LEGO builders of all ages welcome at the 2024 Brick Roundup

Billed as Calgary's premier LEGO show, the Brick Roundup is a chance for people who share the same passion to come together for a two-day event held at MacEwan Hall at the University of Calgary.

"I am wowed all the time," said Michael Tyess, event organizer.

"That's why I do these shows – so that I can be inspired, and we hope to inspire younger builders as well to keep up with the hobby.

"A lot of times, people step away from LEGO, but it's a hobby I've had my whole life."

The event, which runs Oct. 19 and 20, is in it's fifth year and organizers say this year, demand is high, so they've moved to a large space at the U of C.

It will feature 57 builders from Western Canada and the U.S., who are bringing more than 300 custom builds.

"I look at LEGO as an artistic medium. I love it because it's half sculpture, half puzzle," said Sam Malmberg, LEGO Masters season 4 runner-up.

"You can build whatever you want – your imagination is the only bounds – but there are physical requirements on how the bricks need to interlock in order to make something sturdy, so there's a puzzle element to it, too. I love that."

Malmberg lives in Edmonton and makes a living teaching and building with LEGO.

He's recognized at events like this one after he and his mom competed on the U.S.-based LEGO Masters reality show.

"I always joke that I'm a niche internet micro-celebrity," he said.

"At the end of the day, it's a small community and so, for a show like (Brick Roundup), you come back to it year after year, and you just get to know all of the other builders and it's really this close-knit community of people that have a shared passion for a hobby like this."

LEGO Masters season 3 competitors Stephen Joo and Stephen Cassley will also be in attendance.

The two are friends and firefighters and will be showing off one of their pieces from LEGO Masters.

"I find (building with) LEGO has been a very good addition to my emergency services as a complement," Joo said.

"Because I have a very intense work environment, and this is a very creative outlet that I get to have after these intense experiences at work."

Joo enjoys sharing his passion with guests at these kinds of shows and is always on the lookout for new ideas from other builders.

"Every year, there's something that completely catches me off guard," he said.

"Just when I think I've got a good handle on what's being made and what the community is inspiring, there's somebody that comes out with something new and refreshing and that to me is just the byproduct of a medium like LEGO – it can be anything you want, just as long as you put your creative energies toward it."

Christina Wilkinson is a builder from Medicine Hat who is showing some of her work at the show.

She's known as the "Spooky Brick Lady" because her builds are mostly made with black, red and grey bricks.

"It's a stress reliever," she said.

"I run a dayhome in my home, so I have four to six kids under the age of five, so the end of the day, I like sorting LEGO and building things."

Wilkinson says she's proud to show off her work, because it's a hobby she's grown to love.

"I can't draw, I can't paint, but this is my version of art, so how I express myself," she said.

You can learn more about the 2024 Brick Roundup here.