Lego-Inspired Experience for Grownups Pops Up Across North America this Summer
The tiny building block of childhood imagination, LEGO is a toy that has endured the tests of time and technology. The last-standing patent for the ingenious interlocking bricks, however, expired in 1989. Decades later, an Australian experiential marketing company had debuted a series of LEGO-constructed pop-up bars along a North American tour following a successful local run in Australia and a stop in London. Though a tussle over copyright left LEGO out of the name, the boozy concept—dubbed the Brick Bar—is designed for grown-up enjoyment.
"One million bricks will make up each iteration of the North American leg," says founder James Farrell of the eponymous company. “We have a ping-pong table made with over 20,000 bricks, a fully functioning brick waterfall feature, and a giant throne for guests to relax on, and grab that perfect Instagrammable moment."
Like several Instagram-centric experiences, Brick Bar will roll out a ball pit in select cities. The venue also features interactive areas where people can build with the blocks, affix them onto a vertical baseplate wall, and test their bravery by walking barefoot across a path strewn with hundreds of individual unassembled pieces.
As far as who is responsible for putting together the one million pieces that comprise each Brick Bar, Farrell says that the original team who came up with the idea is "still very hands-on with the build and execution of the events all over the world."
Aside from building the experience, challenges to producing the bars include finding spaces that can physically accommodate it; scheduling the build-out process so that it doesn't interfere with other businesses at the venue; nailing down food and beverage service that fits the branding; and ticketing it to accommodate the flow of guests in an organized manner.
"Finding the perfect partner venue is tricky," says Farrell. "We like to work with like-minded, passionate and creative people—business owners that see the value in executing nostalgic and 'out-of-the-box' events."
The Los Angeles pop-up is slated to go into a brewery in the downtown Arts District, and the Brooklyn event will take place at Bogart House, a white-hued, industrial-style space that hosts all kinds of events from club nights to art installations to bar mitzvahs.
Following Brooklyn, the Brick Bar pop-up tour will continue with stops in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Denver, Houston, Miami, Toronto, and Vancouver, B.C.
