I am excited to announce the release of the 2012 Lego KidsFest tour dates. Our family attended the 2011 Cleveland Lego event, and we were all more than impressed, as the show was better than we ever expected. A couple of tips we recommend are as follows:

1) If you want to be sure to get lots of free Lego items to take home with you, I would strongly recommend going on the first day, and early before the crowds start to build. I assume they have enough to hand out for the entire multi-day event, but I do not know for sure.
2) However, if you want to be able to see some of the larger displays towards their completion, we recommend possibly going on the last day and near the end of the event. There are several large builds that start at the beginning of the event, and as people continue to add on to the build, they become more impressive.
3) If you are looking to purchase Lego sets, I strongly encourage waiting until the Lego KidsFest as there are lots and lots of sets we never really saw available in traditional stores. In addition, they were blowing out several series on pretty great sales. When we were at the Cleveland show, they were selling 4 or 5 sets of the Prince of Persia sets together for $35. People were grabbing them like crazy, and I do not know if they lasted all weekend.

Below is the 2012 list of scheduled events that are currently on sale.

Cincinnati, OH: March 23 – 25, 2012
Duke Energy Center

Denver, CO: April 27 – 29, 2012
Colorado Convention Center

The following shows go on sale February 15, 2012

Milwaukee, WI: June 15 – 17, 2012
Frontier Airlines Center

Austin, TX: August 31 – September 2, 2012
Austin Convention Center

Detroit, MI: October 12 – 14, 2012
Suburban Collection Showplace

Want to save money on your admission tickets to Lego KidsFest? At least for the 2011 shows, Groupon has been an invaluable tool to help guests purchase tickets at discount. Traditionally, tickets have gone on sale at the respective Groupon page anywhere from a month to two months ahead of the event. Therefore, it is important for guests wanting to attend the 2012 events to keep an eye out on their Groupon page. In addition, purchase your tickets early once they show up on Groupon. All of the events in the past have sold out.

For historical reference, here is some of the information I gathered on the 2011 events.

Minneapolis, MN
May 20-22, 2011
Groupon tickets went on sale about 4/12/11 for $12 each (up to $20 value)

Pittsburgh, PA
June 17-19, 2011
Groupon tickets went on sale about 5/3/11 for $12 each (up to $20 value)

Raliegh, NC
Oct. 7-9, 2011
Groupon tickets went on sale about 9/11/11 for $12 each (up to $20 value)

Cleveland, OH
November 4-6, 2011
Groupon tickets went on sale 9/14/11 for $12 each (up to $20.50 value)

Hartford, CT
Dec. 2-4, 2011
Groupon tickets went on sale about 10/15/11 for $12 each (up to $20.50 value)

I will try and watch the respective cities Groupon pages if the Lego KidsFest tickets appear. If for some reason I do not see them, please feel free to notify me and I will get them added. Thanks!