Langley will soon play host to the world as riders from across the continent arrive for the Summer Fort Festival at Thunderbird Show Park.

This event marks the end of the season at Thunderbird, home to seven major show jumping tournaments each year.

The highlight of the festival is the $75,000 Keg Steakhouse & Bar World Cup on Saturday, Aug. 28 at 2 p.m.

Opening ceremonies are at 1:30 p.m.

Riders from across Canada, the United States, and Ireland will be riding to earn qualifying points for the Rolex FEI World Cup Finals in Leipzig, Germany next April.

The 2010/11 World Cup season got underway in May at Thunderbird, bringing riders from four continents to the park.

Venezuela's Pablo Barrios and Rich Fellers from Wilsonville, Oregon led the pack, with strong competition from California's Ashlee Bond.

Competition continued through June and July at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, where Bond was able to capture enough points to put her at the top of the league standings.

Bond returns to Langley with her two top horses, 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding Cadett 7, and 11-year-old Zangersheide gelding Chivas Z.

Bond brought both mounts to Thunderbird in May, her debut appearance at the park, and rode to third and fourth place in the World Cup event behind Barrios and Fellers.

Fellers and Flexible are among the competitors arriving at Thunderbird next week, along with Canadian equestrian team member Darrin Dlin and California's Mandy Porter.

Fellers is no stranger to World Cup competition, coming second at the 2008 finals, while Porter has made three trips to the finals, most recently in 2009.

Also expected are local riders, Langley native Brian Morton and Richmond's Gary Brewster.

The Summer Fort Festival at Thunderbird Show Park opens tomorrow (Tuesday) and runs through to Aug. 29.

The full schedule offers daily amateur show jumping competition, with Grand Prix events offering more than $350,000 in prize money and a range of activities for spectators.

For the past several months, Thunderbird Show Park has been under construction in preparation for the new Spectator Village.

The village opens at the start of the festival, offering pony rides, a children's play area, picnic facilities and a long list of special entertainment during the big Grand Prix classes.

The B.C. Farm Machinery and Agricultural Museum will be on site to showcase a display of antique horse carriages, while Tourism Langley offers A Taste of the Fraser River.

For all the details on the Summer Fort Festival and the opening of the Spectator Village, visit: www.thunderbirdshowpark.com.