After the pandemic put a hole in everyone’s plans last year, the Skaerbaek Fan Weekend is back in 2021. The Thursday before the weekend has, for 3 of the last 4 years anyway, been associated with a trip to the LEGO House for an AFOL Day. Last year, in the absence of the true physical event, an online event took place.

This weekend, LEGO Fans from around the world – well, the parts that can travel to Denmark, anyway, are heading back to Skaerbaek. And once again, there will be an AFOL Day at the LEGO House. As well as unveilling new exhibits in the Masterpiece gallery, there will also be a number of presentations from Vice President for Design, Matthew Ashton, the Ninjago Team, as well as an update on the LEGO Groups Sustainability developments. Perhaps this is more like what AFOLs were expecting from LEGO Con, held earlier this year.

Here’s the official Announcement:

When LEGO® House for the first time in two years welcomes several hundred fans from all over the world on September 23, 2021, it is with a new fan exhibition in the Masterpiece Gallery and live presentations available both physically in LEGO House and virtually from home.

This year’s LEGO House Fan Day will be all about re-connecting with friends after months of separation and celebrating that it is finally possible to attend a physical event again. This is done with a fresh new exhibition in Masterpiece Gallery and presentations from LEGO Design Vice President, Matthew Ashton, the LEGO Ninjago Design team, and an update on the LEGO Group’s Sustainability agenda.

Masterpiece Gallery this year has a special set-up as the Corona pandemic has made it challenging to pursue the regular tradition in LEGO House, where selected fans have been invited to exhibit. There has been a need to think outside the box and LEGO House has had to search its own ranks to get fresh new models for the exhibition.
An internal competition in the LEGO entities in Billund has been taking place during spring, where all LEGO employees have been able to apply to exhibit their own creations in LEGO House for the next year. Among the 17 selected exhibitors, you might expect mainly LEGO designers, but there are also a mechanical engineer, executive assistant, and an operator who handed in their own LEGO creations.

Senior Product Designer Florian Müller, the designer behind the LEGO adidas Originals Superstar shoe (10282), is among the exhibitors with his version of the new modern Hamburg concert hall “Elbphilharmonie.” When asked what the coolest feature in his build is, he states “The coolest feature I think, is the opening mechanism: the thin front line of the concert hall can split up into two areas, which can open and reveal the inside of the concert hall. While most of the inside is purely built by my own imagination, the hoovering concert hall in the middle is something the real Elbphilharmonie also has.”

Executive Assistant Matthew Foster has also found inspiration in architecture and has, during the Corona lockdown, built a version of the famous Danish building “The Wave,” located in Vejle. He explains that the idea started “at the beginning of lockdown, where I was feeling like I needed something to occupy myself. I knew I wanted to build something to challenge myself, but I was having a tough time picking a project. On a walk past the water in Vejle I started thinking about how strange and unique the architecture of The Wave is and I wondered how to make it out of LEGO bricks.”

Due to complicated travel restrictions, not only in Denmark but worldwide related to the Corona pandemic, it has not been possible to gather exhibitors from all over the world this year, but LEGO House hopes it is possible next year.
Managing director from LEGO House, Jesper Vilstrup states “The already planned AFOL exhibitors for Masterpiece Gallery will be postponed to 2022, where LEGO House looks very much forward inviting them in for the long- planned event, and in that way get back to the very good yearly tradition that we appreciate very much in the Home of the Brick.”

On the LEGO House Fan Day guests can look forward to a packed day with lots of physical activities. They can experience the new Robo Lab and see the giant LEGO DOTS mosaic wall.

Furthermore, there are some exciting presentations from 2.00-4.00 pm (CEST) in LEGO Forum:

• 2.00 pm: Meet LEGO Design VP Matthew Ashton and hear about the latest news from his team
• 2:45 pm: 10th Anniversary of LEGO Ninjago
• 3:30 pm: The LEGO Group Sustainability Update

For those who cannot attend the presentation physically in the house, it is possible to attend with live streaming via this link http://fanweekend.dk/video.php

This 2pm start time translates to 10pm AEST(Melbourne, Sydney, Tasmania, Queensland)/8pm Perth /8am Eastern US summer Time and 5am Pacific Daylight time.

I had been hoping to get to Skaerbaek this year, but with our borders still closed, I look forward to catching up with the Fan Day online.

Will you be attending the LEGO House Event in real life? Or will you catch it online. Why not leave your comments below, and until Next Time,

Play Well!