Baroque Noir: Harald Glööckler's Dance of the Vampires
Around 50 guests, one coffin and a villa lit in red and purple. How the designer turned Halloween 2026 into a baroque ball at Casa Padrino.
Designer Harald Glööckler spent Halloween 2026 in Essen. On 31 October he invited around 50 guests from show business, fashion and society to his party "Tanz der Vampire", the Dance of the Vampires, at Casa Padrino, the historic brick villa of Marvin Schertl and Dr. Sina Schertl.
A red carpet and a Gatekeeper
The night began outside. Guests walked the red carpet beneath a rose arch to the illuminated fountain, while the old brick façade glowed in red and purple light. At the villa door the Gatekeeper of Casa Padrino, in a white fur coat, top hat and skull mask, held the guest list and opened the velvet rope.
The hosts at the door
Harald Glööckler welcomed his guests together with Marvin Schertl and Dr. Sina Schertl, the hosts of the house. Costume was a given: velvet capes, powdered baroque wigs, masks, crowns and armfuls of red roses.
"Harald turned Halloween into a baroque ball. Candlelight, velvet, gold and a little goosebumps: our house was the stage, and our guests wrote the story of the night."Marvin Schertl, Casa Padrino
Out of the coffin, onto the dance floor
Then came the moment everyone had waited for. Harald Glööckler rose from a coffin as a blood-stained vampire and opened the party. From there the evening belonged to the dance floor, with a Lebanese grill serving guests inside and under the black tent in the garden until late into the night.
Who was there
Among the guests were actress and presenter Michelle Monballijn, TV personality and entertainer Nathalie Gaus, TV presenter and producer Andreas Wendt, singer and reality star Cosimo Citiolo, entertainer Felix Salvatore Cella and model Lily Lee, Miss Elite World China. Fashion came with designer and artist Winnie Wing Hungenbach, designer and stylist Maria Jose Ventura with her sister Paula Ventura, and make-up and hair stylist Maximilian Krahl. Lottery millionaire Chico was part of the night from the first bouquet to the last dance.
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Editorial. Marvin Schertl, one of the hosts of the night, is managing director of Luxury Group International Ltd., the publisher of VIP News.