At least 50,000 spectators are expected to flock to the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton through Sunday, Sept. 1, to see a high-caliber equestrian competition including eight riders just back from the Paris-hosted Olympic Games.
But youngsters have a special reason for joy this Saturday, Aug. 31, when Hampton Classic features its action-packed News 12 Kids Day, with everything from a family circus to face painting and a dance contest. The fun starts at 10 a.m. and is free with the $20-per-carload cost of admission to Hampton Classic Horse Show, located at 240 Snake Hollow Road.
“We have all kinds of special activities for kids,” Hampton Classic spokesman Marty Bauman said. “Anyone under 12 gets a free pony ride. Every kid gets a gift bag with some presents, there are giveaways, and we have the Steppin’ Out petting zoo, so they’ll be all kinds of animals for the kids to meet and have fun with.”
His personal favorite is the dance contest made possible through Allstar DJ Long Island, which he described as a “super-fun dance party for the kids.” Other entertainers ae the Bellini Family Circus, the Amazing Rubini—“she teaches them how to paint and make animals out of balloons”—and the Amazing Zola who specializes in card tricks. Additionally, the children will be creating jewelry with another entertainer, known as The Macaroni Kid, and they can play games like ping pong and cornhole to their heart’s content at the Macrae Skye Fun Zone.
“The kids show has been going on for more than 30 years,” Bauman said, but the horse show itself is marking its 49th year and serves as a nonprofit that supports the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.
According to Bauman, the eight-day equestrian event with approximately 1,600 horses got off to a humble start in 1976 with a few local horsemen who launched the idea. “I’m not sure they envisioned it would become what it is today, but it certainly did,” he said. The best riders on the best horses are drawn to the Longines Hampton Classic Grand Prix, which kicks off on Sunday at 1:30 p.m., said Bauman.
Not only is the horse show considered a premiere event, but there are 70 shops and boutiques, he said, where “really you can buy anything from a Hampton Classic T-shirt to a Land Rover.” Besides shopping, there’s local restaurants, which means “you can come here and not watch the horse show and still have a great time.”
For more information visit the Hampton Classic website. Kids Day events can be found next to the Boutique Garden.