Photo credit: Alan Chia | Wikipedia
Lego mania is coming to Metro Vancouver.
The biggest Lego show in B.C. history is slated for April 23-April 24 at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond. More than 5,500 adult Lego lovers from around the region and the world are expected to converge for two full days of fun and excitement with the tiny, brightly coloured plastic blocks. In fact, the event is already officially sold-out.
The public exhibition consists of a giant display hall where some of North America’s most skilled Lego builders will be setting up their creations. Expect some mind-boggling constructions that go way beyond your typical Lego forts and castles. Structures can range from full-size Lego cars to fierce-looking animals, stadiums and archaeological sites, lifelike pastries and edibles, realistic human sculptures and more.
In addition, there’s a “creation station” where guests can do some building of their own, as well as a “vendor alley” where all kinds of Lego merchandise and accessories – including rare and custom sets – will be on sale.
Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls | Wikipedia
The public exhibition is part of a larger four-day conference that’s expected to draw 240 hardcore Lego fans from as far as Germany and Hong Kong. The Adult Lego Fan Convention consists of keynote talks, games, activities and, of course, plenty of time to create and display custom Lego masterpieces. Among the attendees are Lego royalty: certified professional Lego builders sanctioned by the Danish company itself, including Canada’s only pro builder, Robin Sather.
The blocks date all the way back to 1932, when a Danish carpenter began churning out wooden toys as part of a company that would become known as Lego, a derivation of a Danish phrase meaning “play well.” In the 1940s, the company expanded to begin producing plastic toys, including an early version of the brightly coloured stackable bricks we know today. Modern Lego bricks came online in 1958, when the company began using a new polymer that allowed for advanced locking and stacking.
Over the years, countless Lego sets have been released, featuring specialized blocks and minifigures, allowing for the creation of lifelike worlds. For the record, the largest Lego model ever created was a full-size replica of a Star Wars’ X-wing fighter comprised of more than 5 million bricks. The release of the hit 2014 film, The Lego Movie, propelled the toys to new heights and introduced them to a new generation of fans.
Photo credit: Kaihsu Tai | wikipedia
The BrickCan Lego Exhibit is April 23-April 24 at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond. As of writing, all 5,500 tickets ($15) to the public Lego exhibition had already been snapped up. (But if you really need your Lego fix, a quick scan of Craigslist and related sites turns up plenty of unofficial resellers.) Full details about the show can be found on the BrickCan site.
