Aachen World Cup Special 2026

During the Aachen World Cup Special, all concerts, stage performances, public viewings, and many other events in the city center are free and open to the public without a ticket. If you do need a ticket—for example, for museum exhibitions or our city tours—you can find more information on the details pages for each event.

The World Championships Special in the city center is the supporting program for the World Equestrian Games, which are being held at the Soers. The supporting program brings the unique atmosphere from the stadium right into the historic district.

Under the theme “The Horse. Three Museums,” you’ll find the following exhibitions from May 17 to August 23, 2026:

Suermondt-Ludwig Museum: The Happiness of This Earth.
Dürer, Rubens, Goya: Horses in Art

Centre Charlemagne: Tradition – Innovation – Emotion.
100 Years of CHIO

Ludwig Forum Aachen: Centaur – Man and Horse.
A film installation

Münsterplatz offers a variety of specialties at its temporary food market, while a children’s carousel spins leisurely right next door. The stalls at Katschhof also offer culinary delights—and, of course, our diverse selection of restaurants and dining establishments throughout the city center. You can find an overview of Aachen’s dining establishments here.

At Katschhof, everything revolves around the World Championships: A daily World Championships show starting at 7 p.m. features the day’s best moments from the Soers. In addition to concerts by local artists, panel discussions with the riders, and award ceremonies, you can watch the entire tournament here via public viewing.

The World Equestrian Games Chess Set is a special promotion organized by the city’s marketing department. Starting July 10, anyone interested can stop by Katschhof to play or learn chess. What makes it special is that the chess pieces are visually inspired by the World Equestrian Games and feature horse heads in various roles.

Anyone interested in purchasing a chess piece can buy it online right here or contact the City of Aachen by email.

The market will be the epicenter of the festivities during the World Cup. International and national bands and artists will create a lively atmosphere starting at 8:30 p.m. Look forward to the following acts—there’s something for everyone:

Aug. 11: Sonos Cliq, a hip-hop duo from Aachen

Aug. 12: Il Civetto, a Berlin-based fusion-pop band

August 13. The Maestro & The European Pop Orchestra: “Pop Meets Classical”

August 14: Querbeat, an 11-piece brass-pop band from Bonn/Cologne

Aug. 15: Alvaro Soler, Spanish-German pop singer

Aug. 16: Mia, an electropop band from Berlin

August 17: Marley's Ghost, a Bob Marley tribute band

Aug. 18: Ringo, Beatles tribute band

Aug. 19: Shantel, King of Balkan Pop

Aug. 20: Knallblech—Brass Band Meets DJ

August 21, starting at 5 p.m. Kids Rave, Turntables, Techno, Kids and Teens

August 21. Harris & Ford, Austrian hard dance crossover sound

Aug. 22: Elton and the Joels, Hits by Elton John and Billy Joel

August 23: Lagerfeuer-Trio, a cover band from Aachen

You can get tickets and more information about the World Equestrian Games here.

The best way to get to the Soers is by taking the shuttle buses, the ASEAG bus lines(e.g., Line 51), or on foot. You can find detailed route information in the program booklet, online, and at the information desks. During the World Cup, a chatbot will also display the best routes. More information about the chatbot will follow shortly.

You can find the current shuttle stops and departure times on the City of Aachen’s website, on signs in the city center, or at the AVV. During the World Cup, a chatbot will also display the best routes. More information on this will follow shortly.

The shuttle buses connect the tournament grounds with the bus terminal and the main train station. Line 51 runs from the bus terminal (stop 13) to the tournament grounds at least every 15 minutes and from the main train station (stop 2) to the tournament grounds at least every 15 minutes. The shuttle buses run on all event days starting one hour before the event begins. During peak times, additional buses will be deployed to quickly transport equestrian fans to the tournament grounds.

If you’d like to visit the Aachen World Cup Special in the city center, we recommend using the Park & Ride service. From there, you can take a bus to the Old Town. There are also parking options right in the city center, but expect heavy traffic. You can find the Park & Ride locations and an overview of parking garages in Aachen here.

You can find detailed information about getting there during the World Equestrian Games on the City of Aachen website .

We recommend that you book as early as possible, as we anticipate very high demand. Shortly before or during the World Equestrian Games, we cannot guarantee that sufficient accommodations will still be available. If there is still availability during this period, you should expect higher prices.

You can find an overview of all available accommodations here.

There are several ways to travel here from the Netherlands or Belgium. From the Netherlands, for example, you can take bus line 350 from Maastricht via Gulpen and Vaals to Aachen. You can find the departure and arrival times here. You can also take the RE18 train, which runs from Liège via Maastricht, Valkenburg, and Heerlen to Aachen. Just like bus line 350, it runs every 30 minutes. You can find the schedule here. Eupen is connected via bus line 14. You can find detailed information in the schedule, which you can download from the ASEAG website.

For more information on public transportation connections, contact Deutsche Bahn or ASEAG.

You can also travel by car.

You can find all the important information about getting here on the City of Aachen website.

Visitors can refill their own bottles during opening hours at several municipal buildings:

City Library (15 Couvenstraße)

Administrative Building at Bahnhofplatz (Hackländerstraße 1)

Katschhof Administrative Building (1 Johannes-Paul-II-Straße)

Am Marschiertor Administrative Building (Lagerhausstraße 20)

Mozartstraße Administrative Building (Mozartstraße 2–10)

House of the Metropolitan Region (Zollernstraße 10)

Four public drinking water stations are available around the clock:

Elisengarten (Ursulinerstraße)

Münsterplatz (Möschebrunnen)

Alexanderstraße (Hotmannspief Fountain)

Heinrich-Hollands-Straße (Aachen North)

From downtown, you can easily reach the main train station on foot in about 10 to 15 minutes or by taking one of several bus lines. You can find the best route in the ASEAG schedule guide. During the World Cup, a chatbot will also show you the best routes. More information on this will follow shortly.

You can find souvenirs from the World Equestrian Games and Aachen at our Tourist Information Center at the Elisenbrunnen, as well as a small selection at our booth on the tournament grounds at the Soers.