s founder. “At Brick Fest Live!, families build together to accomplish their goals and find creative solutions, all while inspiring the next generation of artists, engineers and leaders.”
Top LEGO builders will showcase their creations at the event. There will also be opportunities for kids and adults to participate in building challenges and share their techniques. Other attractions include the Brick Fest Derby, where participants can build and race their own LEGO derby car down 35-foot-long timed tracks, and Inspiration Stations, where participants can add to existing LEGO cities and make them their own. Brick Fest Live! will also feature a LEGO mini golf course; collaborative building; shopping for new, vintage, rare and custom LEGO sets; and a video game arena.
Brick Fest Live! takes place at the Greater Richmond Convention Center Saturday, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $24; admission is free for children age 2 and under. For more information, visit brickfestlive.com.
