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The crowds were all smiles at the Western Development Museum's Moose Jaw branch this weekend, as Brickspo 2025 brought in builders and fans from across the province and beyond. From kinetic Lego sculptures to intricate recreations of video game scenes and pop culture icons, the exhibition blended artistic expression with technical mastery — and the public showed up in droves.
“It's been going really well,” said Alexis Jones, programs and volunteer coordinator at the WDM. “We've been really busy and steady. It's really nice to see everybody come out.”
Brickspo is hosted in partnership with the Saskatchewan LEGO Users Group, who bring displays that go far beyond what comes in a kit. Jones said what makes Brickspo special is the originality: builders swap parts, design from scratch, and create unique themed builds not found anywhere else, elevating the event from what might be a niche toy convention to an event showing off an inspiring range of real artistry and skill.
“They have a yard sale where you can buy Lego, brick talks throughout the day where they talk about their process, and build challenges too,” she added. “There was one where they had to build with one arm behind their back. And another where one person can see the instructions and the other has to build from verbal cues. It turns into a kind of team-building exercise.”
The event also included so-called 'wacky races' where creators sent their spur-of-the-moment, custom-built vehicles down the museum’s rail gallery, as well as a digital seek-and-find challenge based on 1980s Lego builds scattered throughout the exhibits. Visitors could scan a QR code and submit their entries for a chance to win a Lego set and a Deja Vu Café gift card.
Seasoned vets with decades invested into the hobby were joined by young fans like Ruby from Swift Current, whose family were all excited for a Brickpo day.
“The Lego over there — the picture with the man on it, with the black hat and the purple jacket — I really liked that one, so far,” Ruby said. “I’m also trying to win the Deja Vu Café package.”
One popular display near the beginning of the exhibition came from Melinda Abrams, who recreated her Animal Crossing island in Lego, complete with printed 2x4 tiles representing the game’s beloved characters.
“I like that Lego made the characters. The characters are really cute, and I just like the way the markets and the buildings came to life in this display,” she said. “There’s a lot of people who recognize what I did and they get so excited when they see the different animals and what they’re doing. I just had a lot of fun building it.”
Cass Smith and Nick Fortman were also drawn in by the variety. Smith said they're regular fans and her favourites are usually the kinetic sculptures that cleverly incorporate movement. This year, however, an impressive static artwork caught her attention.
“So far, honestly, it’s been this bird right behind us — a really cool Chinese Peacock,” said Smith. “It’s showing some traditional values as well in here. Really cool to see that.”
“I really like the towns and the house builds,” added Fortman. “Anything detailed, anything that tells a little story.”
One of the furthest-travelled exhibitors was Sam Malmberg, a full-time Lego artist from Edmonton and a past contestant on Lego Masters.
“This is my third Brickspo. I first came here in 2023 and I like to come back every year,” he said. “Saskatchewan has an oddly high concentration of very talented Lego builders. I travel around a lot for Lego — I’m doing every Canadian Lego convention this year except one in Quebec — and this one’s special. It’s a smaller show, but the quality is a lot higher on average.”
Malmberg’s work changes each year, ranging from Star Wars dioramas to sci-fi castles to this year’s display — a set of artistic tributes.
“This year I’ve got a collaboration of Björk album cover representations and a recreation of a children’s book cover,” he explained. “I kind of go all over the place. I'm just an art guy in general.”
He said the crowds were steady and enthusiastic all weekend.
“Brickspo’s a massive draw at the WDM. They do really well, I think, and it’s always great to see folks showing up in small-town Saskatchewan for something like this.”
The event has grown steadily each year and continues to reflect both the enduring popularity of Lego and the province’s creative spirit. With builds ranging from futuristic sci-fi speculation to tributes to universally loved video games, and interactive elements for all ages, Brickspo continues to be the museum's biggest annual event.