Media Night: Distinguished guests from royal houses and Hollywood

A group of five people are posing in front of a gold-coloured event backdrop featuring logos: from the left, a man in a black suit wearing sunglasses; next to him, a woman in an off-the-shoulder black dress; in the centre, a man with white hair wearing a white shirt and a dark jacket; next to him, a woman in a red dress; and on the right, a woman in a turquoise trouser suit – all smiling at the camera.

A flurry of flashing cameras, beaming faces and extravagant outfits: Stars from all over the globe gathered at the exclusive Media Night on what is probably the most famous red carpet of the world of international equestrian sport – rolled out in purple this year to match the corporate identity of the FEI World Championships Aachen 2026. The organisers, together with their co-host, Hermann Bühlbecker, had extended invitations to this festive gala evening on the event’s opening day.

The Hollywood star, Ed Westwick, was one of the most popular photo motifs of the evening. The actor, known as Chuck Bass from the series “Gossip Girl” arrived at the Allianz Park wearing a dark suit and sunglasses. Alongside his wife, Amy Jackson, an actress and model, he posed patiently for the many photographers, before being warmly greeted by Hermann Bühlbecker, sole proprietor of Aachener Printen & Schokoladenfabrik Henry Lambertz.

Together with Stefanie Peters, President of the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein (ARLV), he also welcomed numerous representatives of European royal houses: Zara Tindall (niece of His Majesty King Charles III), Her Royal Highness the Princess of Orange, Her Royal Highness Princess Benedikte of Denmark and Her Royal Highness Elena de Borbón, Infanta of Spain. Later in the evening, the Federal Minister, Dorothee Bär, the singer Yvonne Catterfeld, and the actress Luna Schweiger, as well as Simon Rolfes (Managing Director of Sport at Bayer 04 Leverkusen) also graced the event with their presence.

In the course of the evening, the celebrities also made their way to the atmospheric Main Stadium, where they were captivated by the spectacular Opening Ceremony, during which the President of the FEI, Ingmar De Vos, officially opened the FEI World Championships Aachen 2026.