Let's Talk BreyerFest...Special Run Preference List, Evening Performance, and FINE PRINT, That Is!

 Special Run Preference List

Hello and welcome back to another installment of Let’s Talk BreyerFest. I know, I took a few days off from this and left some things hanging and I am sorry for that. But let’s get right into this one!

BreyerFest in person tickets went on sale Wednesday, February 23rd at Noon EST. They released the VIP, the All Access, and the General Access tickets at the same time and there was no rush. In fact, VIP Tickets are still hanging around. We do not know and have not been told how many VIP or All Access Tickets will be available other than they are all limited in quantity. Everything BreyerFest is limited in quantity, so I am taking that statement as a grain of salt at this time. Tickets will remain on sale until 5 PM EDT on May 2nd.

But what happens once tickets are no longer on sale? A lot actually! That is when you will start hearing the whispers of the Special Run Preference List. As a Roadie, you will definitely have a firm grasp on this hard to explain, but easy to actually experience list, I hope. In May, some time after the ticket sales have ended, those that purchased an All Access (or many All Access Tickets) will receive an email with a link in it. If you do not receive emails from Breyer, do not worry! That link will definitely be shared here in the group. This link will take you to a page on the Breyer website that is dedicated to the Special Run Preference List. If you do not want to wait for me to post a link or receive the email from Breyer, it will be under the Events Tab under BreyerFest Community (I believe). But what are the details about this list?

The Special Run Preference List is just a way to let Breyer know how you like the Special Runs that are offered for this year’s event. Think of it more like a ranking list rather than a preference list. You do not need to purchase the models that end up being selected for you, however they make amazing sale or trade fodder for something that you want instead. This list is not a list for their inventory and this list does not guarantee that you will be getting those models in that order. It is just a ranking list.

Ok, let’s get into the details of that list! In 2021, they offered the list in two different ways. While Breyer did state that they were keeping the same system, I am not going to assume that they will be running it the same until the actually announce that. However, I will be sharing both of the ways that you were able to fill out your preference list.

First, know that if you do not fill out the list, your Special Runs will be selected at random for you. You do not need to purchase these models. You will be paying for your Special Runs before BreyerFest. You should have around two weeks to fill out this List and I will post daily reminders. Yes, you can have pick ups with this BreyerFest. Your pick up person will need your order number in order to pick up your Ticket Book from Will Call. Your Special Runs will not be sent to you, someone needs to pick them up in person, either you or your pick up person. Ok, onto the specifics.

The Master List

The first type of Special Run Preference List that you can use is the Master List. If you have more than one ticket and you want to limit how many duplicates that you might receive, this is the list for you. You will be filling out one list for all of the tickets that you have listed on your account. The best way to fill out this list is to put the Special Run that you want the most at the top and rank them down to the one that you like least. No one can tell you how to fill out this list, there is no way to make it better, this is all up to you! You got this! The Master List is a way to manage all of your All Access Tickets with one list and is the way to get the least amount of duplicates. There will be multiple number ones (as many as tickets on your account) and so on. Just rank the models how you like them the best. That is all there is to it! You have until the day that it is due to edit it and Breyer will normally take the last one submitted (this was last year’s information).

The Individual List

The second type of Special Run Preference List is the one that I have used both times that it was offered. It is the Individual List. While this list does have a high rate of duplicates, it allows you to customize your rankings per ticket on your account. So with each ticket, you will be making a new list. If you have just one ticket on your account, this will be the best option for you to use. If you do not mind duplicates or you want to attempt to control Lady Fate, then this list is best for you. Again, no one call tell you how to rank the Special Runs other than yourself. There is no secret to getting what you want as Breyer has never revealed their algorithm of how the Special Runs are selected for your account. With this option, if you have more than one ticket, you will be filling out more than one list. You can set different Special Runs as number one and so on, but just know that you might get duplicates.

So that is all that there is to the Special Run Preference List! Once you submit your list to Breyer, you then just need to wait. And wait. And wait. Breyer will then notify you that your selections are ready to purchase and you will log into your Breyer account, go to the page that they have set aside for purchasing these models, add them to your cart, buy them, and then you will need to pick up your ticket books from Will Call at BreyerFest starting on July 14thand running all weekend long.

Now, I know that you are going to ask, but Rachel, how will Pick Ups work? Ah, don’t worry, I got you! This will go for both VIP and All Access since this will be a popular question this year.

