One of the best ways to get inspired in the LEGO hobby is to participate in a LEGO convention. At these events you can see amazing LEGO creations, participate in various LEGO building challenges, meet other LEGO fans, make new friends, and more. There are many smaller regional events organized by local LEGO Users Groups, and there are also very large multi-day events in select cities that are like pilgrimage-sites for LEGO fans. 🙂
We have discussed these events previously and included some helpful tips on attending a LEGO convention. You can read that article here: Tips for Attending a LEGO Convention. Today I would like to share with you an updated list of LEGO events that are happening this year. Please note that these events are in North America, as this the region I’m familiar with, however there are LEGO events throughout the world. The best way to find out what is near you is to contact your local LEGO Users Group or your LEGO store (if there is one in your area).
LEGO CONVENTIONS & EXPOS IN THE USA:
➡ BrickWorld – held every year at various locations. Website: BrickWorld.us. Upcoming events (visit their website for details):
- Brickworld Chicago, Illinois: June 20-21, 2015
- Brickworld Tampa, Florida: September 19-20, 2015
- Brickworld Fort Wayne, Indiana: October 24-25, 2015
- Brickworld Indy: March 12-13, 2016
➡ BrickFair – held every year at various locations. Website: BrickFair.com. Upcoming events (visit their website for details):
- BrickFair Chantilly, Virginia: August 1-2, 2015
- BrickFair , Somerset, New Jersey: October 31–November 1, 2015
- BrickFair Birmingham, Alabama: January 16-17, 2016
➡ BrickCon – held every year in Seattle, Washington. Website: BrickCon.org. Upcoming event (visit their website for details):
- BrickCon Seattle, Washington: October 3-4, 2015
➡ BrickFiesta – held every year in various cities in Texas. Website: BrickFiesta.com. Upcoming event (visit their website for details):
- BrickFiesta Austin, Texas: July 25-26, 2015
➡ Bricks-by-the-Bay – held every year in Northern California. Website: BricksByTheBay.com. Upcoming event (visit their website for details):
- Bricks-by-the-Bay Santa Clara, California: August 6-9, 2015
➡ Brickfete – held every year in various Canadian cities. Website: Brickfete.com. Upcoming events (visit website for details):
- Brickfete Montreal: June 6-7, 2015
- Brickfete Toronto: July 4-5, 2015
If there is a LEGO convention near you, I recommend that you take the time to check it out. These events are great for all ages, and your whole family can participate. You will also make friends, see amazing LEGO models, learn new ways to build with LEGO, and in general get inspired in the hobby. I hope from the above list you will find a LEGO event that you can take part in this year, because they are really fun and unforgettable events.
If you have attended a LEGO convention or expo before and have some tips, or would like to share your own experiences, feel free to use the comment section below. Also, if you are in another country and would like to mention the LEGO events in your region you can list those as well. Our readers are from all over the world and I’m sure it will help someone out. You may even meet up in the future! 😉
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Great post – I’ll be at Brick Fiesta in my home town later this summer with my 3 year old who is just beginning to “get” Lego. Super excited to see the trains and MOCs everyone has assembled this year.
Yeah, the trains are some of the highlights of LEGO conventions. 😀
I’m in Houston. I hope they have it in Houston again.
I’ve been to BrickFair Birmingham, Alabama for the past two events. It was great. Tons of stuff to see and lots of cool builds.
Preorder tickets cause the line for at the door tickets wrapped around the block.
Yes, that’s a good suggestion about tickets! That’s true for pretty much all of the events.
Any conventions that are in New York or New Jersey then I’m good!
There’s also BricksLA, which was a small LA-based event held last weekend, but it’s coming back January next year and it will be bigger
I heard about that! 😀
So, apparently, there was a very small mini con put on a couple weekends ago where I live that I didn’t know about done by a very small local LUG that I also didn’t know about. I’m still trying to get a line on the LUG because the newspaper article didn’t give any details and I haven’t found them with google searches but my last resort is a place call Bricks for Kidz an afterschool program that apparently sponsored the event. It’d be cool if I could get connected with a LUG, the article said they planned on doing the event again next year.
Yeah, being a member of a LUG can be a big boost to the hobby. Making friends, collaborating on creations, learning new techniques, participating in events… everything becomes so dynamic. So if you can find a LUG in your area, I would definitely suggest checking them out.
I know our LUG is participating in Brickfest in Denver in August…
http://brickfestlive.com/
One option to find events (and LEGO locations) nearby is to use the event section on Swooshable. We automatically import events from multiple sources and add as much information about them as possible. We even place them on a map! Here it is:
https://swooshable.com/events
They are also available on the LEGO Ambassador Network homepage: https://lan.lego.com/
I participated as a vendor at Brickfest Live last weekend in Boston and it was a great event. They too have events in multiple cities and throughout the year. It really was a lot of fun as a vendor and my kids had a blast being there!
Website: http://brickfestlive.com
Rob, thanks for mentioning that! 🙂
BricksLA is a new SoCal Lego convention in Los Angeles area (Pasadena city to be precise). The very first one happened few weekends ago, but the next one is already planned for next January 8-10th, 2016. Website: http://www.bricksla.com
I’ve exhibited at Brickfair VA two years in a row and I highly recommend attending conventions. Whether you want to check out amazing builds, play Lego games for Lego prizes, or just talk with other builders, it’s an incredible experience
Yes, agree with everything you said. Incredible experience. 🙂
Bricks Cascade in Portland, OR:
http://www.brickscascade.com/
James, thanks for mentioning that. 🙂
There is also Brickslopes, which just took place in Utah last week.
brickslopes.com
Gus, thanks for mentioning that. I think I will publish this list earlier next year so we don’t miss out on the spring events.
If you happen to be in or near Utrecht (The Netherlands) from 21 to 27 october you could visit LEGO world. I went last year and whilst a large part is catered to kids there a decently sized section which houses around 500-600 MOCs made by AFOLs. Most of these MOCs were made very well.
Too bad I won’t be able to visit any LEGO convention in America anytime soon but there are more than enough of them here as well.
When will the next one in Connecticut be?
Nick, Kids Fest usually goes to Connecticut, but I don’t see it listed at this time. It may be worth checking their 2016 calendar a bit later.
Hi,
Have any Lego convention dates for the uk been released for 2016 yet? Can’t see any on the web but thought you may be aware.
BW
Candice
Candice, I’m not as familiar with the events in the UK, and it may be a bit early to see all the events for 2016, but pretty much all LEGO events are listed at the LEGO Ambassador website in a calendar format: http://lan.lego.com/calendar/lug_events/view. It is a bit cumbersome to navigate the calendar, so Huw from Brickset reorganizes the data in a more friendly format and publishes it once a week. However he only list events for the upcoming 30 days. See here: http://brickset.com/news/category-Event-summary
When and where is the next brickfete in Toronto Ontario Canada. The brickfete website look’s old and not updated, it has last year’s date with no new dates for 2016. Could you find out as my little would like to attend . thx.
I would assume it would be around the same time as last year, but I will ask my Canadian LEGO friends. 🙂