The 5th Annual Brick by Brick: LEGO Shipbuilding Event

Visitors at the 2015 LEGO Shipbuilding event work on building a ship for the contest. (Photo by HRNM Educator Diana Gordon.)

The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is proud to announce that the fifth annual Brick by Brick: LEGO Shipbuilding event will be held from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday, February 6, at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center, right next to Nauticus at One Waterside Drive in Norfolk. This year's “blockbuster” LEGO Shipbuilding event promises to be the biggest one ever because it will take place in a venue that provides three times the space than in years past. This FREE program invites LEGO shipbuilders of all ages to share their creations with fellow enthusiasts on one exciting day – and compete for fabulous prizes!

This popular signature event is presented in partnership with the Hampton Roads Naval Historical Foundation, the Historic Naval Ships Association, the Naval Historical Foundation, and Nauticus. Children and adults alike can bring their pre-constructed LEGO ships to display and enter in the contest prior to 2 pm on February 6th. There are two separate contests: one for those who make ships at HRNM, and one for those who build their ships at home. HRNM will award prizes for five winning age categories in each competition, along with our fan favorite, voted on by YOU!

HRNM educators will be on hand to share the science behind building ships. In addition, visitors can create historic naval ships from HRNM’s own diagrams. Each year, staff members add new ships to the on-site brick fleet. New ships this year include USS Maine, USS Seawolf, USS Liberty, USS Monitor, and CSS Virginia.

USS Maine in a historic image and in the LEGO version.

This year, we will also be offering STEM activities for elementary and middle school children. First Lego League of Virginia will be on-deck for a LEGO robotics demonstration, to include some hands-on programing, and Engineering for Kids will be providing hands-on LEGO robotics activities as well. Finally, SeaPerch will have a demonstration table for their remotely operated underwater vehicle competitions.

Several LEGO-related activities will accompany the event, so be sure to bring your creativity to the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. We have activities available for all age ranges--from toddlers to adults. Crafts, free-play areas, and more will be open from 10 am to 5 pm on the 6th.

Advance registration is available on Eventbrite. You can also purchase t-shirts to support this and future LEGO Shipbuilding events. Contact 757-322-3168 or donald.darcy@navy.mil with any questions. We'll see you here on February 6th!