Pick Ups With The Ticket Books

For those that got the VIP Ticket and are having a pick up person get their models for them: Yours is likely the easiest to go over. If you have the ticket already purchased and you have an awesome hobby member that is picking up your models for you, all that you will need to do is send them your Ticket Book. That is all. Your ticket book will include your redemption tickets for your Celebration Horse, your full set of Event Stablemates, your VIP Swag Box, your already paid for Limited Editions, and your Special Runs. If you are an international VIP Ticket Holder, then your pick up person will need to head to Will Call at the Kentucky Horse Park starting on Thursday July 14th and running all weekend long to pick up your Ticket Book. Your pick up person will need your order number, your full name, and information of that sort. My advice (which can be ignored) is to print out the receipt where you paid for your VIP Ticket and send it to them with your Ticket Book, if you are a US resident, or send them an email to print out with your receipt in it and the other information to pick up your Ticket Book from Will Call.

For those that got the All Access Tickets and are having a pick up person get their models for them: This one might be a bit more confusing, but that is perfectly fine because I will explain it as best as I can! With the All Access Ticket, you will get two Ticket Books. One will contain the redemption ticket for the Celebration Horse and the other one is one that you will need to pick up from Will Call. Ok, being completely honest, in both the VIP and the All Access Ticket Books, you will get more than just the Redemption Tickets. You will get the admission wrist band, the parking pass (if purchased with an All Access Ticket), your Celebration of Horses Evening Performance ticket, and stuff like that. If you are a US resident, then the first Ticket Book with the wrist band and the Celebration Horse things will be sent to you. After you fill out, turn in, and pay for your Special Runs, you will then need to pick up your Second Ticket Book from Will Call at the Kentucky Horse Park starting on July 14th. Will Call will run all weekend long so there is absolutely no rush and no worries if you cannot make it on Thursday! If someone is picking up your Ticket Book and models for you, I highly recommend printing out your receipts (both for the All Access Ticket and the Special Runs because you can never be too prepared) and sending them with your Celebration Horse Redemption Ticket to your pick up person.

Evening Performance

Hello and welcome to this segment of Let’s Talk BreyerFest. This time, I am going to be explaining why Breyer asked you to choose Friday or Saturday evening for a performance.

If you have never been to BreyerFest or you have only been to the virtual events, then you might not know about the awesome thing that happens on Friday and Saturday evenings during BreyerFest. This is when the Celebration of Horses Evening Performance happens and it is something that I will always recommend watching.

The evening performances were a thing when I first went to BreyerFest in 2012. That year, it was a concert and the year after that, it was also a concert as well. However, in 2014, something amazing happened during this evening event. It became a true celebration of the horse and featured riders and equestrians from all over the world.

For the last few years, it has been produced and choreographed by Silvia Zerbini and I cannot recommend her enough, if you love just watching the beauty of the horse and like stories told through music and dance. But, if that does not scream to you yet, let me tell you that this takes place at the Altech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park. This arena is air conditioned and has some decent snack places.

This year, all in person tickets come with the Celebration of Horses Evening Performance and it is typically the same for Friday and Saturday, however these are real horses and real people so little things can change and things happen that go off script. Will it be offered to the virtual tickets? We do not know yet, but as soon as those virtual tickets go on sale in March, I will be checking this for you!

That is pretty much all that there is to the Celebration of Horses Evening Performance. It is just an amazing show in an air conditioned arena. I will always recommend, but then again I would recommend getting licked by a horse, so I might just recommend horse things some days!

Fine Print from Breyer

I want to take a moment to remind you that you will definitely need to read the fine print of the tickets again this year.  While the actual details of the Contests for BreyerFest are not known at this time, there is a blurb on the VIP and All Access Tickets that say that in person contests are limited to US Residents only and that residents of AZ, CO, MD, NE, ND, and VT are not able to participate again this year.  

Please keep in mind that this is just a blurb and that this could change as we have seen Breyer change things recently.  Information regarding the Contests will be released some time in March, along with information about all the other Ticket-Add Ons. 

This year, I also recommend reading the Liability statement as it has changed from recent years.  I normally do not add these types of posts to this group. but I am certain that we are all aware of how times have changed and while they will not be discussed here in this group as I strive to keep it positive, I do feel that it should be at least noticed. Here is the link for the Liability statement: https://www.breyerhorses.com/pages/liability-statement 

Hang in there, Roadies, as we wait for more information to be released about this Hybrid event.  I am sure that it will work out and be an amazing event, I just tend to read the fine print and try to let everyone know that it is there and be aware of it all.  Comments are turned off in an effort to keep everything positive, but if you have questions about the Contests, I highly recommend waiting until the information is released and then perhaps sending a polite email to Breyer.