How did Brussels’ Flower Carpet draw 20,800 visitors above the Grand-Place?
Around 20,800 people entered Brussels Town Hall from 13 to 16 August 2026 to view the 24th Flower Carpet from above, as a Hokusai-inspired display made the city centre a public stage for 160 years of Belgian-Japanese relations.
The turnout demonstrates the continuing international appeal of a short-lived Brussels cultural event while making an otherwise abstract bilateral relationship visible to residents. It also distinguishes Brussels as a city and municipal cultural centre from Brussels’ separate role as the seat of major EU institutions.
Around 20,800 people entered between Thursday 13 and Sunday 16 August to admire the 24th Flower Carpet from above the , the event’s organisers reported after the four-day installation closed. The turnout covered visitors using the Town Hall viewing route, not the much larger but uncounted public circulating through the square, where organisers told Belgian media that tens or possibly hundreds of thousands saw the display.
For people living in Brussels, the event briefly turned the historic municipal centre—not the nearby European quarter—into one of ’s most visible international stages. This year’s carpet marked 160 years of diplomatic relations between Belgium and by reinterpreting Katsushika ’s celebrated woodblock print The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Japanese artist and his collective devised the design, which was assembled on the cobbles with multicoloured dahlias.
, citing the organisers, reported that 750,000 flowers covered 1,680 square metres. The describes the standard installation as measuring 70 by 24 metres and says roughly 120 volunteers can complete it in under four hours. Those figures explain some of the attraction: the carpet is both a large artwork and a tightly timed performance, visible for only a few summer days before the flowers are removed.
Visitors seeking the fullest view could climb approximately 200 steps through the Town Hall tower experience, with a floral installation placed along the route and a panorama over central Brussels at the top. Access required sufficient mobility and was discouraged for young children, pregnant visitors and people affected by vertigo or claustrophobia, according to . Everyone else could see the carpet free of charge from the or follow its construction by webcam.
Nawal Ben Hamou, the alderwoman responsible for culture and tourism and president of the organising non-profit, framed the turnout as evidence that the carpet again showcased the capital and carried the ’s image beyond . Her emphasis was civic and touristic: a temporary artwork drawing international attention to Brussels’ architectural centre and supporting its identity as a destination.
Belgian and Japanese officials placed the same display in a wider diplomatic story. ’s Foreign Affairs ministry called the carpet a highlight of the anniversary year, which also included Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako’s June state visit to Belgium. Shuichi Nishino, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese embassy, said anniversary events such as the carpet and the Ommegang created opportunities to rediscover an established partner and develop new collaboration, particularly among younger generations.
That diplomatic interpretation is more substantial than ceremonial decoration alone. Federal Finance Minister Jan Jambon described as ’s second-largest non-European foreign investor when the anniversary programme opened in January. Foreign Affairs has separately highlighted cooperation in semiconductors, hydrogen, renewable energy, optics and biotechnology. The carpet therefore translated a relationship usually discussed through trade, royal diplomacy and technology into something immediately accessible to residents and tourists.
The setting carried its own historical weight. Brussels began the Flower Carpet tradition in 1971, while UNESCO has listed the as World Heritage since 1998 for the exceptional architectural coherence produced by its reconstruction after the French bombardment of 1695. The 2026 programme also extended beyond the square for the first time with a second floral carpet at the inspired by hops and ’s brewing heritage.
The installation has now been dismantled, so the confirmed figure remains a count of Town Hall visitors rather than a complete attendance total. Organisers plan to return with the indoor floral exhibition in 2027, followed by the next biennial Flower Carpet in 2028. They have not yet announced the next carpet’s theme or designer.
Impact
Regional — The event concentrated visitors in Brussels’ historic centre and promoted the Grand-Place, Town Hall and Bourse as a connected cultural route. No authoritative estimate of its direct economic impact has been published.
Local — The four-day event concentrated visitors around the Grand-Place in the City of Brussels, particularly at the Town Hall viewpoint. It also promoted the nearby Bourse as part of a connected cultural route through the historic centre. The reported 20,800 figure covers people entering Town Hall to see the carpet from above, not total attendance around the square. No authoritative estimate of additional spending or direct economic impact on central Brussels has been published.
International — The design translated the 160th anniversary of Belgium-Japan diplomatic relations into a public cultural event in central Brussels. Hiro Sugiyama and the Enlightenment collective used Hokusai’s globally recognised Great Wave as the visual link between Japan and Belgium. The event concerned bilateral cultural diplomacy rather than EU policymaking: its international significance lies in public visibility for Belgium-Japan ties and Brussels’ ability to attract visitors through a short-lived cultural installation.
What it means for you
The 2026 Flower Carpet has ended, so readers cannot now visit the installation or Town Hall viewpoint. The reported 20,800 attendance figure applies only to viewpoint entries from 13 to 16 August, not everyone who saw the carpet from the square. For future planning, Flowertime is due in 2027 and the next Flower Carpet is expected in 2028. Readers should check the City of Brussels and visit.brussels listings nearer those events for confirmed dates, access arrangements and ticket costs, which are not established here.
Opposing perspectives
- City of Brussels cultural-tourism perspective
Nawal Ben Hamou, Brussels alderwoman for culture and tourism and president of the organising non-profit, presented the event chiefly as a way to reveal the capital’s beauty and carry the Grand-Place’s image beyond Belgium. This places civic identity, heritage and visitor appeal ahead of diplomatic symbolism.
- Belgian-Japanese diplomatic perspective
Belgian Foreign Affairs and Japanese deputy chief of mission Shuichi Nishino framed the carpet as public diplomacy: one part of a year-long programme intended to renew mutual understanding and encourage future cooperation. This view connects the artwork to a relationship spanning trade, technology, education and royal ties.
- Attendance-counting perspective
The confirmed 20,800 figure measures people entering the Town Hall viewpoint, while organisers described much larger crowds on the square without a formal count. Treating the number as total event attendance would therefore understate the audience, but presenting the broader estimates as established fact would overstate the available evidence.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
Japanese artist who designed the 2026 Flower Carpet with the Enlightenment collective.
Country marking 160 years of diplomatic relations with Japan.
Central Brussels square where the Flower Carpet was installed.
Nearby Brussels landmark promoted as part of the event’s cultural route.
Biennial temporary floral artwork whose 24th edition was staged in August 2026.
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Japanese artist who designed the 2026 Flower Carpet with the Enlightenment collective.
Japanese artist whose work inspired the carpet’s design.
Central Brussels square where the Flower Carpet was installed.
Country marking 160 years of diplomatic relations with Japan.
Nearby Brussels landmark promoted as part of the event’s cultural route.
Building used by approximately 20,800 visitors as an elevated viewing point.
Country represented through the carpet’s artists, imagery and bilateral anniversary.
Biennial temporary floral artwork whose 24th edition was staged in August 2026.
Brussels floral event due to return in 2027.
Municipal authority associated with the event and its official visitor information.
Creative collective that worked with Hiro Sugiyama on the 2026 design.
Hokusai artwork reinterpreted in the 2026 Flower Carpet.
Belgian federal institution documenting the 160th anniversary of Belgium-Japan relations.
Brussels tourism body providing visitor agenda information.
Brussels media outlet reporting attendance, flower count and display area.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceLa DHPrimaryprimary· dhnet.be· 16 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 47 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBX1corroborating· bx1.be· 17 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 46 days ago· Dated
- View sourceCity of Brusselsofficial· bruxelles.beRetrieved 26 August 2026
- View sourcevisit.brusselsofficial· visit.brusselsRetrieved 26 August 2026
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