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People of all ages flocked to ILT Stadium in Invercargill over the weekend for the Southland Brickshow.
Run by the Lego Users Group South (Lug South), the event was jam-packed with a variety of Lego builds and with a $2 admission plenty of people had come along to see them.
Lug South founder Gavin Evans said the talent in the group of builders displaying their creations at the show was world class and they were all doing it for a genuine love of Lego.
“We have some of the best Lego builders on the planet in this room today . . . their abilities and what they’ve done with what they have is second to none.”
He had “travelled the Lego world”, and despite the financial challenges some members faced, their talent was undeniable, he said.
“Maybe they can’t do the best that they could do because of budget restraints or the amount of Lego they own . . . but every single person will blow your mind with creativity.”
The event was not for profit but it never felt like work, Mr Evans said.
“Those of us organising the event have fun doing it . . . we put a lot of effort into creating an event where the public come into a warm, welcoming and inviting place.
“We do this for the public — if the public didn’t turn up, it wouldn’t be worth doing it.”
The majority of the money earned through admission or raffles would go to different charities Lug South supported.
“Our mission is to help unwell children in the Southern region — we’ve got Lego bricks in Dunedin, Gore, Invercargill and Queenstown hospitals.’’
Lug South also worked closely with Life Education and gave fuel or grocery vouchers to families with sick children in hospital via Ronald McDonald House, he said.
This year was his last year at the helm of the event, though he would still be involved in the future, just not running it.
He had been the primary organiser since 2014, but was confident his team would have no issues running it without him.
Carl Hollis has been with LUG South since 2019 and brought a large city build he made to showcase at the Brickshow.
Working over the course of two years, averaging four hours a day, his build stood at 1.8m high.
“I like to make a story and try to get people to join in with the story you’re making . . . I’ve made a story for myself but there could be other scenes in my building that seem completely different to other people,” he said.
He estimated the total cost of the piece was close to $5000 and said he had a lot of good feedback from attendees and people were “quite amazed”.
Mr Evans said the main goal of the Brickshow was to see “a lot of smiley happy faces”.
“Standing here and looking at it all, it really needs the space of ILT Stadium.”
Having just bought a new house with his family, he was looking forward to having more time with his partner and their children while he worked to get things set up.
“It’ll be home to finish unloading the garage and Lego room, I’ve got a garden shed arriving and a big concrete pad to put down, roof repairs and weatherboard repairs — I think there won’t be much of a breather.
“For a lot of our members this is the pinnacle of the year. Now they get a bit of relaxation until they start building for next year.”
tayler.mutton@alliedmedia.co.nz