BrickMagic Festival returns with Lego movies, creations

The festival kicks off with the BrickFlix Lego Shorts Film Festival at the Carolina Theatre in Durham on Wednesday. Then it all moves over to the Hilton North Raleigh on Saturday and Sunday for the festival with lots of Lego-related activities.

We'll start with the film festival. The event will feature animated brick films, which are films using Legos, and other Lego-themed shorts. Note that there are two showings - 7 p.m. Wednesday for all ages and 9 p.m. for ages 16 and up. Some of the scenes in the later showing may be too intense for younger viewers.

Special guest David Pagano, an animator whose work includes projects for the Lego Group (including Space Police and the Lego Club Show) will be on hand to demonstrate how his films are made and take questions after the screenings.

Then the Lego-madness moves over to Raleigh on Saturday and Sunday. Visitors will be able to help Certified Professional Lego builder Sean Kenney build a creation featuring a full-size Lego Bicycle; see a huge hall of custom Lego creations by top builders from around the country; play in a special room filled with over 20,000 loose Lego bricks; meet Jared K. Burks, who will debut his new book on customizing minifigures, and hold free minifig workshops;  watch a robotics competition by First Lego League teams; shop for hard-to-find Lego parts and sets; and purchase a special limited edition tulip kit, available only at BrickMagic. And there's more including a car building contest and a Lego stomp car derby.

Single day tickets are $11 in advance and $12 at the door for adults ages 17 and up and $7 in advance and $8 at the door for kids 4 to 16 and seniors. Kids 3 and under are admitted free. And moms get in for half price on Mother's Day with a paying child or spouse.

The hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. It's at the Hilton North Raleigh, 3415 Wake Forest Rd. in Raleigh.