Let's Talk BreyerFest...What To Expect From The Virtual Side of Things, That Is!

 Let’s Talk BreyerFest...What To Expect From The Virtual Side Of Things, That Is!

Attending the virtual event might not have the draw of the in person event, but let me tell you- This is the WAY MORE RELAXED side of things! In fact, if I was not trying to actively escape my Tiny Human for those three days, I would be sitting at home on my computer in my air conditioning to experience BreyerFest. I got spoiled for two years and those years, I did not even have air conditioning, just two fans, a computer, and a curtain to close. So let’s talk about what you will be able to experience during the virtual event. Remember that all ticket holders have access to the virtual event, and I will try to help you discover the best ways to take advantage of everything that will happen. Will it all work out? Likely not, but at least we all tried!

First, there will be the Live Broadcast. This year, the Live Broadcast will be coming from the Kentucky Horse Park and will again be hosted by Kimber Goodwin. She will be interviewing the Guest Horses’ owners, talking to fans and volunteers, talking about the models, dropping in on KHP locations, and so much more! The Live Broadcast usually runs the hours of BreyerFest so 9 AM EDT to 4 PM EDT and might be available for viewing all night long, as it was for 2020 and 2021. If you are attending the in person event and want to catch up on the Live Broadcast, evening viewing is best for you since you can watch this and fast forward to the parts that you really want to see. If you are attending the virtual event only, this is a great way to feel like you are a part of the action. I recommend setting up in a place that is comfy, has a stable internet connection, and maybe even stream it to your TV.

Next, let’s talk about those Workshops. This year, there are workshops that are available to ALL Ticket Holders as they are all webinars. There are ten of them this year and they do cost $5 to purchase ahead of time and you will need to purchase your own supplies. I am currently making a file that will contain all of the Supply Lists and their links so that they will be easy to find. Once you have purchased your BreyerFest ticket and have purchased your workshop entry, I always say to start looking for those supplies since some will need to be ordered off of the internet. If you are a virtual only attendee, then you have it made with these workshops! They are pre-recorded and are available to you all weekend long. Since you have already watched the Live Broadcast, I would definitely say to do these in the evening. Or you can have two devices and try to do the workshop and the Live Broadcast at the same time, but if you are like me, that is not even remotely possible. For those that are attending the in person event, but want to experience these workshops as well, I recommend doing these in the evening once things have settled down. You could even find a way to record them yourself to keep them longer than Breyer will offer then so that you can work on them after BreyerFest, but you totally did not hear that from me! Breyer might surprise us and keep these workshops longer than just the weekend, as they have done for 2020 and 2021, so keep that in mind.

Oh, the Contests part of this post is here. Well, please let me first preface this by saying, please do not complain too much about what Breyer is offering and doing. There are laws and all that jazz that they have to work through and around and I will be dead honest in saying that I do not know these laws. My best advice is to politely ask Breyer what the exact law is and then head over to your state or country’s laws and go from there. Posting complaints here sadly do nothing and I wish that I could help, along with others. Ok, that is out of the way and I am very sorry to have to bring that up again. This year, Breyer is offering the Costume Contest as a virtual Contest. Both in person and virtual attendees that have a VIP, All Access, or Online Traditional Access Ticket can participate in this Contest. The theme this year is Grimm’s Fairy Tales and you will need to design, make, and model this costume that you made. It is not open to teams this year, just individuals and I HIGHLY recommend reading the rules before committing to this Contest. The link to the rules can be found in our Pinned Announcement at the top of the group or it can be found under the Events Tab on the Breyer website.

Moving on, there are Model Horse Shows that are available to participate in as well. If you have a VIP, All Access, or Online Traditional Access Ticket, then you are able to show in three shows held by Breyer. The first is the Breyer Boot Camp. This show is open to Novice Amateur Adults and will take place in April on Ponybytes. The registration fee is $30 and it closes at Noon on April 8th. The next two have not had much of their information released yet, but we do know that they will be taking place virtually. These are the BreyerFest Breakables Live and the Resin Futurity. Both of these are specialized shows and you will need to read the documents once they are released. With the Online Traditional Access Ticket, it does say that you will be able to view the Model Horse Shows that are happening at the in person event as well.

