Shanghai Opens China's First and World's Largest LEGOLAND Resort

A 318,000 Square Metre Resort Opens in Shanghai

Shanghai opened China's first LEGOLAND Resort on July 5, 2025, bringing together more than 85 million LEGO bricks, over 75 interactive rides, shows and attractions, and a hotel with 250 themed rooms. At the time of its opening, the resort was the largest LEGOLAND in the world, covering 318,000 square metres.

A 26 metre LEGO minifigure named Dada greets visitors, rising about 85 feet above the resort. Described as the world's largest LEGO minifigure, Dada gives arriving families an immediate sense of the scale of a destination built mainly for children aged 2 to 12, while also welcoming LEGO enthusiasts of every age.

The opening brought thousands of guests, local officials and representatives of Merlin Entertainments and the LEGO Group to the resort. Opening day tickets sold out quickly, even as a heatwave made spending time outdoors difficult.

For Shanghai, the resort adds another major family attraction to a city already home to Shanghai Disney Resort. For the LEGO brand and Merlin Entertainments, it opens a new chapter in China, combining familiar LEGO characters and building activities with Chinese stories, architecture and landmarks.

The resort's size is only part of its appeal. Its attractions range from a driving school and firefighting rescue missions to roller coasters, creative workshops and a boat journey through scenes inspired by Jiangnan water towns and modern Shanghai. Families can move between active rides, performances and activities where children build things themselves, giving younger visitors several ways to take part.

Opening Day Brings Crowds and Extreme Heat

Shanghai's meteorological observatory issued an orange heat alert as families and LEGO fans queued for the July 5 opening. The hot weather became an immediate test of visitor comfort at a resort attracting thousands of people for its first day.

Staff distributed water and provided rest areas with air conditioning. Some guests described long queues and the difficulty of visiting in the heat, although the mood remained upbeat. Visitors also praised staff enthusiasm and efforts to keep families comfortable.

Annual pass holders were among those attending the celebration. Some visitors expressed excitement about both the attractions and special opening ceremony gifts, including wearable LEGO mitts. Annual passes and special First-to-Play packages proved popular, with many families already planning to return.

The opening and its first reactions unfolded over two days:

• July 5, 2025: LEGOLAND Shanghai opened with a celebration attended by thousands of guests, officials and representatives of Merlin Entertainments and the LEGO Group. Opening day tickets sold out.
• July 6, 2025: Early visitor impressions highlighted the resort's creativity and atmosphere for families, alongside concerns about queues and the heat.

The opening crowd showed strong interest in a new entertainment destination. Long queues also identified an early area for improvement, particularly during busy periods when families must balance waiting for attractions with finding somewhere to cool down.

Eight Themed Lands and More Than 75 Attractions

LEGOLAND Shanghai describes its layout as eight themed lands, with rides, shows and play zones serving different ages and interests. The named areas and themes include Miniland, LEGO Monkie Kid, Creative World, LEGO NINJAGO, LEGO Friends, LEGO Castle, LEGO City, Brick Street and Bricktopia.

Miniland recreates cityscapes and landmarks from across China in LEGO bricks. Beijing's Temple of Heaven and Shanghai's Bund waterfront are among the featured sites. The area also includes global landmarks, allowing visitors to explore recognisable places through detailed miniature buildings.

Creative World is home to Dada and provides a centre for building and creative play. Other areas draw on LEGO's familiar worlds, with a mix of attractions intended to suit children with different interests, whether they prefer characters, castles, city activities or more energetic rides.

The resort's more than 75 interactive rides, shows and attractions are intended to fill a day of exploration. Children can try a driving school, join firefighting rescue missions or take part in building challenges. Roller coasters offer another kind of experience, while workshops give families time to make something together.

The range matters for a destination aimed principally at children aged 2 to 12. That age group includes children with very different interests and levels of confidence, so the combination of play zones, performances, creative activities and rides gives families options throughout a visit.

