This weekend we rounded off our half term with a visit to Birmingham’s NEC to the BRICK 2015 show. The Brick Show is a show of all things Lego! It promised to be a great event full of brick pits for children to create, sculptures, shops and more! It did not disappoint!
Take a look at the show guide here, it was very exciting!
Our little family (myself, my husband, our two year old boy and six year old girl) headed off for a day of Lego magic on Sunday, we had been warned to take our own food as the food outlets at the NEC tend to be super expensive, so we packed a little picnic for our day out too.
Upon arrival there was a very small queue which was speedily dealt with by staff scanning tickets, everyone was given a wrist band and the children’s had space for an adult’s phone number which was a really great idea. Brick actively promoted this by providing pens and tables just inside the doors for parents to add their details to the wrist bands.
Once inside we headed straight over to the Toys R Us stand to see what bargains there were to be had and we wanted to make sure we beat the queues over there. Not many to be completely honest, however there were some great freebies on offer if you spent a certain amount, for example if you spent over £45 you got a free toy which we are reliably told was limited edition. We let the children choose something each and they had £10 to spend, which was easily done as there was something in every price range, I’m happy to report they also got a free mini fig too which wasn’t advertised so that was a nice surprise at the till!
Once we had bagged our toys the children (literally) legged it over to the first lego pit! They absolutely adored building and I imagine they would have stayed there all day long. From a crazy Mum’s p.o.v i would also like to add that i was really pleased to see sanitising gel at the side of each lego pit, I also loved that there was one for every colour. The organiser in me just loved that!
When we managed to prize the children away from the lego pits we took a wander round all the fabulous builds that have been meticulously completed by fans. The children were wowed by each and every one! I would be here all day if I were to describe them all, there literally were hundreds and something for everyone!
Next up was the Guinness World Records stand where reps encouraged children & adults to take part in their various challenges. I am not joking.. I nearly got myself on the leader board with this challenge which was to build a zig zag tower of more than 28 bricks high in 30 seconds. Next year Brick!! I will be practising!
Next it was time for lunch, I did feel a bit cheap bringing our own but hey, more money for lego I thought! I needn’t have worried, the stewards didn’t seem to mind us tucking in and there were plenty of bins around for the rubbish. Just as we finished our sandwiches, in epic timing, this happened…
A team of dancers dressed as Lego Friends characters appeared and invited the children to join in a dance routine. Our daughter was delighted and joined in straight away & they performed their dance to onlookers. I doubt she will forget that for a long time, a lovely, unexpected touch!
Among many of the things to see and do were, build your own home and place it on the giant UK map, create a huge mosaic where you followed a pattern and submitted it to go on the giant mosaic. A large Duplo area for smaller fans, colouring, play stations to try out the new Dimensions game.
Our son absolutely adored the wheeled area where children could build their own lego cars from hundreds of components and then race them down waved ramps. Again, he would have been happy if this was all there was to do all day! I have been thinking ever since of ways i can re-create this at home for him!
A special mention here to the ‘show-makers’ who worked tirelessly in this area to keep in neat and tidy and offered spare bits to children looking for something specific.
Showmakers were volunteers who worked on the day in return for a free ticket on another day of their choice. A great idea we thought as it kept the show ticking along nicely and saved them loads of dosh too!
I could describe in detail each individual area, however I will save something for those of you who intend to visit the show in December. We really did have a fabulous day out and there was something for everyone. If you have a little lego fan I highly recommend this for a day out! I shall leave you will some more pictures of our day. See you next year Brick!
Our Top Tips:
- Take your own food
- Take a nice camera, I wish i had taken mine, the iPhone just doesn’t do most of the builds justice.
- Head straight to the Toys R Us stand to beat the queues
- Go with a budget to avoid over-spending
- If you are looking for a personalised mini-fig, head there early!
