Are you an AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO)? If so, then ready your best MOC (that’s My Own Creation) and register for the City of Yelm Recreation’s Backyard Bricks, a brand-new, free, two-day LEGO showcase that includes challenges, giveaways, and a massive building competition on December 31, 2026, through January 1, 2027, at the Yelm Community Center.
Rebecca Jensen is an AFOL who is looking forward to the competition. Like most of us, she played with LEGO as a kid, but it wasn’t a huge interest. “I got into building my own creations with LEGO much more recently as an adult just a few years ago, after watching LEGO Masters on TV,” Rebecca shares. “Seeing not only the creations, but how builders organized their home LEGO studios into drawers of parts, lit a light bulb in my brain and showed me what was possible.”
She loves that LEGO are what she describes as a “reusable art medium.” It’s okay if you make mistakes – it’s easy to undo and start again without wasting materials. “Even after I’ve created a finished piece that I share, I relish being able to completely take it apart and use the pieces for something new,” she adds.
New LEGO Competition in Yelm
If you are over 18 and love LEGO, then congratulations, you are officially an AFOL! And you are the perfect person to enter Backyard Bricks, even if you have never competed before! Modeled after other LEGO competitions, the City of Yelm Recreation created this event to be beginner-friendly, with enough excitement for those who know what SNOT and POOP are…that’s ‘studs not on top’ and ‘pieces out of pieces’…and why clutch power is so important.
“We wanted a way to mimic the community aspect that was felt at each of those events, in a smaller scale,” shares Line Roy, City of Yelm communications and recreation coordinator. “We connected the exhibition portion with the games, activities, and awards often seen at conventions, and landed on this.”
Rebecca has a few competitions under her LEGO toolbelt, her first being BrickCon 2025. There, her creation was a moving Mon Monthma dancing at her daughter’s wedding, inspired by the TV show “Andor.” At Bricks Cascade 2026, she received two honorable mentions for her microscale winter village and a 3D animated album cover of Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” Before Backyard Bricks she will be at BrickCon 2026.
Her MOCs incorporate movement using gears and motors. “My current project is a
large landscape featuring a variety of terrain that moves, including a bubbling bog, jumping fish, tumbling waterfall, and an orienteer running through it all,” she shares.
Builders will have the day of December 31 to build their MOCs. These are creations that you have come up with on your own and not from a LEGO instruction booklet.
Competitors will also take part in exciting contests, build challenges and a social mixer! Some of the challenges include:
- Minifig About Town: Join the Minifig About Town challenge and show off your creativity by photographing your LEGO minifigs at your favorite spots around Yelm and posting on Facebook.
- Draft: Participants will bring a copy of the same set, sort the pieces by shape and color, and take turns claiming their desired part. It’s a cost-effective way to acquire bulk quantities of specific elements for custom building. They will announce the Draft Set a month before the competition, so competitors can purchase it.
When asked what she was most excited about at Backyard Bricks, Rebecca shares, “Playing games and spending time with super friendly LEGO folks, seeing what other wonderful creations my fellow builders have made, and sharing my own creation with the public!”
Be sure to register now – it’s free! And, if you need a place to stay, contact the Prairie Hotel and tell them you are an AFOL! As the Backyard Bricks partner hotel, guests will receive a very cool, LEGO-themed swag bag. Line’s not giving any hints on what’s in the bags or the exclusive prize the Hotel is also giving away to guests only. “You’ll have to show up to see what it is!” she adds.
Public Invited to New Year’s LEGO Showcase
Looking for a New Year’s Day 2027 event? Look no further! The public is invited on January 1, 2027, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to enjoy the amazing creations. There is no admission and parking is free.
“We encourage you to interact with the public and share the stories behind your builds,” shares Line. Which just might when you an award, as one of them is the Fan Favorite Award! Public attendees will be voting on which MOC they like best. Be sure to cast your vote – you might win too! “Everyone who votes for the Fan Favorite will also be entered to win their own LEGO Set,” share Line Roy, City of Yelm communications and recreation coordinator.
A prize will also be awarded to the Mayor’s Favorite, selected by Yelm Mayor Joe DePinto. Prizes are LEGO sets and will be awarded at 4 p.m.
Maybe you want to create a scene from your favorite movie, a fantastical ship that flies into space or Hollywood Boulevard. Nothing is limiting your imagination, so register for Backyard Bricks, secure your hotel and start creating!
The City of Yelm wishes to thank its sponsors for making this fun, free event possible: Thurston County Lodging Tax, City of Yelm Lodging Tax, Jason’s Greenhouse, AMW the Studio, Tim’s Pharmacy and Gift Shop and Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck of Tenino.
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