Local LEGO convention ready to block

PREPARATIONS are in full swing for tomorrow and Sunday’s Bendigo Bricks 2025 at the Bendigo Exhibition Centre, a LEGO extravaganza expected to attract more than 4000 devotees from across Australia.

Presented by the Bendigo LEGO Users Group, the event will feature over 150 LEGO builds ranging from vintage sets to huge collaborative displays, including a six-metre pirate-themed group build.

A hands-on play area for kids will also be on the site, as well as a Brick Market featuring 20-plus vendors selling everything from rare and retired sets to handmade LEGO-themed jewellery and accessories.

Attendees will also be able to support Fairy Bricks, a charity that donates LEGO sets to children’s hospitals worldwide, including Bendigo Health, via a brick tombola, with a $5 entry fee giving them a chance to win a variety of LEGO prizes.

Bendigo LEGO Users Group president Kara Harris said the LEGO builds display is a highlight every year.

“There’ll be heaps of variety – new and old builds, something for all ages,” she said.

“We’ve got lots of builders coming from everywhere – Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, lots from Bendigo of course, but also South Australia, Brisbane and Albury, people are willing to travel, (so) it’s definitely a national thing.”

Ms Harris said the best thing about these events is the diversity.

“LEGO (attracts) all ages – some people go through a phase where they think they’re too cool for it, but they always come back,” she said.

“The appeal is in the creativity. At our meetings, everyone’s working on something different, and you’ll often (ask), ‘Hey, how did you do that?’

“You learn something new every time, and there are endless possibilities – you can build it, rebuild it, change it up.”

Put simply, according to Ms Harris, the Bendigo Bricks event is “a great day out for family and friends”.

“Hopefully it inspires people to dig out their old bricks and start building again,” she said.

Bendigo Bricks takes place tomorrow, Saturday 26 April from 10am to 5pm and Sunday 27 April from 10am to 4pm.

Tickets can be purchased on the door for $10 or via the Trybooking website for $8.