diff --git a/packages/overlays/src/DynamicOverlayController.js b/packages/overlays/src/DynamicOverlayController.js
index f7c8f70d6..02110b907 100644
--- a/packages/overlays/src/DynamicOverlayController.js
+++ b/packages/overlays/src/DynamicOverlayController.js
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ export class DynamicOverlayController {
     if (!this.content) {
       this.content = document.createElement('div');
     }
+    this.__fakeExtendsEventTarget();
+    this.__delegateEvent = this.__delegateEvent.bind(this);
   }
 
   add(ctrlToAdd) {
@@ -71,9 +73,13 @@ export class DynamicOverlayController {
     if (this.isShown === true) {
       throw new Error('You can not switch overlays while being shown');
     }
+    const prevActive = this.active;
+
     this.active.switchOut();
     ctrlToSwitchTo.switchIn();
     this.__active = ctrlToSwitchTo;
+
+    this._delegateEvents(this.__active, prevActive);
   }
 
   async show() {
@@ -99,4 +105,24 @@ export class DynamicOverlayController {
   get invokerNode() {
     return this.active.invokerNode;
   }
+
+  _delegateEvents(active, prevActive) {
+    ['show', 'hide'].forEach(event => {
+      active.addEventListener(event, this.__delegateEvent);
+      prevActive.removeEventListener(event, this.__delegateEvent);
+    });
+  }
+
+  __delegateEvent(ev) {
+    ev.stopPropagation();
+    this.dispatchEvent(new Event(ev.type));
+  }
+
+  // TODO: this method has to be removed when EventTarget polyfill is available on IE11
+  __fakeExtendsEventTarget() {
+    const delegate = document.createDocumentFragment();
+    ['addEventListener', 'dispatchEvent', 'removeEventListener'].forEach(funcName => {
+      this[funcName] = (...args) => delegate[funcName](...args);
+    });
+  }
 }
diff --git a/packages/overlays/test/DynamicOverlayController.test.js b/packages/overlays/test/DynamicOverlayController.test.js
index 07a8daf4a..aacc904ec 100644
--- a/packages/overlays/test/DynamicOverlayController.test.js
+++ b/packages/overlays/test/DynamicOverlayController.test.js
@@ -133,4 +133,34 @@ describe('DynamicOverlayController', () => {
     expect(globalOutSpy).to.have.callCount(1);
     expect(localInSpy).to.have.callCount(1);
   });
+
+  describe('API abstraction for active overlay controller', () => {
+    describe('Events', () => {
+      it('delegates "show/hide" event', async () => {
+        const ctrl = new DynamicOverlayController();
+        const global = new FakeGlobalCtrl(defaultOptions);
+        const local = new FakeLocalCtrl(defaultOptions);
+        ctrl.add(global);
+        ctrl.add(local);
+        ctrl.switchTo(local);
+
+        const showSpy = sinon.spy();
+        const hideSpy = sinon.spy();
+
+        ctrl.addEventListener('show', showSpy);
+        ctrl.addEventListener('hide', hideSpy);
+
+        await ctrl.show();
+        expect(showSpy.callCount).to.equal(1);
+        await ctrl.hide();
+        expect(hideSpy.callCount).to.equal(1);
+
+        ctrl.switchTo(global);
+        await ctrl.show();
+        expect(showSpy.callCount).to.equal(2);
+        await ctrl.hide();
+        expect(hideSpy.callCount).to.equal(2);
+      });
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/select-rich/src/LionSelectRich.js b/packages/select-rich/src/LionSelectRich.js
index 34302ee67..0e1a70db1 100644
--- a/packages/select-rich/src/LionSelectRich.js
+++ b/packages/select-rich/src/LionSelectRich.js
@@ -548,11 +548,15 @@ export class LionSelectRich extends FormRegistrarMixin(
     }
   }
 
-  __setupOverlay() {
-    this.__overlay = overlays.add(
+  /**
+   * @overridable Subclassers can override the default
+   */
+  // eslint-disable-next-line class-methods-use-this
+  _defineOverlay({ invokerNode, contentNode } = {}) {
+    return overlays.add(
       new LocalOverlayController({
-        contentNode: this._listboxNode,
-        invokerNode: this._invokerNode,
+        contentNode,
+        invokerNode,
         hidesOnEsc: false,
         hidesOnOutsideClick: true,
         inheritsReferenceObjectWidth: true,
@@ -566,6 +570,13 @@ export class LionSelectRich extends FormRegistrarMixin(
         },
       }),
     );
+  }
+
+  __setupOverlay() {
+    this.__overlay = this._defineOverlay({
+      invokerNode: this._invokerNode,
+      contentNode: this._listboxNode,
+    });
 
     this.__overlayOnShow = () => {
       this.opened = true;
diff --git a/packages/select-rich/test/lion-select-rich.test.js b/packages/select-rich/test/lion-select-rich.test.js
index 072150b0e..4015f05e3 100644
--- a/packages/select-rich/test/lion-select-rich.test.js
+++ b/packages/select-rich/test/lion-select-rich.test.js
@@ -1,9 +1,16 @@
-import { expect, fixture, html, aTimeout } from '@open-wc/testing';
-import './keyboardEventShimIE.js';
-
+import { expect, fixture, html, aTimeout, defineCE, unsafeStatic } from '@open-wc/testing';
 import '@lion/option/lion-option.js';
+import {
+  overlays,
+  LocalOverlayController,
+  GlobalOverlayController,
+  DynamicOverlayController,
+} from '@lion/overlays';
+
+import './keyboardEventShimIE.js';
 import '../lion-options.js';
 import '../lion-select-rich.js';
+import { LionSelectRich } from '../index.js';
 
 describe('lion-select-rich', () => {
   it('does not have a tabindex', async () => {
@@ -328,4 +335,51 @@ describe('lion-select-rich', () => {
       });
     });
   });
+
+  describe('Subclassers', () => {
+    it('allows to override the type of overlays', async () => {
+      const mySelectTagString = defineCE(
+        class MySelect extends LionSelectRich {
+          _defineOverlay({ invokerNode, contentNode }) {
+            // add a DynamicOverlayController
+            const dynamicCtrl = new DynamicOverlayController();
+
+            const localCtrl = overlays.add(
+              new LocalOverlayController({
+                contentNode,
+                invokerNode,
+              }),
+            );
+            dynamicCtrl.add(localCtrl);
+
+            const globalCtrl = overlays.add(
+              new GlobalOverlayController({
+                contentNode,
+                invokerNode,
+              }),
+            );
+            dynamicCtrl.add(globalCtrl);
+
+            return dynamicCtrl;
+          }
+        },
+      );
+
+      const mySelectTag = unsafeStatic(mySelectTagString);
+
+      const el = await fixture(html`
+        <${mySelectTag} label="Favorite color" name="color">
+          <lion-options slot="input">
+            ${Array(2).map(
+              (_, i) => html`
+                <lion-option .modelValue="${{ value: i, checked: false }}">value ${i}</lion-option>
+              `,
+            )}
+          </lion-options>
+        </${mySelectTag}>
+      `);
+
+      expect(el.__overlay).to.be.instanceOf(DynamicOverlayController);
+    });
+  });
 });