The BrickUniverse LEGO Fan Convention, a popular traveling event that showcases LEGO artists from around the world and their creations, is coming to Rochester for the first time, organizers announced Wednesday.
The convention is scheduled for April 23 and 24 at the Main Street Armory and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
Artists scheduled to appear include Jonathan Lopes, of San Diego, an award-winning LEGO master builder perhaps best known for his detailed recreations of New York City landmarks, and Rocco Buttliere, of Chicago, who built a version of Vatican City with 67,000 bricks he assembled over the course of 800 hours.
More than 80 of their creations — from an 8-feet-tall model of the Woolworth Building to Mount Rushmore and the Golden Gate Bridge to the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai — are slated to be among the more than 100 creations on display.
One exhibit on the agenda is “NASA Creations,” by Lia Chan, whose creation simulates a space shuttle launch complete with a countdown, smoke, and blast-off.
BrickUniverse began in 2015 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founder and LEGO fan Greyson Beights, as a way to inspire creativity and ingenuity using LEGO bricks. The event has since visited dozens of cities.
In past years, BrickUniverse conventions have featured interactive components, such as collective LEGO-building zones. Those zones, along with other tactile exhibits, have largely been replaced by displays during the pandemic.
Beights said a decision has not yet been made on whether the Rochester event will re-introduce some or all of those exhibits.
“The decision on those attractions will be made closer to this event,” Beights said. “It really depends on the situation with the pandemic.”
The conventions tend to be well attended and Beights recommended buying tickets online in advance. Tickets are now selling for $13 plus taxes and fees, for a total of $14.50 per person. Children 2 years of age and younger are free.
For more information and tickets, go to www.brickuniverse.com/rochester.