Brussels Flower Carpet Survives Heatwave, Spectacle Intact

The 24th edition of Brussels’ iconic flower carpet on the Grand-Place has weathered an intense August heatwave, with its 750,000 dahlias showing visible signs of stress yet preserving the overall design until the final day. The event, which ran from August 13 to 16, drew 20,800 paying visitors to the Hôtel de Ville balcony despite the challenging conditions, according to RTBF.

A Tribute to Japan

This year’s carpet celebrated the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Belgium and Japan, recreating “The Great Wave of Kanagawa,” the iconic woodblock print by 19th-century Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. The design was reinterpreted by Hiro Sugiyama, a professor at Kyoto University of the Arts, who sought to “connect past and future, analog and digital, Japanese culture and contemporary art” through his work, as VRT NWS reported.

Spanning 1,680 square meters (70 meters by 24 meters) and using 19 different colors of dahlias, the carpet is the largest flower carpet in the world. Approximately 120 volunteers assembled the intricate composition in under six hours, working from a full-scale design laid over the cobblestones of the UNESCO World Heritage site, according to BruxellesToday.

Heat Takes Its Toll

The dahlias were exposed to full sun for three and a half days during one of Europe’s most intense heatwaves of the summer. Richard Poncin, administrator of the ASBL Tapis de Fleurs de Bruxelles, acknowledged the strain: “They clearly suffered from the heat. They dried a bit, they’re slightly shrunk, but the overall design remains preserved.”

Organizers deliberately avoided watering the flowers, noting that irrigation could have caused further damage under the intense sun. Poncin reminded visitors that the flower carpet is, by nature, ephemeral art: “The colors change over the days and the flowers naturally lose some of their freshness.”

Despite the heat, visitors remained enthusiastic. “They’re a bit scorched but it’s still pretty,” said one tourist from Lyon, while her husband added: “No, the colors aren’t dull! Be proud! If we, the French, tell you it’s magnificent, believe us!”

Strong Public Turnout

Poncin reported constant crowds throughout the four-day display, particularly on Friday, which he described as “very, very hot.” In total, 20,800 visitors paid to view the carpet from the balcony of the Hôtel de Ville, with restaurants, terraces, and hotels around the Grand-Place benefiting from the influx, as DHNet reported.

Nawal Ben Hamou, Brussels Alderwoman for Culture and Tourism and president of the ASBL Tapis de Fleurs de Bruxelles, said the carpet “allowed once again to highlight all the beauty of our capital and to make the Grand-Place shine well beyond the country’s borders,” according to La Libre.

The dahlias were chosen partly for their resilience. “It’s a flower very resistant to heat,” Poncin noted, explaining the shift from begonias, which had been used for the first 22 editions but became harder to source as Belgian production declined.

A Growing Tradition

The flower carpet tradition dates back to 1971, when landscape architect Etienne Stautemas created the first carpet on the Grand-Place. The event has been organized every two years since then and was listed in the intangible heritage inventory of the Brussels Region in October 2020, according to the official Flower Carpet website.

Japan was previously honored in 2016 for the 150th anniversary of Belgium-Japan relations. “Japan came back to us after this first collaboration,” Poncin said. “It’s a Japanese designer who made the drawing, a reinterpretation of the famous Kanagawa wave.”

This year also featured a first-ever mini-carpet at the Bourse, also designed by Sugiyama and inspired by hops, symbolizing Belgian brewing heritage, composed of 150,000 flowers. Daily sound and light shows accompanied the main carpet each evening from 21:45 to 23:00.

What’s Next

The 750,000 flowers were dismantled on August 17 and will be transformed into compost by a specialized company. Organizers have already announced a new edition of “Flower Time,” a floral exhibition at the Hôtel de Ville, for next year, with the 25th edition of the flower carpet scheduled for 2028.

As Poncin reflected on the event’s enduring appeal: “We wondered after Covid, when the world digitized, if the Flower Carpet wouldn’t falter. But since then, it still works.”