Earlier this month, I happened to hear about one of the Dads in my office taking his kids to some LEGO event in Richmond in February. Naturally, the word "LEGO" peaked my interest and away I went to the Google in order to figure out what event that he was talking about. It turns out that next month, Richmond, VA is home to "LEGO Kids Fest", an event that tours around the country bringing together kids of all ages to explore the creativity surrounding the world of LEGO. Before you click onwards to read the rest of this story, a quick note: Did you know that LEGO is an adjective, not a noun? Technically, one plays with "LEGO Bricks", not "LEGOs" - I was corrected of this myself!

 

 

Curious to find out more about LEGO Kids Fest, I reached out and got in contact with Aaron Wartner, a spokesperson for LEGO Kids Fest. He filled me in on what LEGO Kids Fest is and how it came to be.

The First LEGO KidsFest was in 2009 in Connecticut; which happens to be the North American headquarters for LEGO System (and here I thought that the Headquarters was LEGOland :P ). Originally, it was conceived to only be held in Connecticut, with only 5,000 expected to attend. Boy, were they surprised when 20,000 LEGO fans showed up! Knowing they had stumbled onto something, they expanded the event to even more cities, from 3 in 2010 to 6 events last year. In 2013, there are 7 different events planned!

February 15-17 marks the Richmond, VA LEGO Kids Fest. Cities that the tour stop in are varied from year to year, with increased focus on areas where there is a large interest in LEGO. For instance, I was informed that within a 4 hour drive of the Richmond area, there are over 50,000 LEGO Club Members!

Now, I know that the event has the word "Kids" in it, but there are events there for kids of all ages! Here is just a sample of the terrific events that will be held at the Richmond event:

 

 

* LEGO Model Gallery: dozens of life-sized models made entirely from LEGO bricks

* LEGO Master Builders: live demonstrations and activities from the crew who get paid to play

* Creation Nation: build your own creation to add to a custom map of the U.S.

* Race Ramps: build your own custom car, then race it down the ramp against friends and family

* LEGO Games Arena: roll the dice to play LEGO board games

* Construction Zones: creative free build, play and display areas

* LEGO DUPLO®: younger visitors can explore imagination through building

* LEGO Retail and KidsFest Marketplace: purchase LEGO merchandise and official KidsFest tour goods

* Brick Pile: a gigantic pile full of LEGO bricks for creative play and enjoyment

* Monochromatic Builds: bricks of a single color to foster group creativity

* Brickscapes: fantastic displays that combine lots of LEGO and DUPLO sets

* And much more, covering over 150,000 square feet of space

Are you sold yet? I know I was. In fact, I'll be there in person on Saturday morning, scoping out all the great LEGO stuff for my own eyes. You know I'll be bringing Chloe along as well - I can't want to hear (and record) her thoughts on seeing all of these LEGO events. If you want to find out more information (and purchase tickets!), make sure you head on over to http://www.legokidsfest.com. Look and see if they'll be stopping by near you!

Oh, and if you live around the Richmond area - you might want to hurry, tickets are going quick!