BrickUniverse LEGO Fan Expo 2019

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About

The BrickUniverse LEGO Fan Expo comes to Raleigh each year in the spring (usually around St Patrick’s Day). This expo brings fun and joy to LEGO fans of all ages with models, LEGO miniatures and kit vendors, activities, and some really incredible displays. LEGOs aren’t fun unless you can play with them, so they have stations for all ages to build and design. There were almost as many parents as there were kids building cars, buildings, and space crafts. There was a carpeted area for smaller children, with larger LEGOs, soft toys, and large trains, planes, and cars. There was also plenty of seating for the weary parents at that area. For some of the older kids there was a building contest, complete with prizes and an announcer! This LEGO fan expo inspires Raleigh to build and create from every cranny of the imagination. 

Rating

The Bookworm gives this two wine bottles. The first problem is that there was no wine, but it’s also a 9am -kid- activity, so that’s to be expected. Overall, it was a good time and there were intricate displays, kid activities, and vendors. The event times were 4 hours long and a young kid (or a big LEGO fan) could probably spend the whole 4 hours exploring the showroom floor. 

The Social Butterfly gives this event two wine bottles as well. While there was a lot to look at and vendors to explore, there just seemed to be a lot of people, not doing a lot of activity. I think this event was a great concept and a wonderful way to bring the LEGO-loving community together, but there could have been some improvements  (such as more scheduled activities for LEGO fans) to the event as a whole. 

Parking

Parking can be tricky in this area of Raleigh. There is always street parking, but with big events they go fast. There is a parking garage across the street (corner of W. Cabarrus St and S. Salisbury St.), which is free on the weekends, unless there is a big event. Otherwise, it’s about $7. It’s easy and convenient if you don’t mind shelling out a few bucks.

For more information on parking for the LEGO fan expo, click here.

Cost

The cost this year was $15 per person and kids under 2 were free. That’s a pretty reasonable price for 4 hours, but it adds up quickly. For 3 of us it cost $45, just over $11 per hour for entertainment. The cost is definitely going to depend on what you get out of this event. If you are looking for the perfect Luke Skywalker miniature or introducing the kids to the amazing world of LEGOs it’s worth it. I don’t think it’s an event that we need to attend each year, but with the new LEGO movie coming out it will be fun to go to this again.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere was pretty much what you would expect from a convention center; cement floors, booths, crowds of admirers. The staff, vendors, and those showing off their incredible creations were all very friendly and helpful! The other adults seemed to be having a really good time. One parent said to us, “I think the parents are having more fun than the adults.” At least this event was enjoyable for more than just the children. We took turns watching the kid so we could admire the creations without having to make sure the kid didn’t get lost in the throng of LEGO fans.

An overhead view of the expo at its busiest.

Pro Tips

There was concern that seeing all the LEGOs would make the kids go crazy and the poor parents would be spilling their wallets, but that wasn’t the case. (At least not for us). There were LEGOs for the kids to play with and build so they didn’t get as twitchy as expected.  If you don’t want to spend all 4 hours and want to avoid the crowd, show up after the first hour or two, this is when those with small children tend to leave for lunch and nap times. It is also easy to avoid buying LEGO paraphernalia, as most vendor tables were grouped together, in a different section from the displays. 

Find out when the next LEGO fan expo will be by clicking here.

Let us know your experience with this event, or any questions you may have, in the comments below! 

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