We had the opportunity to attend Brick Fest Live in Madison last weekend. There were lots of Legos, lots of hands-on activities .... and lots of people!
This two day event took place January 27-28 -- peak time for Midwesterns to be looking for indoor activities to entertain their littles. It was perfect timing to get out of the house and try something new. We arrived around 10:30 am on Saturday. We spent a little over 90 minutes touring the exhibits. If you are a LEGO enthusiast, then you could easily pack a whole day away at this event.We were shocked by how many people were in attendance. During the last thirty minutes of our visit, there were even more, making it somewhat difficult to navigate the aisles and the crowds.
The lines for many of the attractions were at least 20-30 minutes. We did not wait for them but took a peek at what hands-on activities the other kiddos were doing - like building their own vehicle and racing them down the track or picking up a board and replicating a pattern with legos. These were placed on a large floor space, where all tiles made one massive Lego visual. We instead played in the Lego "pit", stood in line for twenty minutes to color a picture with fancy Lego markers, made some Lego architecture that she put on display and played with Legos under a dark light. There were also lifesize models of familiar characters and other figures. And, you can't forget the shopping. We saw folks with bags full of unique LEGO kits that I've never seen in the stores or online.
We were granted media and VIP passes, which were sold out for the day. This gave VIP visitors admission to one extra attraction, where they could work step-by-step to create a replica of the Brick Fest Live mascot. She enjoyed doing this. She was also gifted a VIP Brick Fest Live pin upon entry.
There were also a couple of participants from the Lego Masters television show. My little one was slightly star struck and was too shy to stand in the short line to meet them and get her VIP card autographed. But, that would have been a fun opportunity as well.
Of all of the attractions that we tried, our favorite was actually an exhibitor. We stood in a long moving line around a table of creations that a local father/son team created and shared with attendees. Their creations were remarkable - and included moving, light and water features. They developed an intricate town scene, Harry Potter replicas, an amusement park and more. It was quite impressive and their attention to detail was astounding. We both really enjoyed their creations.
There were tons of families present, grandparents with their grandchildren and many, many adults without children and LEGO fanatics in attendance. We aren't huge LEGO creators, but had a really nice time. We just chose not to stand in the long lines. If you really enjoy LEGOs, then those attractions would very well be something you'd enjoy experiencing.
Brick Fest Live is touring all over the country every weekend. Make sure that you check out their tour dates to find an event near you. Paid admission is required for all attendees ages three years and up, including all parents and/or guardians.
