WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2020 — The most popular night of the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) presented by MARS Equestrian™ is going virtual for 2020. Promoting the theme of “Horses and Heroes”, virtual Barn Night supported by Navigators Global will honor essential workers, teachers, families, and those who work tirelessly to keep us safe and smiling.
While the coveted WIHS Children’s and Adult Hunter and Jumper Championship, WIHS Equitation Finals, WIHS Pony Equitation Finals, and the iconic President’s Cup Grand Prix CSI4* presented by MARS Equestrian™, will be underway at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC), October 21–25, 2020, Barn Night will continue to engage and entertain its enthusiastic fans and followers by taking its popular contests online.
2020 Virtual Barn Night Contests
Barn Night 2020 will include a series of online and social media contests similar to those that have become synonymous with WIHS fun while keeping everyone safe and healthy. The deadline to submit entries for #WIHSVirtualBarnNight is Thursday, October 22, with winners being announced on WIHS social media channels on Friday, October 23.
Contests
- Best Video (Original video pertaining to the theme of “Horses and Heroes”)
- Best Costume (Barn group costume or individual horse/rider costumes at a barn in “Horses and Heroes” theme)
- NEW Best Tee Shirt for Charity (Design a tee shirt that will be sold on shopwihs.com with 25% of all sales benefiting World Central Kitchen)
New for 2020 is the Tee Shirt for Charity contest which will allow barns to design a tee shirt that will be produced and sold on wihsshop.com, with 25% of proceeds going toward World Central Kitchen.
A tradition of WIHS show week is visiting the many restaurants of chef José Andrés throughout Penn Quarter, steps away from the competition at Capital One Arena. Chef Andrés’ charity, World Central Kitchen, is based in Washington, D.C., and is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. WIHS is proud to apply this year’s theme of “Horses and Heroes” to benefit the mission of World Central Kitchen.
Prizes
Prizes include a custom golf cart from United Metro Golf Cart, virtual clinic with top U.S. show jumping team rider Chloe Reid, custom tee shirts, Shapley’s gift box, and treats from MARS WRIGLEY compliments of MARS Equestrian™.
WIHS fans of all ages can also celebrate #WIHSVirtualBarnNight with the Barn Night Color & Solve Activity Book. Have fun with 12 pages of horse-themed coloring, mazes, crossword puzzles, and more.
Learn more and view contest details at WIHS.org/Barn-Night.
Virtual Trick-or-Treating
Join WIHS and MARS Equestrian™ not just on Virtual Barn Night but also for virtual trick-or-treating this year! TREAT TOWN™ is a contactless way for families and their communities to share Halloween fun during a challenging time. Learn more and register at treat-town.com, or through the TREAT TOWN™ App.
From there, create a unique username (for privacy and safety, create a fun and spooky name that’s unique to you), decorate a door, purchase candy for trick-or-treaters, and help the trick-or-treaters in your household create their own spooky monster avatars. The TREAT TOWN™ App is available in the App Store and through Google Play. Learn more at treat-town.com.
For more information, please visit www.wihs.org, join us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat. Tag us using #WIHS2020. Virtual Barn Night tags #WIHSVirtualBarnNight and #HorsesandHeroes.
About Washington International Horse Show
Established in 1958, the Washington International Horse Show is one of North America’s most prestigious and entertaining equestrian events with highlights including the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Washington for the President’s Cup and the WIHS Equitation Finals. WIHS is an official USEF Heritage Competition, and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization. For more information, visit wihs.org.
About Navigators Global
Navigators Global is a full-service issues management, government relations and strategic communications firm located in Washington, D.C. Learn more at https://navigatorsglobal.com.
About World Central Kitchen
Founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) uses the power of food to heal communities and strengthen economies in times of crisis and beyond. WCK has created a new model for disaster response through its work helping devastated communities recover and establish resilient food systems. WCK has served more than 40 million fresh meals to people impacted by natural disasters and other crises around the world in countries including The Bahamas, Indonesia, Lebanon, Mozambique, Venezuela, and the United States. Learn more at wck.org.
