Lego Model for 520 Bridge Grand Opening

For the 520 Bridge Grand Opening - the longest floating bridge in the world - Sealug made a 1:125 play scale 15' long model section of the bridge.  Thanks to all the folks that came to see it - all fifty thousand visitors!

Crowd of People at 520 Bridge Grand Opening

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Wow, we're used to some big events, ECCC gets 70K or so people, Brickcon gets 15K or something.  50 thousand people is quite a bit, even if they didn't all stop in our tent!

People in Lego Bridge Tent

Our Lego Tent at 520 Grand Opening

Our model bridge is about 1/125th scale, 2' wide and 15' long (60cm x almost 5m) and took almost 19,000 bricks to build.  When we showed up at 7am it was pretty cold, but fortunately it warmed up to be a great day.

520 Lego Bridge Sealug Tent

Detail of Lego 520 Bridge

The original plan had a kids building area for Duplo and a building table for bigger kids to make cars to put on the model bridge.  After we started arranging things we had a little more space so expanded it to 2 tables.  Once kids started showing up at the most we had to start a 3rd build table!

Duplo Play Area

Kids' Car Building Area @ 520 Bridge

I wasn't sure how the public would react to the Lego area and was eager to see their reaction.  It was a bit disturbing to see the first people rush on past -- until I realized everyone was trying to make the bridge opening speeches in the middle of the bridge.  Even so I fear we may have delayed some families as kids started to build their cars.  After the official ceremony we were packed.

Tons of cars on Lego Bridge

I know that not every one of those 50,000 people stopped in our tent, but at times it felt like it.  We were wall to wall kids and cars were being loaded onto the Lego bridge faster than we could make room for them.  We hope all the kids had as much fun as we did.

Crowd in Lego Bridge Tent

Lots of people looking at Lego Bridge

Factoids:

• Longest, and only, Lego bridge ever displayed on the longest floating bridge in the world.
• 15 feet long and 2 feet wide, but still fits in our minivan!
• 50,000 attendees on bridge day! WOW!
• Peak capacity: 250 kid-built cars!
• 50 microfig pedestrians
• Built by 15 Sealug volunteers and a Lego class over several weekends.
• Over 1000 antennas used as the pontoon railings.
• Enough "lightsaber" blades to outfit 168 Jedi with gray lightsabers!
• Gave away every bookmark we had for Brickcon Madness 2016  (except the one that fell behind a table).

Thanks to Alice's kids for helping build a bridge section, thanks to all the Sealug volunteers for helping to design and build the bridge.  Thanks to Dox and 520GoLong the 520 folks and everyone else for arranging the grand opening activities.  We had fun showing the bridge and tons of people had fun on bridge day!

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We hope to show the bridge again for Brickcon 2016:  Madness! in October.