LEGO® Transforms the Champs-Élysées for a Day of Play

In a follow-up to its PLAY Pavilion activation at London’s Serpentine Gallery, The LEGO Group brought its “Never Stop Playing” initiative to Paris with Le Grand Tournoi des Champs.

Set along the Champs-Élysées, the building tournament put creativity on the calendars of thousands across the region, including stars Pharrell Williams, Jourdan Dunn, and Nella Rose, who attended with their loved ones. Joining the brick-fandom masses, Hypebeast headed to the iconic landmark to get a closer look at what went down at the jam-packed day of play.

Early on a Sunday morning, the central Paris boulevard was prepared with over 250 tables and giant LEGO® minifigure marking the stage. As participants began to arrive, some stopped to take a look at the colorful dioramas and giant structures, while others were quick to claim their table in eagerness to showcase their building skills.

Emerging from a cloud of red and yellow confetti, hosts Faustine Bollaert and Jean-Philippe Doux kicked off the tournament and carefully laid out the different challenges for the three rounds. After unboxing the LEGO® bricks, guests got into game mode, competing for the tallest tower and most creative team mascot. When asked about her strategy for brick building, Dunn shared, “I use instructions as a guideline, but if there is a better way to do it, then I’ll do it that way. It’s all trial and error.”

For the finale, each team channeled their imagination to recreate a famous Parisian landmark of their choice. Among all the wildest and vibrant builds, it was a showstopping redesign of the Arc de Triomphe that awarded The Dream Builders the winning trophy. Although the team members had only met mere hours before, their shared passion for LEGO® proved that creativity and play are a uniting force, whatever age.

Check out what went down at Le Grand Tournoi des Champs in the video above.

To find out more about the events and activations happening near you, head to The LEGO Group website now.