Ever since the posting of the first Breyerfest store special, I've had many questions regarding Breyerfest. Rather than answering each of these individually so I'm not repeating the same things over and over, I've decided to post an article that y'all can come back whenever you have questions. I don't pretend to be an experienced BF attendee since last year was my first Breyerfest and, like most first timers, I was stressing about getting everything that I wanted. Will they run out? Will I get a good spot in the special run line? Will I miss my ticket time?
Ok... take a deep breath... and relax. Let me start off by saying that the portion of the Kentucky Horse Park that they use for BF is a very small part. It is not the entire park. You do have access to the entire park with your ticket and may venture as far as you please, but the majority of BF events revolve around the Covered Arena. You really can't miss it... it's the giant steel building you smack right into when you walk down the main path leading from the BF booth (big archway you can see from the parking lot usually with a lot of people mingling around) which makes it a lot easier than if it were all spread around the park. What's in the Covered Arena? The Covered Arena always has equine displays going on, includes the vendors/marketplace, is where the workshops are done, bathrooms are located, houses the air conditioned Breyer Lounge (if you paid extra for it) and displays of the special runs including all the surprise models. The Breyer Store is also in there, although the line starts outside under a covered canopy with misting fans to keep you cool while you're waiting. The Covered Arena is often loud, crowded and stuffy. It's best if you have a stroller to avoid going through there as much as possible, as it's incredibly hard to navigate through the masses of people. If you have a workshop to attend, it is located on the second floor. You can sign up for workshops here but be warned that they sell out fast. How do I get the Store Specials? You must wait in the line for the Breyer Store. It is long and takes about an hour on average to get through, but is often well worth it if you're looking for the store specials, and being that they only let about a dozen or so people in the store at a time makes a nice shopping experience so everyone isn't pushing everyone else out of the way. These models are often limited to no more than 1200 pieces and are put out throughout the day. Times of when they are put out do vary so it's best to get there as early as possible since they restock each morning. I went through the line at noon on Saturday, however, and they still had stacks of Store Specials left. You simply pick whatever you want and go around to the cash registers to check out. Easy! So what is in the Breyer Store other than Store Specials? There are current regular runs, new mid year releases including the holiday horse, previous Breyerfest special runs that didn't sell out, as well as club models from the Stablemates, Vintage and Premier Club. I've even heard of some people scoring lottery models from the Store. When I went through at noon they had Dead Heat (no stand), Celebration, Diwali, Blossom and Belle, the Classics Paint Horse Family, Scamper, Zahrat, Home Straight and Hands Down. If I'd have went through sooner, they probably would have had more. Most people swear that they put the best models out at the beginning of each day when they restock the Store Specials (which is why I always suggest going through the Breyer Store line early). The Breyer Store line and the Special Run line look very similar. Both are under those white canopies but on opposite sides of the Covered Arena. When you're coming down the pathway leading into the park, the Store line will be on the right side of the Covered Arena while the Special Run line will be on your left. There should be big signs - like in the picture above - telling you which one is which. My special run ticket says I'm number 500. Does that mean I'll be last? When you find the Special Run line, you will need to get in line based on the number on your special run ticket. There should be people holding signs that say 1-100, 100-200, so on and so forth until they reach 500 which is the maximum number of people going through the line at any given time. They will pick a random number from a drawing and that's where the line will start, so just because you're ticket is number 500 doesn't mean you'll be last in line. If they choose 350 and you're 500, you'll be somewhere in the middle, while number 349 will be the last person to go through the line. How do I get my models? You'll go from the canopy where you're standing in line up to a larger tent. In that tent, there will be a volunteer assigned to pass out each special run. The special runs will be on display on tables for you to see what they look like. You can then choose up to two special runs per ticket. You tell the volunteer you want that particular horse, they rip your ticket in half and give you your horse. The next volunteer will simply take the other half of your ticket. Will there be enough for everyone? Unfortunately, they do sell out, which is why I stress that if you're after a certain model to purchase more than one special run ticket. If you don't use the ticket, there are always people hovering around the Special Run tent looking for people selling their tickets. When a model is sold out, the volunteer will put up a sign on the table saying they're sold out. The most popular two usually are gone within the first 100-150 people, By the middle of the line, about half the models are sold out, and the last 100 or so people end up with the least popular ones. I make a list of my favorite models and try to get them first. If they're sold out, I just go down the list to the next ones I want. Don't get your heart set on a certain model because you could come home disappointed. What else is there to do in the park? At the front of the Covered Arena is Fluffy the blow up horse and next to him is where you will pick up your stablemates if you are a single ticket holder. The celebration horse is distributed right before you go into the Covered Arena from the ramp way at the front of the building. The back of the Covered Arena (the opposite side of where you come in) is where the Activity Tent with stablemate painting is located and usually a food truck. Behind that are the barns where the real horses of the portrait models are stabled. Autographs are provided in the grassy area between the Activity tents and the barns. You'll have to look at your pamphlet, which you will be given upon entrance to the park, to see what horses are doing autographs at what times. You can also see the horses in their stalls at any time throughout the day, unless that particular horse is performing in the Covered Arena. If you have children, send them to Celebration Park to release some energy. If you follow the path right of the Covered Arean, you'll see it. There is a petting zoo, sandbox, pony rides, the splash dogs will be performing throughout the day, some performers and another popup store. The Saddlebred Museum at the front of the park - the entrance is through the parking lot - is free to Breyerfest attendees. It is air conditioned if you need a place to get out of the heat. The Hall of Champions (shown in the picture above... if you find Alysheba or similar graves with horseshoe shaped bushes then you're in the right area) is where the live auction will take place. The live auction horses will be on display in a glass case inside the Welcome Center of the park. What are popup stores? The popup stores are the small stores that sell the BF extras such as keychains, limited edition stablemates, Classics, plushies and crystal sculptures. They do not contain the Store Specials so don't walk in a popup store thinking you're going to find Benelli. There are usually three of them. One is located near the Activity Tent, the second is in Celebration Park and the third is by the Alltech Arena on the opposite side of the park. If one of them have sold out of something you wanted, you can always check the others to see if they have stock. The Collector Club tent: If you're a current member of the Collector Club, you'll want to stop in the CC tent for some goodies members only get access to. First off, you will see sneak peeks of various club models. Often they'll have the entire lineup (including the sculpt of the new mold) shown for the Stablemates Club, the reveal of the second Premier Club horse and special run reveals. Sometimes past lottery models are also shown. For the past few years, they've done the "Who Wore It Best" horses where you can vote for your favorite. It'll either be the same mold in different colors and you choose your favorite color, or different molds with the same color and you choose the mold. Cold bottled water and even alcoholic beverages after noon were also available in the CC tent. Where do I show my models? Model horse shows take place in the Alltech Arena. It is quite a trek from where everything else at Breyerfest is (and is also where the Celebration of the Horses show is performed at the end of the day on Friday and Saturday) but they do provide a shuttle service to the parking lot of the Alltech Arena. I personally have never shown at Breyerfest so I don't really know how fast paced it is, but from what I heard, it is fun and if you can win something, all the power to you! I don't know of too many people that come home without some kind of ribbon at least, although some come home with new models they've won as well. Showing does cost extra so make sure you pay for it in advance here as space is very limited. It is a big show, and thus will be pretty crowded. I've unfortunately heard of people also having models lost/stolen so be sure you take extra precautions and be attentive. As always, if you can't find your way around, there are many lovely people there who you could ask for help. The majority of people I met were extremely kind. After all, they're there for the same reason you are... to have a good time in the land of plastic ponies :) Comments are closed.
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