Dozens of exhibitors descended upon North Texas for the Lego Brick Convention this past weekend, with tens of millions of plastic bricks transformed into elaborate displays.
This was the first year the Lego Brick Convention occurred in Forth Worth. The event, held on April 20 and 21, leveraged the 60,000-square-foot Dickies Arena for the artist displays and activities, according to the Fort Worth Report.
Proceeds from the event will go toward Creations for Charity. This all-volunteer nonprofit organization buys “new LEGO sets for underprivileged children around the world during the holidays,” per its website.
Greyson Riley, the convention creator, knows that the event is more than just displaying unique creations.
“We really believe when we get kids off the screens and just using their hands and minds, it’s better for society. It’s better for the world… We have so many engineers and architects who come up to me, and they say, ‘I brought my kids today because this is what I was doing as a kid,'” Riley told CBS News Texas.
One exhibitor and LEGO master builder, Amado Canlas Pinlac, known as AC Pin, has been building creations with bricks for over two decades. Initially, it was a way for him to bond with his children when they were younger. Later, it became a passion when he began taking on more complex projects with LEGO Star Wars sets.
“It’s a teaching tool for kids to be more creative,” explained Pinlac, per FWR.
Despite the toy’s creation going back over 75 years, LEGO continues to generate billions of dollars in sales each year. In 2023, the Norwegian-based plastic brick maker generated roughly $9.5 billion in U.S. dollars in revenue, a 2% rise from the previous year.
Notably, the large toy maker does not trade on a public exchange and remains privately owned.
If you missed the Fort Worth event and don’t want to wait until next year, North Texans can make the roughly seven-hour drive to Southaven, Mississippi, to catch the next Brick Convention on April 27 and 28 at the Landers Center.
