The Flower carpet
This page has been automatically translated from French into English by a translation software. Automatic translations are not as accurate as translations made by professional human translators. Nevertheless these pages can help you understand information published by the City of Brussels.
Every 2 years, the Grand-Place of Brussels is covered with a carpet of flowers. These flowers are begonias.
The story of the Brussels Flower carpet
Officially, the first flower carpet was born in 1971 on the Grand-Place. It was the work of the landscape architect E. Stautemans, who was inspired by other carpets created in diverse Flemish cities. The peculiarity of the Brussels Flower carpet is of course its place on the Grand-Place.
The manufacturing of the carpet
This carpet of 77 m X 24 m is realized in several stages. It is planned one year in advance. Projects with scale reproductions are elaborated on the basis of the subject. The number of flowers and the combinations of colors are then determined.
The life-size drawing of the carpet is put on a transparent and micro-drilled plastic sheet. The carpet then has to be made by approximately 120 volunteers who install near a million begonias (at the rate of 300 by m3) within 4 hours.
A carpet during a weekend
The Flower carpet is installed only for 1 weekend (Assumption Day). The access to the Grand-Place is free. A panoramic visit (with access to the City Hall) can also be made.
On the agenda
Next videos of the Flower carpet 2010 (with sound and light show) contain no comment or text:
Practical information
Flower carpet of Brussels asbl
VisitBrussels
City hall
Grand-Place
1000 Brussels
Tel. : 02 513 89 40
Telephone hours : From Monday till Friday from 9 am till 5 pm.
Brussels in flowers 2013: inscriptions
Every summer, the City of Brussels organizes 'Brussels in flowers'. This is a competition to incite private individuals to decorate their facade or small garden in front of the house with flowers. The purpose is to embellish the City.
