Planning Your BreyerFest Adventure: What To Do!

We talked about Tickets and how they are the first step for planning your BreyerFest adventure. Normally the next step would be looking for a hotel room, however I do not have that experience. I do not need to stay in a hotel during the event, so I have never actually booked a hotel room during BreyerFest. However, there are many, many people in this group that are totally willing to share their experiences.

Do keep in mind that 2021 may be a very different year than we will be used to and no one is exactly sure how it will work with the pandemic and everything. Hotels might not be taking reservations until later in the year in order to see what will happen.

Once you have planned or at least started planning your hotel part of the adventure, the next step is certainly something that I can talk about, and talk about a lot! The next step is to start planning your days. Do you want to get there early? We recommend getting there at least on Thursday before the event as there is much to do at the Clarion before the event. Maybe you want to explore Lexington? There are some amazing things to do and see in the heart of Kentucky. But this is when you will need to start working on just what you want to do during your time in Lexington, Ky.

I always recommend getting there early so you can check out the Clarion hotel and sample what the room sales have to offer. What are room sales? Well, it is just like it sounds. Starting the week of BreyerFest, people who have rooms in the Clarion hotel will starting to sell plastic ponies and plastic pony accessories. Many of these people will take cash or paypal, but normally there are no checks accepted at BreyerFest in any way. There is an ATM in the Clarion hotel, however it is normally out of money so make sure to check the area gas stations and banks. The Artisan’s Gallery is also located in the Clarion hotel and this is where you can see the artistry of the Model Horse. There can be resins or tack or even customs here, however these are exclusive pieces and they definitely deserve the right to be there. The Artisan’s Gallery is also where the Best Customs Finalists will be located. This is a great chance to see the pieces that might win Grand Champion or Reserve Grand Champion of the contest. Complete rules of the Best Customs Contest will be released on Breyer’s website once more next year.

BreyerFest starts on Friday morning at 9 AM EDT once at the event. The line that forms starting on Thursday before the event is not for the faint of heart. You absolutely do not have to stand in this line unless you want to do so. While I stand in this line and recommend it, know that you will be standing outside, sleeping outside, and tents are not allowed. This is also not the line to get into the park. This is actually the line to get into either the Breyer Store at BreyerFest or the Pop Up Shop at the park. This line is lovingly referred to as the Ninja Pit of Doom. There are many treasures that you will find at the Breyer Store at BreyerFest, however they are now released all weekend long rather than just during the first of Friday morning. This line does form all weekend long, but again, it is absolutely up to you if you wish to be in this line.

The General Admission Line as well as the Special Run Line are opposite of the NPOD Line and they are just as important. The Special Run Line is the very first line that will be allowed into the Park first thing in the morning. This Line is only for those that have Special Run times that are first thing in the morning. This is usually 10 AM on Friday and Saturday and 9 AM on Sunday. The General Admission Line and the NPOD Lines are allowed in at the same time. You absolutely need to show your wrist band to get into BreyerFest. Also, if you wish to participate in the NPOD, you do not need to have a Three Day Ticket as a Single Day Ticket will work just fine.

BreyerFest ends technically at 5 PM EDT on Friday and Saturday and at 4 PM EDT on Sunday. On Friday and Saturday, there is the Celebration of Horses Evening Performance that is usually put on by Silvia Zerbini and is something that should not be missed! This performance takes place in the Altech Arena and starts at 6 PM and lasts until 8 PM. After that, the Clarion hotel room sales are open until late into the night. On Saturday, there is also the Live Auction. These one of a kind pieces go for thousands of money and it is a very exciting event!

Other things to plan is the Live Shows. If you are into showing your model horses, then this is exactly what you are looking for! Breakables Live starts on Thursday before BreyerFest at the Clarion hotel. This live show is all for the ceramic horses and the porcelain models. BreyerFest Live is on Friday at the Altech Arena and is the model horse show for those that love Breyers. This show does cost extra and will last from 7 am to around 3 pm and is a fast paced model horse show. The child and youth show is on Saturday at the Altech Arena and is for the younger hobbyists.

Next would be the workshops. Have you always wanted to learn how to paint a plastic pony or maybe you want to learn how to make tack? These workshops do cost extra, but they are very rewarding! The schedule for 2021 is the same as 2020 and will be posted shortly as I do have that information saved.

Of course, there is so much more to start planning, but this is certainly a starting point! All of this information will be in the files on our Facebook Group and can be saved or printed out, if you need to do so.