Festival information pack for teams
What is the Festival?
The FIRST LEGO League Explore festivals are where the teams that have participated in the programme this year come together to share their fabulous work and show off their amazing projects from their Unearthed season.
These events are non-competitive but there will be a panel of ‘reviewers’ who can’t wait to see the children’s wonderful work.
The reviewers will speak to each team and ask them questions about their project and give them an informal feedback sheet on how they have done. Teams will also get a chance to take a look at work from the other attending teams and ask questions about the incredible models and Show Me posters that have been created. Please encourage your teams to engage and interact with all the other teams.
There will also be a number of other STEM activities, including a chance to find out more about FIRST LEGO League Challenge.
We are hosting two festivals with lots of teams from both North Tyneside and Northumberland schools attending.
Thanks to our sponsors
Sage and The Sage Foundation are once again, our extremely generous and fabulous sponsors. They have paid the entry fees for all our schools participating in the ‘extra-curricular’ method of delivery, and fully funded the Class pack project that other schools are taking part in. They are also paying for the venue for this event and will be providing some of the volunteers to help run things on the day. We are extremely grateful for their support with all aspects of FIRST LEGO League.
Preparing for the festival
Complete the FIRST LEGO League Explore Unearthed sessions with your team in school. There are two key 'end products' that your team should create and bring with them to the festival:
1. The moving LEGO model.
Their final model should show off all their learning about this year's Unearthed theme. It can contain elements from the Unearthed Explore set and as much other LEGO as you like. We'd recommend building it on large base plates, so it's easy to transport. We're looking for lots of detail and interesting features that show us what they have learned. The model must have at least one motorised element that has been programmed with their Spike Essential or LEGO WeDo kit. This does not have to be the Explore model. It could also have additional motors, sensors, lights and sounds effects, depending on what resources you have available in school.
2. The team 'Show Me' poster
The second thing we want to see if your team's Show Me poster. This can be any kind of display of your team's work and you can construct it however you like. Many teams use folding card or poster boards to create a display, but large scrap books could also work.
It should document what your team have learned about the Unearthed theme, perhaps ideas for solving problems archaeologists may have, a bit about them as a team and the FIRST LEGO League Core Values.
The Team Meeting Guide and Engineering notebooks will give you some ideas about the model and poster your team should create, but you can also find some more tips on the IET’s website here:
Here are a few examples of work from FIRST LEGO League Explore events:
Event logistics
Dates, times and location
We are hosting two festivals on the same day this year. Both are half-day events with one taking place in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Please be sure to attend the correct event for your school!
Both festivals are taking place on Tuesday 7th July 2026
- Festival 1 - 9:30 - 11:40
- Festival 2 - 13:00 - 15:00
Both events will be held at:
The Village Hotel Newcastle,
10 The Silverlink North,
West Allotment,
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE27 0BY
Festival 1 - The morning event
The following teams will be attending the morning event:
Here’s your list, alphabetised and converted into bullet points:
- Backworth Park Primary
- Barndale School
- Battle Hill Primary School 1
- Battle Hill Primary School 2
- Benton Dene Primary School
- Carville Primary School
- Denbigh Community Primary School
- Fordley Primary School
- Horton Grange Primary School
- King Edwin Primary School 1
- King Edwin Primary School 2
- King's Priory School 1
- King's Priory School 2
- Marine Park First School
- New Delaval Primary School 1
- New Delaval Primary School 2
- New Delaval Primary School 3
- Northburn Primary School 1
- Northburn Primary School 2
- Northburn Primary School 3
- Northburn Primary School 4
- Ringway Primary School
- South Wellfield First School 1
- South Wellfield First School 2
- St. Bartholomew's C of E Primary School 1
- St. Bartholomew's C of E Primary School 2
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School 1
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School 2
Morning schedule:
9:30 - 9:55 - Teams arrive
Teams should arrive and set up their table between 9:30 and 9:55. The event will begin at 10:00 so please ensure you allow enough travel time to arrive and have time to set up your table before the event starts.
10:00 - Welcome, introductions and housekeeping
10:10 - The Festival
During this time our panel of Reviewers will visit all teams to take a look at their LEGO models and Show Me posters. Teams will be able to present their project work and Core Values to the reviewers in any way they choose. Feel free to be creative! Please remember this is non-competitive. Teams are also invited to visit each others’ tables and take a look at the other fun activities on offer during this time.
11:20 - Closing ceremony
All teams will be celebrated for their participation in this year’s FIRST LEGO League Explore Submerged season. Please note that all schools have already received their participation medals at school this year.
