A ‘Bricktastic Experience’: LEGOLAND New York Resort Unveils First Look at New Location
by Madeline Dovi and Gabriela Rose Mirasola
Upon entering LEGOLAND Resort in Goshen, New York, you are greeted by BRAD. The dinosaur- made entirely of colorful LEGO bricks- is a towering 10.8 foot LEGO masterpiece.
BRAD- which stands for Big Red Awesome Dinosaur- is just one of the 15,000 LEGO models throughout the park; others include a life-size pirate ship, giant LEGO men, and replicas of famous landmarks.
LEGOLAND’s staff is very eager to finally open the park to the general public, but no one is more excited than Matt Berman, LEGOLAND’s public relations manager.
“We are so excited to let people in to see how ‘bricktastic’ LEGOLAND is,” Berman said excitedly. “It’s an amazing place to work.”
The anticipation for the grand opening has been a long time coming. Construction began in 2017 in Goshen, a small village in Orange County within the greater New York metropolitan area. Construction was to be finalized last summer, but faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, one-third of the park is still under construction.
The park plans to undergo a “phased opening” according to Divisions Director Stephanie Johnston. What will be a 10,000 person park will first only allow a limited capacity and enforce safety protocols such as mask wearing, temperature checks, and social distancing.
The park- which cost a whopping $600 million to construct- spans 175 acres and contains 40 million LEGO bricks and 8 rollercoasters. Adjacent will be a LEGO hotel containing 210 bedrooms.
One rollercoaster holds a special place in the heart of one of LEGOLAND’s “model citizens” (what the resort has nicknamed their employees).
Professor Brick’s Factory Adventure Ride- a coaster complete with whirring sirens, flashing lights, and facial recognition technology- is completely unique to the New York location.
Andy Marvin, LEGOLAND’s Creative Lead, was practically bursting with excitement talking about the new ride. It will feature a digital facial recognition technology to create a LEGO avatar of the rider and will “personalize the experience” according to Marvin. As excited as he was, he did not want to reveal too much more about the ride as to keep it a surprise for the official grand opening.
While there has been no confirmed opening date, the park is set to be unveiled this summer, 2021