Chinese Stories Become Part of the LEGO World

LEGO Monkie Kid is central to the resort's use of Chinese culture. Inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, the theme brings traditional storytelling into rides, characters and live entertainment designed for children.

The resort features the world's first LEGO Monkie Kid live show. Its production combines puppetry on a large scale, projection effects and action filled storytelling, turning a familiar literary inspiration into a performance families can watch together.

John Jakobsen, Chief Strategic Portfolio Development Officer of Merlin Entertainments, highlighted the importance of Chinese intellectual property and regional inspirations. Intellectual property, often shortened to IP, refers here to the stories and characters around which attractions are built. He described the resort's approach in these words:

very much tailored for the Chinese market.

The design team worked closely with local experts so that Miniland's Chinese landmarks and the boat tour's water town settings would accurately reflect the country's heritage. The aim is to connect children with their cultural roots through an environment that is both entertaining and educational.

That approach gives the resort a recognisable LEGO identity while making the setting specific to China. Children encounter Chinese stories and places through activities they can watch, explore and join, rather than through buildings and characters alone.

A Boat Ride Connects Water Towns and Modern Shanghai

The water town style boat tour takes visitors through a LEGO recreation of traditional Jiangnan water towns and modern Shanghai. Traditional Chinese architecture is magnified 25 times in LEGO form, making it part of an attraction that families move through together.

The boat journey complements Miniland's smaller recreations of landmarks. Both attractions bring Chinese places into the park, but offer different ways to experience them: visitors can inspect miniature city scenes or travel through a larger setting built around a ride.

Across the resort, guests can meet 22 beloved LEGO characters and enjoy 11 themed shows. Interactive workshops and building challenges add opportunities to participate, while performances offer a change of pace between rides.

The combination of cultural heritage, storytelling and creative play is intended to serve local and international audiences. Chinese visitors encounter familiar landmarks and traditions, while visitors from elsewhere can explore those same places and stories through the park's attractions.

Restaurants, Shops and LEGO Shaped Treats

Six restaurants, numerous food stands and ten retail stores support visits that can last a full day. The dining and shopping areas continue the LEGO theme beyond rides and performances, making meals and breaks part of the resort experience.

The BIG Shop is described as the largest LEGO store in Asia and sells exclusive merchandise. For collectors and enthusiasts, it adds a shopping destination to a visit built around models, characters and attractions.

Themed eateries serve playful meals on tableware inspired by LEGO. Ice cream carts offer treats shaped like LEGO bricks and dragons, carrying the same visual theme into snacks that children can recognise.

These facilities also give families places to stop between activities. With more than 75 rides, shows and attractions to explore, food outlets and shops help structure a day that may include several changes of pace.

The Hotel Extends Play Beyond Park Hours

The LEGOLAND Hotel has 250 individually themed rooms across five LEGO worlds: LEGO City, LEGO Friends, LEGO Castle, LEGO NINJAGO and LEGO Monkie Kid. Its Monkie Kid rooms are the first of their kind in the world.

More than 1,700 LEGO art installations and 200 interactive features appear throughout the hotel. Each room is designed to place guests inside a different LEGO world, continuing the park's approach to characters and storytelling after families leave the attractions.

The lobby contains a Minifigure Wall displaying more than 4,500 uniquely posed LEGO minifigures. The display provides another attraction for collectors and fans, as well as something for children to explore during a hotel stay.

Hotel activities include meetings with characters, pyjama dance parties and nightly surprises. These experiences extend the entertainment beyond the park's closing time and give families reasons to stay overnight.

The combination of accommodation, rides, shows and building activities encourages longer visits and repeat business. Families planning another trip can return to areas they missed or revisit favourite attractions without trying to fit the entire resort into one day.

A Major Construction Effort With Wider Tourism Goals

Construction of LEGOLAND Shanghai involved more than 10,000 workers and 300 teams from 15 countries. The project brought international collaboration and investment into a resort expected to affect businesses well beyond its entrance.

