• Brickfair 2023 is this weekend, 28th and 29th October.
• Entrance is free for anyone visiting the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in Pretoria.
• The event promises to be the largest of the year with international attention.

Arguably the biggest event in the calendar for South African LEGO fans is Brickfair, a LEGO exhibition that is taking place this weekend.

Between 28th and 29th October anyone is free to visit the show at the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in Pretoria. Visitors should head to the official LEGO store located in the shopping centre (shop G157 on the ground floor) where the Brickfair displays will be set up.

For those new to the event, Brickfair is a fan-run exhibition where exhibitors can show off their LEGO projects for other fans – and anyone else in attendance – to appreciate. While the exhibition of LEGO is the main draw of the event, there will also be activities, competitions and items on sale.

While Brickfair and similar events overseas are all friendly events made to bolster the community, it is also a competition. Judges will be looking over the displayed models and choose winners in nine categories:

• Best in show: These prizes are awared to the overall best builds of the weekend. Let your imagination run wild!,
• Best SuperHero display: Marvel, DC or your own Superhero design,
• Best Space or SciFi display: Let see your futuristic builds. Whether it is existing or your own imagined universe, let see how you live long and prosper,
• Rookie of the year: If this is your first time exhibiting at Brickfair, this category is for you. Come on noobs, let’s see what you can do,
• Best Castle or Fantasy display: Give King Arthur and James Cameron a run for their money,
• Best kid’s display: An open category for our younger exhibitors, open only to exhibitors 18 years and younger. Sorry boomer!,
• Best Technic or mechanical model: Whether it’s a GBC module or construction equipment, if your build moves, this is the category for you to enter.
• Best City or Town build: In a town, far far away, show the crowd how hard minifigures work,
• Best presentation of a set(s): If building MOCs (My Own Creations) is not your thing, we’re giving a prize to the exhibitor which displayed a standard set (or collection of sets) in a unique and interesting way.

While we’re very excited as South Africans to attend Brickfair 2023 and see what fellow local fans have been cooking up, it seems the event has also attracted some notable international attention.

YouTube channel Beyond the Brick has already arrived in South Africa and is touring the country ahead of covering Brickfair 2023.

With 1.32 million subscribers, Beyond the Brick has made a name for itself covering similar LEGO events around the world. Aside from showcasing unique and interesting builds from these exhibitions, the channel will also interview the person or team behind each build, so you can get more insight into the process of making a show-worthy LEGO display.

We’re eager to see South Africans and their LEGO appear on Beyond the Brick soon, but right now you can watch the team from the channel at some local LEGO attractions, such as the Star Wars Microfighter game at the LEGO store in Cape Town and the augmented reality interactive display at the LEGO store in Joburg.