11:40 - Close of event
Festival 2 - The afternoon event
The following schools will be attending the afternoon event:
Here you go — alphabetised and formatted as a clean bullet‑point list:
- King Edward Primary School 1
- King Edward Primary School 2
- New York Primary School
- Riverside Primary School
- Seaton Delaval First School 1
- Seaton Delaval First School 2
- Seaton Delaval First School 3
- Seaton Delaval First School 4
- Seaton Delaval First School 5
- Seghill First School
- Shiremoor Primary School
- Southridge First School 1
- Southridge First School 2
- St Aidan's Catholic Primary School
- St John's Primary School 1
- St John's Primary School 2
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School 1
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School 2
- St. Robert's Catholic First School 1
- St. Robert's Catholic First School 2
- St. Robert's Catholic First School 3
- St. Robert's Catholic First School 4
- St. Robert's Catholic First School 5
- Tweedmouth Middle School
- Welbeck Academy 1
- Welbeck Academy 2
- Westmoor Primary School
Afternoon schedule:
13:00 - 13:20 - Teams arrive
Teams should arrive and set up their table in this time. The event will begin at 13:20 so please ensure you allow enough travel time to arrive and have time to set up your table before the event starts.
13:20 - Welcome, introductions and housekeeping
13:30 - The Festival
During this time our panel of Reviewers will visit all teams to take a look at their LEGO models and Show Me posters. Teams will be able to present their project work and Core Values to the reviewers in any way they choose. Feel free to be creative! Please remember this is non-competitive. Teams are also invited to visit each others’ tables and take a look at the other fun activities on offer during this time.
14:40 - Closing ceremony
All teams will be celebrated for their participation in this year’s FIRST LEGO League Explore Submerged season. Please note that all schools have already received their participation medals at school this year.
15:00 - Close of event
Parking
There is on-site visitor parking at the Hotel. If your school is bringing a vehicle that will stay in the car park please be sure to provide your vehicle registration number when you submit your team information so that it can be entered into the hotel parking system. This will prevent you from being charged for parking.
Health and safety
Please ensure students walk everywhere around the building and that they are always accompanied by an adult. They should not go beyond the areas of the hotel that are being used for the event and should be aware and respectful of hotel guests at all times. The hotel has first aid facilities and trained members of staff.
- See the event risk assessment here.
- See the building risk assessment for The Village Hotel here.
- See the Village hotel’s public liability insurance certificate here.
- See North Tyneside Council's public liability insurance certificate here.
Building layout
The festival will take place at the back of the building in the events and hospitality suite. The main festival room is where each team will have a table to display their project model and poster board. In the room next door, there will be other activities for everyone, including the chance to find out more about FIRST LEGO League Challenge and try out this year’s robot game.
Toilet facilities
Toilets are situated off the main corridor as you walk round from the reception desk. Although we have all of the event space in the hotel booked for the day, the building will still be open to members of the public, which will include the toilets. As a result school staff should escort pupils to and from the toilets.
WiFi
Free open WiFi is available in the hotel.
Dress Code
Some teams take the opportunity to dress up in costumes relating to the theme, but school uniform or team T-shirts are equally fine.
Refreshments
As both festivals are half-day events there is no need to bring lunch. However, refreshments will be provided for all. Please ask your children to be very careful with any drinks to avoid spillages.
Consent for Photography and Video
Event photographers may be taking photographs and videos of the proceedings. These images may be used in providing reports about the event and in publicity material. Coaches must inform parents and guardians that this will be happening and obtain their permission before coming to the tournament.
- A draft letter to send to parents is available here.
- We require that this team information and photo permission form be completed by Monday 29th June 2026
Photography and videos by attendees are limited to your own team (following your photo permission guidelines). Please be especially careful not to have any other students in shots, including in the background. Please check all photos and videos carefully before publishing to your school website or social media.
We will provide lanyards for anyone who does not wish to be in photographs or videos so they can make themselves visible to others.
Socials
Please be sure to follow your school’s policies for social media use and check all photos and videos carefully before publishing to your school website or social media.
If you are posting about your team before or on the day of the tournament you can tag and connect with us and the IET with the following social media handles and hashtags:
- @Education North Tyneside
- @Northumberland County Council
- @Sage
- @Sage Foundation
- @Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
Hashtags
#firstlegoleague
#Unearthed
Staffing and Conduct
Please make sure your students are accompanied at all times. If you are bringing more than one team, consider this for your staffing requirements.
Students are the responsibility of their adult supervisors at all times. We expect excellent behaviour and demonstration of the FIRST LEGO League Core Values throughout the event. There will be opportunities to visit and look at work from other teams, please show kindness and respect at all times to everyone that has participated in FIRST LEGO League Explore this year, and if you think they’ve done a great job, let them know!
What to bring on the day
- Your team(s). A maximum of 6 children per team.
- Your team’s project display board (or however they choose to show off their work)
- Your team’s Unearthed LEGO project models.
- Your fully charged laptop or tablet so your team can demonstrate their coding skills and get their model moving.
- A charged-up LEGO Spike Essential kit or LEGO WeDo 2.0 kit with working batteries (and maybe some spares).
- Any props, materials or costumes needed.
Contact details
If you have any questions or problems, please please let us know as soon as you can. We are here to help and want to make sure you and your team have a fantastic FIRST LEGO League experience and most of all, a really fun day!
You can reach us at:
- Neil Brown
- Email - neil.brown@northtyneside.gov.uk
- Phone - 07717327050
- Jordan Graham -
- Email - jordan.graham@northumberland.gov.uk
- Phone - 07592272928