The ground floor of Tauranga Racecourse is about to be overtaken by inspiring and colourful creations as Bricks of Plenty’s annual Lego show gets under way on the weekend of June 14-15.

“This will be our biggest show to date,” said Bricks of Plenty’s Lego ambassador Jesse Ingham. “There will be 100 tables worth of Lego on display with nearly 50 people exhibiting creations – we’re trying to cover all the different themes that Lego has.”

Ingham said there will be lots of new, exciting creations for people of all ages and walks of life to ooh and aah over at his club’s second annual show. “The new Formula 1 Lego models are out and some club members are quite keen on that. There’s been a lot of building in other themes too, such as Harry Potter, Star Wars and new Technic sets.

“There will be builds that people probably haven’t seen before – including club members’ own creations. We’ve got a lot of young people who are relatively new to the club, and this will be their first big show. They really build some incredible stuff.”

Nate Dawson, 13, with the fairground masterpiece he created with his brother Fraser Daw-son, 11, that will be on display at at the June 14-15 show. Photo / Brydie Thompson

Ingham said some creations have stories behind them, which can be personal; some have seek-and-finds with items hidden for people to “seek”, “and others are purely the exhibitor’s interest”.

However, Ingham said, the show is not just about Lego – “we try to provide an experience”.

“We’ve got a bigger, expanded brick pit this year, with more space for people to play with Lego. There’s a cafe, Toy World will be present, and there will be a sales tables.”

Ingham said the sensory hour is back this year too – from 9am-10am on Sunday, June 15. “It’s a quiet time where people who might feel overloaded by crowds can come in. We dim the lights and ensure there’s no noisy displays going.”

So why do people love Lego? “I think it’s the creativity, the possibilities, the opportunities, the visions and being able to see what people have created out of essentially what is a child’s toy,” said Ingham.

“[It’s incredible] to be able to inspire people with something hands-on like Lego, kids especially, who go: ‘Wow, look, someone’s built this dragon or this castle or this spaceship!’ Then they go home and build stuff and send us pictures.”

The Dawon brothers’ fairground creation will be on display at the June 14-15 show. Photo / Brydie Thompson

Bricks of Plenty president Jenny Coffey said more than 5000 people attended last year’s show. “From the proceeds, we donated Lego sets to three hospitals’ children’s wards in the Bay of Plenty.

“Our mission remains the same this year – to grow the exposure of Lego and what it can do, and also raise funds for a number of charities for children here in the BOP.”

Bricks of Plenty’s annual Lego show is 10am-4pm on Saturday, June 14, and Sunday, June 15, at Tauranga Racecourse Event Centre, 1383 Cameron Rd, Greerton. A sensory hour is on Sunday from 9am to 10am for those who want to avoid crowds and noise.