WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Halloween season has settled in at Legoland Florida. Its Brick-or-Treat event, much like the theme park itself, is geared to the 2-to-12-year-old crowd, but there’s ample lighthearted spooky stuff to entertain the adult crowd, too, including shows, Lego group builds, specialty foods and distinctive character interactions.
There’s an emphasis on Lego’s monster characters this year, a new chapter. if you will. of Brick-or-Treat, said Kelly Hornick, head of Legoland Florida marketing and communications.
“The Lego monsters have really taken over. So, we have the Lego Plant Monster, we have Tiger Lady, we have all-new characters that people can meet or see in the shows or both in some cases. That’s really kind of the overlay to this year’s event,” she said.
“Plus we’ve kind of — as part of this party vibe — tried to have more of the fun music, more bubbles around, more smoke around, just atmosphere to make it feel more like a party,” Hornick said.
Monsters in the middle
Legoland provides a slick little guide book to the event, and, oddly, you might want to start in the middle, near the staple. There you can get a feel for all six themed zones, some of which have more obvious correlations to the regular theme-park lands than others.
That center map also gives page numbers for the zones in question, and there are symbols for the character experiences, candy stations, shows, shopping and more, including treats such as Monster Mash funnel cake (minty cake with crushed Oreo pieces and candy “eyeballs”).
Mega minifigures
Monstrous meet-and-greets are scattered across the park. Some are listed in the guide and on signs in walkways. But the lineup rotates at each location and each character stays about 20 minutes, so if a particular Lego character is must-see, your group must be on its collective toes.
The big characters all have Lego minifigures that correspond with them. Although the edges of Lego toys might indicate otherwise, the Lego people are still huggable, if young fans are to be believed.
“For kids, t’s so cool because this is the Lego version,” Hornick said. “Some of these kids might be playing with them at home and then seeing them come to life here in the park. … Even Tiger Lady. She’s really cool, complete with her accessories of whip and hat.”
Among the characters listed in the guide are Lego Spider Lady, Lego Mummy, Lego Witch, Lego Shark Suit Guy and Lego Zombie Cheerleader.
Stage frights
The shows have become more elaborate during Brick-or-Treat, including “The UnbeLEAFable Halloween Night” on the Lego City Stage, which features the … interesting-looking Lego Plant Monster.
Elsewhere, the V.I.M. Dance Party is hosted by Lord Vampyre, who scratches his way through his DJ duties while flanked by four batty dancers. Kids love to dance here, but they also love to “FREEZE” when the DJ stops the music and, of course, the dreaded “Make some noise.”
Grrrrrrrreat movie
New for this year’s Brick-or-Treat is “The Great Monster Chase,” a 4-D movie in the Legoland Fun Town Theater. The style is like the big-screen, wide-release Lego movies, and there’s wink-wink humor for grown-ups built in.
Also interesting is the film’s lack of character dialogue but abundance of sound effects and grunts that convey the story in any language (and, thus, at any Legoland park globally).
Do the dragon
The park’s Dragon Coaster has received a disco-driven Halloween overlay. It’s modest, featuring multiple disco balls and soundtrack alterations. But note the smoke-filled bubbles and try to pop them as they waft by for an unusual effect.
Also: Some of the Brick-or-Treat lineup doesn’t start until early afternoon, so pace yourself and your little companions. Remember, it builds up to end-of-night 3-D “brick-busting” fireworks.
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Brick-or-Treat is held on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 30, and it’s included in regular park admission. For tickets or more information, go to www.legolandflorida.com.
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