Swim In A Pool Of Lego, Soak Up Ultraviolet Daft Punk, And More As ‘Brick Fest Live’ Lands At Citypoint
I don’t usually take my toddler with me when covering events. However, to get an idea of what Brick Fest Live really is, my young assistant became somewhat of a necessity.
The full title of the event is A LEGO® Holiday Experience presented by Brick Fest Live, which runs through Sunday at the new City Point Downtown Brooklyn. And with the forecast calling for unpleasant weather, this is an ideal way to spend part of your weekend.
Weather or not, Brick Fest features Lego. Hundreds of thousands of pieces of Lego.
A massive green pool of Lego.
While the event is geared towards fans — the goal of Brick Fest Live is to provide a hands-on experience for the kids. And while there are a lot of cool things to look at, the event is all about the doing.
“Lego begs to be touched,” said show manager Mark Noel. And that’s basically the reason this touring event was hatched in 2014.
Brick Fest Live was started by two dads, Chad Collins and Gabe Young, Noel explained. Collins, who began his career as an engineer for Lockheed Martin, decided to leave “Corporate America” in 2012 and start a YouTube channel dedicated to Lego. This was at the request of his seven-year-old daughter Jordyn.
So sure, it’s educational — but let’s not forget the pleasure of working with Lego. Activities include creating a collaborative Lego building, a Star Wars-inspired mosaic, derby car building (nb: my son’s favorite), as well as a Life-Sized LEGO Builds & GLOW ZONE Exhibit featuring the music of electronic icons Daft Punk.
For Noel, the excitement comes in the collaboration between kids and adults. “Parents don’t realize it, but what they’re really doing is parallel playing,” Noel says.
The younger kids who are more used to the Duplo Blocks because their fingers aren’t quite agile yet for the smaller LEGO pieces will need some guidance from the older folks. But those older folks probably won’t mind too much.
And for those of you who need to take a little holiday bling home with you? Noel said there will be vendors on hand, “with both new and vintage lego.”
Parents will be excited to know that the event encourages the adults to take an active role.
But be warned: your child may have more advanced skills than you.
No need to be jealous, moms and dads. It’s all in good fun, right?
The Event Rundown: A LEGO® Holiday Experience presented by Brick Fest Live
When: Friday, December 16, 5pm-9pm; Saturday, December 17, 10am-9pm; Sunday, December 18, 10am-6pm
Where: City Point Downtown Brooklyn, 445 Albee Square West (Google Maps)
How Much: $12-$15, purchase tickets online. Children under 2 are free.
