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FLL Explore team poster showing the team journey, creations and core values
FLL Explore team in matching team shirts at a FIRST Chesapeake festival

Preparing for a Festival

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Your team has spent weeks building, coding, creating, learning and having fun!  Now its time for them to share what they have done this season with their community at an FIRST LEGO League Explore Festival.  

Time
Activity
Description
8:00 AM
Venue Setup
  • Volunteers arrive and are assigned their role for the day.

  • Set up the registration area, team tables, reviewing and activity spaces.

  • Meet with your reviewers to go over the timing and flow for the day

9:30 AM
Teams arrive and set up
  • Teams set up their models and team posters.

  • Encourage team members to test the motorized part of their model to make sure it works before the start of the festival.

10:00 AM
Welcome and announcements
  • Welcome participants, community members, friends, and families.

  • Let everyone know where to find activities, snacks, bathrooms, etc.

10:10 AM
Team displays, reviewing, and additional activities
  • Teams share their displays and experiences with other team members, community members, friends, and families.

  • Reviewers meet with teams and ask questions about the models, team posters, Core Values, etc.

  • Team members may participate in other activities when they are not meeting with reviewers.

11:30 AM
Closing Celebration
  • Bring everyone together.

  • Wrap up the day and review why everyone is there (what teams have done throughout the season, why it was important, why there is a festival, etc.).

  • Thank all volunteers for their help.

  • Invite all volunteers to form the high-five line, if applicable.

  • Recognize each team with an award.

12:00 PM
Clean Up
  • Clean up the venue.

  • Encourage teams and family members to help.

Sample Schedule

What to Expect

  • Each team will be given space at a table for their poster and model

  • Each team will be visited by a set of Reviewers for a low key interview. Reviewers work from FIRST's BIOGLOW Reviewing Documents, a good guide to the questions they ask.

    • Teams may prepare a short presentation to be given to the Reviewers if desired.  It is not required.  Presentations should be no longer than five minutes.

    • Reviewers will use the information they gathered from the team to determine which team award they will receive. 

  • STEM activities will be available for the students to enjoy​

  • Students are encouraged to visit and learn with the other teams at the Festival

  • Each student will receive a season specific FLL Explore medal during the Closing Ceremonies

  • Each team will receive a team award during the Closing Ceremonies

  • Explore and Future Edition K-2 teams share festivals this season; reviewers adjust their questions to each team's grade.

Ready?

Register for a FIRST Chesapeake Festival

$150 per team

Registration opens November 1, 2026.

Festivals are first come, first served, and popular dates fill within days.

Choose a Festival

What to bring

What to Bring

Team Poster

FLL Explore team poster on a trifold board with the team LEGO model in front

The team poster is your team's chance to show off everything they learned. A standard trifold board works well. Use the Team Journey and Core Values pages in each student's Engineering Notebook for ideas, and add pictures, drawings or printouts of your SPIKE Essential code.

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Put your team name and number on the poster.

Team Model

Close-up of an FLL Explore team LEGO model with an ocean scene and moving parts

Your team model shows what your team built and learned this season. It must:

  • Be made only of LEGO bricks, minifigures, baseplates and other LEGO elements

  • Use the parts of the BIOGLOW Explore Set and the mat

  • Include at least one part that's motorized and coded with LEGO Education SPIKE Essential

  • Fit on a table and be easy to move

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This season's model should feature:

  • A plant or animal your team designed

  • A rainforest-related job

  • A tool or technology used to study biodiversity

Team Roster

Bring a printed team roster from the FIRST Dashboard to check-in. Every student on it needs a signed Consent & Release form in the Dashboard before the festival. Step-by-step help: Getting Competition Ready in the FIRST Dashboard.

Don't Forget...

  • Laptop or tablet with the SPIKE app

  • Fully charged SPIKE Essential hub, charging cord and Bluetooth device

  • BIOGLOW mat

  • Each student's Engineering Notebook

Download the checklist (PDF)
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Aramco Americas

FIRST LEGO League Explore Maryland Presented By

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FLL EXPLORE · MARYLAND   FIRST Canopy · BIOGLOW

Preparing for a festival.

FIRST® LEGO® League Explore

Your team has spent weeks building, coding, creating and learning. Now it's time to share what they've done with their community at a FIRST LEGO League Explore festival.

PRESENTED BY

Aramco Americas logo
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