A 3-day $50 ticket includes the 2020 Breyer Model Celebration Horse.
If your first horse was a plastic one, chances are you’re already a big fan of Breyer. And you’ll be excited to learn that the annual event celebrating the horse and the company’s iconic equine models is going ahead online.
Hosted on breyerhorses.com July 10 – 12, 2020, this year’s BreyerFest — the first done virtually in the event’s 31-year history — marks the 70th anniversary of the company.
The theme of this year’s BreyerFest is “Celtic Fling.” Drawing inspiration from the history and lore of the British Isles, it will celebrate the amazing equines — from drafters to minis to sport horses — that have played a unique role in the island nations.
Traditionally held at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, BreyerFest made the move to go virtual this year in response to COVID-19. Broadcasting from Breyer headquarters in New Jersey, the iconic event brings a full slate of equine-industry experts, behind-the-scenes interviews, arts and crafts workshops, model horse shows, and more through a mix of live and prerecorded content.
The 2020 Celebration Horse is Ballynoe Castle RM. Affectionately known as “Reggie,” the Irish Sport Horse had more than an illustrious three-day-eventing career. The bay gelding is the highest scoring U.S. event horse of all time. Retired in 2017, his record still stands. As 2020’s Celebration Horse model, Ballynoe Castle RM is the virtual Homecoming King for BreyerFest. A 3-day ticket includes the Celebration Horse model and also allows the purchase of certain special commemorative editions.
“Every year BreyerFest has gotten bigger,” says Stephanie Macejko, Breyer’s vice-president of marketing and product development. “We position it as a big family festival. We also get a lot of new fans. People come because they love horses; they love Breyer. For me, there is no greater expression of the Breyer brand than being together with the live horses. It’s not competition. It’s about the love of the horse. Now we’ve had to do this virtually.”
But the unprecedented move to take it online has had an unexpected silver lining: Macejko points out that even with last year’s record crowds of over 30,000 fans attending BreyerFest, 2020’s virtual event has seen an increase in ticket sales. “People around the world are saying, ‘Wow, for the first time, I’m going to experience BreyerFest. I’ve never had the chance to go.’”
Free activities are available in addition to 3-day and single -day tickets. The full slate of activities is available online at breyerhorses.com.
Breyer Animal Creations began as the Breyer Molding Company, a Chicago-based plastics manufacturer. Its first model horse, the #57 Western Horse — a special order for the F.W. Woolworth Company made to adorn a mantelpiece clock — came out in 1950. A deluge of requests for just the horse changed the company’s focus. Today, seven decades later, Breyer remains the premiere brand of horse models and collectibles.
Find out more at breyerhorses.com.
