Merlin Entertainments has announced that Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena will be home to the UK’s second LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre.
Construction is set to begin on the new attraction later this year.
The 3,300 m² square foot LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Birmingham will focus on providing 2 to 3 hours of interactive and educational fun for children aged 3-10.
“The LEGOLAND Discovery Centre concept has been a huge success across the globe,” commented John Jakobsen, Chief New Openings Officer, Merlin Entertainments plc.
“Uniquely, and most importantly, it was always conceived and designed from a child’s perspective so it is a very special place, offering an opportunity for adults and younger children to spend fun, quality time together.”
Attractions will include LEGO play areas, interactive rides, master classes from the LEGO Master Model Builder and special party rooms for birthdays and other celebrations. There will also be a 4D cinema and the ever popular MINILAND area which is a feature of every LEGOLAND Discovery Centre and LEGOLAND theme park.
MINILAND is customised to each attraction and reflects the region’s landmark buildings. The local community will have a say in the choice of buildings for the Birmingham attractions as part of a competition.
“The Barclaycard Arena is an exciting destination with a strong tourist proposition, and in an area where we have first-hand experience through operating the SEALIFE Centre in neighbouring Brindleyplace,” added Jakobsen.
Birmingham joins Manchester as one of only two LEGOLAND Discovery Centres in the UK. There are currently twenty worldwide.
“Merlin’s LEGOLAND Discovery Centre will be an important addition to the leisure and entertainment facilities already provided by the Barclaycard Arena and will offer a number of valuable benefits including job creation and by contributing to the overall tourism and leisure 0ffer in the region,” reports Paul Thandi, NEC Group CEO.
The new attraction is set to open in 2018.