Cascading Community and the Tales of Two Builders
Ever since I first heard about Bricks Cascade in late 2019, it’s been on my list of go-to LEGO fan events. The excitement of getting to interact with fellow fans in person rather than just on digital platforms was palpable and would only get more intense as the next few years went by. After moving much closer to the Portland area in late 2022, my dream became a reality, and Bricks Cascade is now my “home” convention!
Bricks Cascade is an annual event located in downtown Portland, Oregon. The Oregon Convention Center is a beautiful location that allows enthusiasts of the LEGO brick from across the country and world to rejoice and share their incredible builds with each other in one 60,000-square-foot space. Connections here are inevitable, but not just with plastic bricks!
Even better yet, I was able to bring along my partner Ibby. As someone with social anxiety who can get overwhelmed, I was so glad to have her with me. And yet, my anxiety didn’t seem to tug at me as much as I had thought it would because the sense of comfort and belonging only grew as we entered the convention hall.
Finding Your People
At first glance, Bricks Cascade may seem overwhelming to someone who’s never been to a LEGO convention before. As someone whose first year attending was 2023, I can say that this feeling quickly went away. The feeling of acceptance and belonging overtook my anxious thoughts. It was much easier than I thought to slip into the Cascade community and the smaller ones within it. This year was even easier than the last!
Even though I’ve only attended once before, I had the opportunity to meet a plethora of builders that I’ve only spoken to online and hadn’t had the chance to meet last year. I even met some new people and talked with some that I’d met during my first show in 2023. Besides eyeing and gawking at the builds, meeting people was my favorite part. Easily. Meeting new faces, seeing those familiar to me, and getting to speak with like-minded people overall was just a blast. There were so many opportunities and topics for conversation. I talked so much each of the four days, I had a sore throat every night. Cue the tea and honey!
Within the large body of 500+ attending builders were some smaller tight-knit groups. A multitude of LUG or community-driven builds were on display for all to see. During the first two AFOL days that preceded the public weekend show, the convention floor was filled with builders and conversation. There were games that sounded (literally) like a blast as well. We weren’t able to make it into any of those games, but could hear the laughter and joy from outside the rooms.
It’s very easy to get drawn in by the astounding number of LEGO builds to see, let alone the builds themselves. Each theme is sectioned off and very easy to tell apart from the others. There is a “mixed” theme for builds that don’t quite fit under any other established sections, and even so, it is very cohesive overall! Each theme has a coordinator to help make setup and display run as smoothly as possible.
Each MOC card even has options on the back for you to fill out so that if your build needs to be moved, it can be done with or without your assistance. They’ll reach out to you if they need to move it, depending on your preference. I think that’s very important because, at least in my case, some builds need to be handled in a specific way in order to stay intact. (See my previous article on my half-building style here for reference.) Nobody wants a last-minute emergency rebuild!
Some of the builds i displayed!
As someone who’s been a member of the online LEGO community since MOCpages, it’s such a cool experience to be able to interact with fellow fans in person. To meet builders I’ve spoken to online, to see the things I’ve seen online in person—the details, techniques and behind-the-scenes of the builds—and to hear the builder speak about their passion. I think participating in conventions is important for any LEGO fan. It helps give you a sense of (as I’ve said already) belonging, acceptance, and overall joy.
One BrickNerd contributor was added in post.
A prime example of a digital community that became physical to me: I got to meet the team from BrickNerd! Coordinating a photo was a little difficult, but we got there…just about! I also got to see some of the cool things in person that were built for a BrickNerd article like Doug’s motorized mine underneath Snow White’s cottage.
For this article and convention journey, I was also joined by my trusty partner Ibby! She’s been such an incredible help in taking pictures, writing notes, and being my sidekick throughout. I couldn’t have done this without her! I’ll let her take it from here.
Getting To Know You
Hi everyone, Ibby here! The initial start to the event is obviously set up but what comes with it is surprisingly a lot of “getting to know you” conversation, varying from attendees who have been there for years or even those where this is their very first event they are attending. From the very first step on the convention floor, you get this sense of belonging just from the general kindness of every person you run into. Whether it be admiring their creations and asking for techniques to asking if they have any spare specific parts that you need for your own build to complete it. The overall sense you get is what the LEGO community is all about: acceptance, kindness, and diversity.
Walking around and seeing the creations was incredible, but being asked to help out those who were still setting up is an amazing experience.
One MOC that I thoroughly enjoyed helping with was Mark Cruickshank’s (season 1 of LEGO Masters US) build of his post-apocalyptic city, where I helped place little civilians and create little storylines in the build itself. I also helped with navigating a first year and first convention ever attendee whose name was also Mark. Being able to help these individuals really allowed me to understand what the feeling of belonging is regardless of how new or experienced you are, as well as seeing all the group builds that are put together by a team of people.
We managed to sit right next to two big displays, Cactus Brick and The Old West where individuals build MOCs but then collaborate and put together one major piece that takes up tables. It is truly an incredible sight to see how, even when everyone lives different lives, they can still work together to create an eye-capturing grand piece that really awes builders who attend.
One big part of this convention I always look forward to as well is the GayFOLs meeting as well. Being a member of the LGBTQ+, this meeting is always heartwarming and really makes me feel a part of the LEGO community. This event isn’t just for those who are a part of the LGBTQ+ but also for allies. This year to see the room packed and full of diverse people was really what made me so joyous. This community is thousands strong and running from all over the nation making it a very beautiful and loving circle to be a part of.
Overall, when it comes to going to Bricks Cascade, it really does “cascade community.” I find this event to be one I look forward to every year as the space allows everyone to have room to present and be themselves. With the opportunities to see grandiose builds, being able to see people work together, being welcoming to those that are new, and being able to learn from each other; this event is the embodiment of what it means to be an AFOL.
Image by jd photo art
I think that’s really what makes Bricks Cascade so amazing to experience and why I would encourage anyone and everyone to attend as this event deserves more recognition and love. Even as someone who is still really new to LEGO and attending these fan events myself, I look forward to the coming years and am excited to keep building to show my newfound LEGO friends what I build next. Not only that but I’m excited to be a part of the AFOL community in general. See you at Bricks Cascade 2025!
Have you been to Bricks Cascade? Let us know in the comments below.
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