Next up, Seminars. This year, the seminars will be available on a wide range of topics and available all weekend long. As we get closer to the event, the actual schedule of who will be talking and what times they will be on will be released. These usually range from famous horses like Sergeant Reckless to Wild Mustangs to something more mundane like collecting and horse colors. These are great to watch when they are first released. Right now, we are not sure if they will remain on the BreyerFest section of the website after their have aired, so if you are a virtual attendee, I highly recommend taking a peek at them when they come on, if it is something that you do not want to miss. If you are in in person attendee, these will be taking place in the Visitor's Center so definitely head on over to check them out.

And now we have reached Shopping! Everyone is really here for just the models, right? Well, some of us like the other stuff, but I know that you are all excited for the models! This year, things are a bit different and some people are upset. So, as I did with the contests, I will ask that you politely refrain from posting your complaints here because sadly there is nothing that we can do about how Breyer decided to offer the models and which models are available to which ticket holders. I know, it all is not cool, however you can read in previous Guides how we devised some great workarounds, if you have some awesome friends! The models that are available to each ticket have been talked about in previous Guides, but let’s go over them here as well:

VIP Ticket: One Celebration Horse, One Full Set of Event Stablemates, Two Special Runs pre-paid, Two Limited Editions pre-paid, the ability to purchase Limited Editions during BreyerFest.

All Access Ticket: One Celebration Horse, Two Special Runs (per Ticket) bought using the Special Run Preference List, the ability to purchase Limited Editions during the Event, the ability to purchase a Full Set of Event Stablemates during the Event at the In Person BreyerFest Store.

General Access Ticket: One randomly selected Event Stablemate, the ability to purchase Limited Editions during the Event, the ability to purchase a Full Set of Event Stablemates during the Event at the In Person BreyerFest Store.

Online Traditional Access Ticket: One Celebration Horse, the ability to purchase Limited Editions during the Event.

Online Stablemate Access Ticket: One randomly selected Event Stablemate, the ability to purchase Limited Editions during the Event.

Those are what each ticket gets and is able to purchase during the event. No, General Access, Online Traditional Access, and Online Stablemates Access are not able to purchase Special Runs. At this time, we are not absolutely sure that the virtual ticket holders are not able to purchase a Full Set of Event Stablemates- There have been surprises before, however at this time, they are NOT available to the virtual ticket holders. All ticket holders will be able to purchase Limited Edition models through the virtual BreyerFest Store. Keep in mind that Limited Editions can and will sell out during the event. Will there be surprises like the Glossy models of last year? Maybe, but until Breyer makes the announcement or releases them, we will never know. There will be Event Merchandise, like shirts, stickers, and more available during BreyerFest at the Store, but those have not been revealed yet. Also, please note that the Online Only Limited Editions are available to ALL TICKET HOLDERS, you just need to purchase them online. Also, the Vendor Marketplace, the Artisan’s Gallery, and the Swap Meet will all be available to virtual attendees this year as well! So, there is definitely shopping to your heart’s content from both Breyer and other hobbyists! Now, for a small tidbit- If you have an awesome friend or know someone who will do it, you will be able to purchase other ticket types, even if you are unable to attend BreyerFest in person. Your ticket will allow you to see the virtual events and your friend or other person will be able to pick up the models that come with your tickets. You will even be able to purchase your Limited Editions online and have them shipped to your location. The ticket models will not be shipped and that is what you will need a friend or other person to pick up and ship to you. You can read more about how Pick Ups work with these tickets in a previous Let’s Talk BreyerFest Guide.

So, that is what Breyer has to offer for the virtual attendees, but it does not stop there! Here in this group, I have plans to have meet and greets for both in person and virtual attendees, I will be showcasing videos from the event and the Clarion as much as my phone will allow, and I encourage everyone who attends to do the same. Who knows, maybe I will find some awesome artists and interview them for the group!

I hope that this helps!