Thousands of plastic bricks are taking over the Minnesota State Fairgrounds this weekend as Brick Cities Twin Cities returns for its second straight year at the North End Event Center in St. Paul. The two-day LEGO fan convention runs Saturday and Sunday, with organizers selling tickets by timed two-hour session to keep the show from getting too crowded.
According to Eden Prairie Local News, the convention is back at the fairgrounds in the same spot it used last year. Event organizer Brick Cities confirms the return on its own site, noting that brickcities.org describes the show as part of a larger national Brick Cities tour that also makes stops in other cities. Saturday sessions run 9-11 a.m., noon-2 p.m., and 3-5 p.m., while Sunday sessions are scheduled for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-4 p.m., per the organizer's site.
Each ticket admits a guest to just one of those timed windows, which attendees choose when they register. The pricing tiers break down by age: kids ages 5 to 17 pay $12, adults pay $17, and children under 5 get in free, the organizer's website notes. Families can also bundle admission for $45, covering one or two adults and up to five kids, while a VIP option runs $28 for children and $33 for adults and adds early entry along with an exclusive Brick Cities shirt.
What's On the Floor
The show floor is built around a mix of spectator displays and hands-on activities. Brick Cities promises a gallery of original creations from fan builders across the country, alongside a vendor hall stocked with sets, minifigs, and rare finds from local resellers. Attendees can also race brick-built cars on a competition track and take on LEGO-built games contributed by local builders, the organizer's site states.
Younger visitors get their own space, with open-build areas and a dedicated DUPLO zone set aside for the littlest builders. A scavenger hunt sends attendees searching the floor for hidden prizes throughout the show, according to the same source. The format echoes other stops on the national tour — a Brick Cities event planned for Phoenix is similarly billed as featuring original creations from builders nationwide and a vendor hall of sets and minifigs, per brickcities.org.
Getting There and Getting In
Parking is free in the North End lot and along Cooper Street outside the hall, the organizer's site notes. The venue itself is step-free, with a one-level hall and a main entrance on Murphy Avenue designed for easy access.
The exact street address carries some conflicting information worth flagging for anyone mapping the trip. Brick Cities lists the North End Event Center at 1660 Murphy Avenue, at Cooper Street, while Visit Saint Paul's event listing gives the address as 1265 Snelling Avenue North. Both descriptions point to the same Minnesota State Fairgrounds complex, but the discrepancy between the two listings has not been resolved.
One more note for anyone wondering about the brand behind the bricks: Brick Cities is not sponsored, authorized, or endorsed by the LEGO Group. The organizer states plainly on its FAQ page that the convention operates as an independent fan event, separate from the toy company whose products fill its show floor.
