2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the LEGO brick in Australia. To commemorate the milestone, LEGO Australia has launched the Festival of Play, a nine-month schedule of activity set to pay homage to the humble LEGO brick,encouraging kids and adult fans alike to celebrate through play.

Throughout the campaign, a series of experiential events and elaborate creations, all inspired by the iconic construction bricks, will be unveiled at LEGOfestival.com.au, with plenty of ways for Aussies young and old to get involved. To launch the national initiative, LEGO Australia premiered a 90-second trailer, at LEGOfestival.com.au, illustrating how the LEGO brick, since first arriving in the suitcase of John Peddie in 1962, has sparked the imagination of kids and adults across Australia for half a century.

Commenting on the launch of Festival of Play, Caroline Squire, Director of Marketing, LEGO Australia and New Zealand said, “There’s no limit to the imagination and creativity that LEGO bricks inspire … The LEGO Festival of Play, will celebrate the half century of one of Australia’s most loved toys and tap into the nation’s fond LEGO memories, and create new LEGO experiences, big and small, to capture the imagination of Aussies of all ages. With this national initiative, we hope to inspire and develop the Australian builders of tomorrow.”

LEGOfestival.com.au will house information about all the upcoming events for LEGO Festival of Play. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the activities planned for the next couple of months:

LEGO 50 from 50: What happens when you challenge some of Australia’s biggest LEGO fans to show off their building skills with just 50 LEGO bricks? Look out for a photo gallery featuring the ingenious creations built at Melbourne’s fan convention, Brickvention, along with other creations inspired by LEGO fan events across Australia in 2012;

LEGO Brickworks: LEGO Australia will bring together ten Australian creatives, from a graphic designer and a fashion house to a chef and a tattoo artist, to create an exhibition of ten unique pieces of art made entirely from its iconic bricks to be displayed on Sydney’s streets and then art galleries around the country;

Creating History: A photographic showcase of ten of the most iconic Australian moments from the past 50 years recreated with LEGO Minifigures;

Pop-Up Play Pit: To help adults rediscover a world of imagination and play during their busy work day (and for kids too!) a giant LEGO brick will be landing in Melbourne for three days in November, within it will be thousands of bricks for free play and to let the creativity flow.