More than 20,000 viewed Brussels flower carpet from city hall

Brussels’ iconic flower carpet, that graces the Grand-Place every other year, has again enjoyed a huge success, organisers have said.

From 15-18 August, a record 20,500 visitors admired the flower carpet from the Brussels city hall balcony, with tens of thousands more viewing the carpet from ground level. Viewers were also treated to a beautiful sound and light show every evening from 21.00 to 23.00.

For this 23rd event, and for the first time since the event began to flourish in 1971, instead of the traditional begonias, nearly half a million Flanders-grown dahlias, were used to make the world’s largest flower carpet.

“Known for its robustness, the dahlia fulfilled its mission perfectly,” said the non-profit organisation Brussels Tapis de Fleurs. “The flower carpet lost none of its splendour, despite the heat of the first day and occasional shower.” In practice, the dahlias made up around 60% of the entire carpet.

“We are immensely proud that, with this temporary work of art, we have been able to pay tribute to our city not only as the European capital of flowers, but also as an international benchmark for Art Nouveau and as the cradle of Surrealism,” said Delphine Houba, the city’s alderwoman for culture, tourism and major events.

“The carpet does not only make the city more beautiful, it also supports our economy, as people from all over come to see it and then have a drink in one of our bars, visit a nearby museum, maybe even stay the night.”

The 1,680m² carpet was created by around 120 enthusiastic volunteers, most from Belgium, but some from as far afield as Spain and the United States. Each square metre had around 450 dahlias with tree bark making up the darker colours in the floral motif. The flowers are filled via codes, a bit like painting by numbers.

The organisers are now looking forward to the next event, in two years' time. They are also waiting to see if Brussels region’s application, in March, to Unesco to get the carpet recognised as "intangible heritage" and put on the world heritage list will be successful. A decision is expected by the end of 2025.

In the meantime, the public is invited to come back in August 2025 for the sixth edition of Flower Time, a floral exhibition held at Brussels city hall and on the Grand-Place every non-carpet year.