This year’s flower carpet on Brussels’ Grand Place will celebrate 160 years of diplomatic and friendly relations between Belgium and Japan.
From 13 to 16 August, the iconic Japanese artwork 'The Great Wave of Kanagawa' by artist Hokusai will be recreated using 500,000 dahlias, covering an area of nearly 1,300 square metres.
Japanese artist Hiro Sugiyama and his collective “Enlightenment” designed the artwork, aiming to modernise Hokusai’s masterpiece. “I seek to connect past and future, Japanese culture and contemporary art,” he explained.
Japan’s ambassador to Belgium, Takeshi Osuga, highlighted the universal significance of nature’s beauty. “The love of flowers is a universal language. In both Japan and Belgium, flowers hold a special place in our cultural and social lives,” he remarked.
For the first time, a second flower carpet will be displayed at the Brussels Stock Exchange, themed around hops as a symbol of Belgium’s brewing heritage.
Sound and light shows will take place daily on the Grand Place from 21:00 to 23:00 during the event.
Visitors can purchase tickets to view the flower carpet from the Brussels City Hall balcony. These visits will be available between 14:00 and 18:00 on 13 August, and from 10:00 to 22:00 on 14–16 August. The Grand Place itself will remain freely accessible throughout the event.
