In front of and behind the scenes

The CHIO Aachen Opening Ceremony. It is not only a fixed part of the CHIO Aachen, it has also developed into a fantastic show. Tuesday evening, a fully-booked arena, floodlit, broadcast live on the state-run TV channels.

We have compiled some of the highlights of the past years for you.

But what actually happens behind the scenes whilst the big show is taking place? The CHIO Aachen Sports Director, Birgit Rosenberg, and Uwe Brandt explained this to us. Uwe Brandt is the Artistic Director at the Grenzlandtheater Aachen and supports the CHIO Aachen team as Director and Script Writer of the Opening Ceremony.

Birgit Rosenberg just explained in the video above what happens in the Judges Tower. We climbed in there for you with the camera once during the last CHIO in the summer of 2019.

And what does it actually feel like for the many hundreds of extras to run into this arena in front of a full-house? We asked some of them.