Local officials and business leaders anticipate more tourism, thousands of jobs and growth in hospitality, transportation and retail. For surrounding businesses, the expected benefits include hotel bookings and spending by visitors travelling to the park.

According to the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration, about 70% of resort visitors come from outside Shanghai. In simple terms, that is roughly seven in every ten visitors, making travel arrangements and accommodation an important part of the destination's appeal.

The high speed rail network provides connections to major transportation hubs in under 20 minutes. That accessibility is expected to support more hotel bookings and other visitor spending in the surrounding area, although no specific increase in those bookings or spending was given.

Fiona Eastwood, CEO of Merlin Entertainments, stressed the resort's role in bringing people together and creating memorable family experiences. She described its approach as combining the established LEGOLAND formula with local cultural elements, making it recognisable internationally while connecting with visitors in China.

The economic expectations reach beyond ticket sales. An overnight visitor may also need transport, meals and a hotel room, which is why officials and business leaders see the resort as a potential source of activity across several local industries.

What the First Visitors Liked and Want Improved

Early visitors praised the resort's creativity, attention to detail and welcoming atmosphere for families. Children and adults responded to the scale of its models, its variety of attractions and the storytelling built into its different worlds.

Ji Yujia, a LEGO fan who attended the opening, described the resort in these words:

a real fairyland of LEGO.

Some guests also identified queue management during peak periods as an area needing improvement. The heat added another challenge, making staff support, drinking water and places with air conditioning especially valuable on the first day.

Positive early reactions and interest in annual passes suggest that many visitors see the resort as somewhere to explore over several trips. The range of workshops, rides and shows, together with themed accommodation, supports that pattern of repeat visits.

Shanghai's Tourism Ambitions and Further Parks in China

Shanghai's new resort fits into China's broader efforts to become a global tourism powerhouse. The government has prioritised attractions for families that combine entertainment, education and cultural heritage, and LEGOLAND Shanghai brings those elements together in one destination.

Shanghai is using its transport infrastructure and international reputation to attract domestic and foreign tourists. Adding LEGOLAND alongside established destinations such as Shanghai Disney Resort broadens the city's choice of major family attractions.

Further LEGOLAND resorts are expected in cities including Shenzhen and Chengdu. These future developments are likely to combine LEGO's international appeal with local cultural themes, following the approach used in Shanghai.

The opening also reflects interest among Chinese families in entertainment built around experiences and participation. Strong attendance came despite economic pressures and a challenging retail environment, showing demand for this new attraction at its launch.

LEGOLAND Shanghai's combination of a global brand and Chinese cultural content is presented as a possible model for other theme parks. Its approach may encourage other international brands to invest in China's tourism market and add to the country's range of entertainment destinations.

Creative building, interactive play and cultural storytelling are central to that model. As Shanghai develops its tourism identity, the resort is expected to contribute to its role as a centre for innovation, culture and family entertainment. Its first days have established strong visitor interest, while queue management and comfort during hot weather remain practical priorities.

Key Points

• LEGOLAND Shanghai opened on July 5, 2025, as China's first LEGOLAND and the world's largest at opening.
• The resort covers 318,000 square metres and uses more than 85 million LEGO bricks, with over 75 interactive rides, shows and attractions.
• Chinese cultural elements include Miniland landmarks, a Jiangnan water town boat tour and the world's first LEGO Monkie Kid live show.
• Opening day tickets sold out despite a heatwave and an orange heat alert. Staff supplied water and rest areas with air conditioning.
• The hotel has 250 themed rooms, including the world's first LEGO Monkie Kid rooms.
• About 70% of visitors come from outside Shanghai, according to the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration.
• Officials and business leaders expect gains in tourism, employment, hotels, transport and retail, while early visitors have called for better queue management.
• Further resorts are expected in Shenzhen and Chengdu, with local cultural themes likely to remain part of their design.