Tickets to this event were gifted thanks to Highlight PR

Hands up if you love LEGO!! 🙋‍♀️

LEGO is pretty much a rite of passage for every child. Whether you like it or not, Lego can be found at home, in libraries, schools, play centres and more, because it is an amazing way to develop the minds of kids young and old.

Lily can spend hours with her LEGO, building towers, the trampoline park, fire engines, and whatever else she sets her imagination to, and I’ve fond memories of doing the same as a kid too.

Whether you have a box of bricks or a set model to build, LEGO really is hours of fun.

However there is one particular person who has really put the hours into his LEGO masterpieces, Ryan McNaught, who has swept the Southern Hemisphere with his incredible work, so when we found out the Brickman Experience was coming to Leicester, we couldn’t wait to find out what it was all about. Here’s our full review…

What is the Brickman Experience?

The Brickman Experience is a the masterpiece of LEGO legend Ryan McNaught, with immense creations made from over five million LEGO bricks.

Having successfully toured the Southern Hemisphere with his creations, Ryan’s incredible interactive exhibition has now landed in the UK, and we are excited he is starting his tour at Highcross, Leicester.

From March 13th til April 20th 2020, you can check out over 60 of his LEGO models, including a quarter-scale LEGO Ferrari, James Bond portraits, a replica of the Sydney Opera House and an incredible LEGO Star Wars X-Wing.

What is it like?

Ryan is one of only 14 certified LEGO professionals in the world, so we knew it was going to be a great experience. What we weren’t prepared for was how much fun it would actually be – we were totally blown away with all the exhibition, from Ryan’s creations and reading the awesome facts behind each one, to the master building zone too!

There are over 60 exhibits which were transported across the world in tact, including a variety of incredibly huge plaques, smaller animals, and scale models of well-known icons from around the world.

It was just incredible – Lily was totally mesmerized by the sheer scale of the models and the detail was just amazing.

Even more awesome was that each model came with its own breakdown of information including how long it took to build, the number of bricks, and some behind-the-scenes info on how they were built.

To top it all off, there were also two Master Builder zones where children (and adults!) can build their own creations out of LEGO before putting them on display on either the wall or the shelves.

These zones were definitely a firm favourite for Lily – she could have spent hours there, and immediately asked if she could come and play here after school every day, hahaha!

Baring in mind Lily rarely stays still, it was really lovely to sit together and just build… although, I must admit I found it pretty relaxing after work too, to zone out with a pile of LEGO… don’t tell anyone I said that though 😉

Would we recommend it?

YES! Whether you’re looking for a day out with the family, an idea for a weekend adventure, or something fun to do in the Easter holidays for all ages around Leicestershire, we really recommend heading to this fantastic exhibition.

Lily said it was “so much fun” and “so amazing”… and has now asked for more bricks for her birthday!! Her favourites were the world’s biggest LEGO flower, the kitty cat underneath the flower, and the giant koala bear. I think my favourite was the huge Colosseum – the detail was just unbelievable.

We were there around an hour after school, but we could have spent at least another hour there with the building bricks too (or longer, if Lily had her way!).

There’s even a lovely little shop at the end if you want to take your LEGO fix home with you too!

It really was an amazing exhibition, something so unique, and we feel really lucky to have been able to experience its first visit to the UK, so thank you to Ryan and his team for bringing this to Leicester and making this event happen.

What do you need to know?

Place: Highcross Shopping Centre, Leicester. You can find it upstairs, on the walkway between John Lewis carpark and the toilet facilities.

Dates: March 13th – April 20th 2020

Ticket prices:
Standard (Ages 14+) – £11.20
Child (Ages 4-14)- £8.96
Child under 3 – Free
Family of 3 Ticket per person – £9.71
(Minimum of 1 child and maximum 2 adults. Must arrive together.)
Family of 4 Ticket per person- £8.40
(Minimum of 2 children and maximum 2 adults. Must arrive together.)

Opening times: 9.30am-6pm Monday – Saturday, 11am-6pm Sunday (closed Easter Sunday)

Time to view the exhibition: Average 1-2 hours. Experiences start every 30 mins, but you can stay as long as you like!

Accessibility: Fully accessible for pushchairs and wheelchairs, as well as access to lifts throughout Highcross.

Food and drink: You aren’t able to eat and drink in the exhibition itself, however you’re right in the heart of the amazing Highcross, which is filled with coffee shops, restaurants and places to refuel, whether you’re looking for a quick snack or a full meal.

Other information: Highcross Shopping Centre has a great family room for breastfeeding, baby changing and a toddler toilet, as well as wheelchair-accessible toilets and a changing places facilities.

Travel: Parking is easiest at John Lewis Car Park for Highcross Shopping Centre. There are also plenty of public transport options including bus routes.

For more information or for ticket booking, visit the Brickman website here

For this and other days out with the family in and around the East Midlands in the Easter holidays, check out our ideas here.