This weekend, the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi was host to the LEGO KidsFest. LEGO officially describes KidsFest as “filled with interactive, creative and educational activities for the whole family! Join us for hands-on educational fun for all ages: LEGO & DUPLO® Construction Zones, dozens of large-scale and miniature LEGO models and displays, LEGO Games, group builds, LEGO Master Builders, and much more!”

My LEGO KidsFest review is simple; it was awesome.

And my kids agree.  We were lucky enough to have tickets to the Saturday afternoon session, and had a blast.  I hope LEGO does more events like this, and includes Detroit as one of the stops.  Because all sessions for KidsFest sold out, I think it’s a good possibility.

Why was it so awesome?  Well, I have never been to a LEGO event that was so incredibly hands on.  There were probably hundreds of thousands of LEGO bricks at your disposal in various areas.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  We contributed to a group built of the United States in Creation Nation.  We added our mosaic artwork to the Art Gallery.  We built, and raced cars.  We sat in the middle of the Big Brick Pile.  We recreated landmarks with just basic bricks.  We built together. And that made it awesome.

What my children enjoyed the most were the monochromatic builds.  These were areas that had numerous tubs filled with 24 bricks in a single color.  There were separate areas for yellow, blue, pink, and light green.  I think this appealed to them because it let their imagination run wild.  My daughter built several abstract creations, while my son built an impressive pyramid.

What I was most impressed with were the life-sized sculptures of Star Wars, Toy Story, and Cars characters.  The attention to detail was incredible.  In addition to being a huge LEGO fan, I am an even bigger Star Wars fan; Boba Fett being my favorite character.  I spent a long time studying this model, and have to say, they nailed it.  From the dents and scratches in his armor, to the maroon girth belt he wears, it was all accurate!

Not only were there opportunities to play with LEGO, but there were a couple of opportunities to acquire LEGO.  The LEGO store had just about every current LEGO set in stock, and for sale at retail prices.  I was disappointed that the one set I was looking for, the current Winter Village Cottage, was sold out.  Boo!  There were also a couple of giveaways that made us very happy.  Yay!  In the LEGO Friends area, they had little packets with lEGO bracelets.  My daughter picked up a couple; one for here and one for her BFF.  In the LEGO Challenge Zone, a sort of LEGO speed building competition, every participant got a LEGO Star Wars set.  Because I was an adult, I had to ask for my set, but it was worth it.  It was a mini version of Boba Fett’s ship.  Double win!

About the only thing we didn’t get to do was participate in the Master Builder Academy sessions. There were four sessions open to (I think) 100 people per session.  The problem was, the event was sold out, and I would guess there were 5000 people present.  It was packed!

My only disappointment was the lack of large scale displays.  This is what I usually like to see at LEGO events.  Massive castles, epic battle scenes, large train layouts, etc.  My kids did not seem bothered by this in the least bit, so the disappointment was short lived.  Other than that, it was a well conceived, well organized, and well executed event for the family.

If you get the opportunity to attend an event like this in the future, seize the opportunity, and play well!

Brick

I am an Adult Fan of LEGO (AFOL) and an active member of the Michigan LEGO User Group (MichLUG). I have loved LEGO for as long as I can remember. I am currently working on the following models:
– UCS Millenium Falcon
– Emmett’s Apartment Building
– Gringott’s Bank