The Brick Fest Live LEGO event held in Birmingham late last month has drawn mixed reactions and comparisons to a certain Glasgow event.
Brick Fest Live was recently held at the NEC in Birmingham between May 25 and 27 with tickets anywhere between £18 and £35 on the NEC website, though daily rates may have varied. Some of the visitors who attended Brick Fest Live have come away sufficiently unimpressed with its offerings and activities.
It should be noted and understood that Brick Fest Live is an unofficial event – one of many held worldwide – with absolutely no connection to the LEGO Group. The LEGO Group did not have any part in any of the Brick Fest Live events.
YouTuber Block Party offers a closer look at everything on offer at the event and was sufficiently disappointed with the offerings for both older and younger LEGO fans. As they put it, "How they can call it the largest one in the UK – I think they've based that on the fact that it's in the biggest room, even though it's basically empty."
According to The Guardian, comparisons to the Willy Wonka event that was held in Glasgow to much controversy have been made. Most of the website for the event and all social channels aside from Instagram have been set to private. Whether this was planned to take place before the comments surfaced is unknown, though it's common for unofficial LEGO events to keep these channels active following the end of the event.
Compared to the event's run in Milton Keynes – as covered by Iain's Bricks – the Birmingham offerings seem sparse and Iain's reactions to the Milton Keynes are much different, noting that while it was pricey, there was still a decent amount of activities on offer.
Their video strongly suggests that the same number and variety of offerings were available but in a smaller event space, which may explain their reaction. The Milton Keynes Marshall Arena event space is 3,420 square metres and the numbering on the wall in the video suggests that it was held in the NEC's eighth hall, which is 4,950 square metres in comparison.
Brick Fest Live said in a statement to The Guardian: “In the last month, there have been tens of thousands of guests that have been through this event in Edinburgh and Milton Keynes, with children and families taking part in this interactive, hands-on festival.
“Where many have given us positive feedback, we are aware that Brick Fest Live is potentially not delivering for adult-level enthusiasts. We’re reading all customer feedback and dealing with comments.”
Brick Fest Live's last stop on this tour was at the NEC and whether it will return in the future is unknown. Following the initial comments regarding the Birmingham show, the news was covered by national news outlets as well as some international news sources.
Featured image: The NEC
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