What drew more than 20,000 visitors up Brussels City Hall?
About 20,800 paying visitors viewed Brussels’ 24th Flower Carpet from the City Hall balcony between 13 and 16 August, while organisers estimated that 150,000 to 200,000 people visited the freely accessible Grand-Place.
The turnout confirms the Flower Carpet’s continuing strength as a public cultural attraction and as a vehicle for Brussels’ international image. It also shows how cultural diplomacy can reach a mass audience without displacing the event’s principal identity as a city-centre heritage and tourism occasion.
About 20,800 paying visitors climbed to see the capital’s 24th Flower Carpet from above between Thursday 13 and Sunday 16 August, organisers reported after the four-day installation closed. clarified that the figure covers ticket holders using the balcony, not the much larger public circulating through the freely accessible , which organisers estimated at between 150,000 and 200,000 people.
For residents, visitors and people working in ’ international quarter, the distinction matters: this was first a cultural and tourism event, staged on the , rather than an initiative of the European Union institutions elsewhere in the capital. Its international dimension came through ’s bilateral relationship with . The 2026 carpet marked 160 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations under their 1866 Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation.
Japanese artist and his Enlightenment collective reworked Katsushika ’s Great Wave off Kanagawa for the monumental floral composition. According to the closing figures published by the organising non-profit , 750,000 dahlias in 19 colours covered 1,680 square metres, with 120 people laying the design. The organisation described it as the world’s largest flower carpet; the gives its dimensions as 70 by 24 metres.
The view from City Hall offered the clearest reading of Sugiyama’s composition, but admission to the square itself remained free. That difference helps explain why the verified balcony count is far below the organisers’ broader attendance estimate. The latter is not an independently audited total: it is a range supplied by an event spokesperson and should be treated accordingly. Organisers also said the warm, sunny conditions suited the dahlias despite the heat.
Nawal Ben Hamou, the alderwoman responsible for culture, tourism and major events and president of the organising association, framed the turnout as evidence that the continues to draw an international public and support the city’s economic actors. Richard Poncin, an administrator of the association, placed greater emphasis on the event as a collective undertaking and said the organisers hoped to attract new partners.
Sugiyama’s own framing was more artistic than promotional. In the organisers’ presentation, he described the work as connecting past and future, analogue and digital practice, and Japanese culture with contemporary art. That approach turned one of ’s most recognisable images into a temporary Belgian-made installation rather than simply reproducing ’s print.
The Belgian federal perspective adds another layer. In January, the FPS Foreign Affairs and the Japanese Embassy presented the Flower Carpet as one of several public events marking the anniversary. Deputy Prime Minister Jan Jambon stressed ’s economic importance, calling it ’s second-largest non-European foreign investor. The FPS later reported that more than 280 Japanese companies operate in Belgium and support nearly 30,000 jobs. Shuichi Nishino, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy, instead emphasised cultural exchange and opportunities for younger generations.
Those diplomatic and commercial messages enrich the event, but they do not turn it into an EU ceremony. No EU institution had an identified organising role. was operating here in its municipal, heritage and tourism capacity, even as its international population helped give the celebration a wider audience.
The setting carries its own weight. UNESCO has listed the as a World Heritage site since 1998, recognising its largely late-17th-century architectural ensemble and its history as a northern European mercantile centre. The flower-carpet tradition began there in 1971 and now returns every two years, making temporary art part of the way presents a permanent historic landscape.
The flowers have now been removed. Flowertime, the indoor floral exhibition at City Hall, is expected to return in 2027, while the 25th Flower Carpet is scheduled for 2028. What remains unknown is the independently verified total footfall and the precise economic benefit generated for nearby shops, hotels and restaurants.
Impact
Regional — The event concentrated large visitor flows in Brussels’ historic centre and may have benefited local hospitality and retail businesses, although organisers did not publish an independently verified economic-impact assessment.
Local — The immediate effects were concentrated around the Grand-Place and Brussels’ historic centre. Organisers estimated 150,000 to 200,000 visitors to the freely accessible square, while 20,800 paid to view the carpet from the City Hall balcony. Those flows may have supported nearby hospitality and retail businesses, but no independently verified economic-impact assessment was published. For central Brussels residents, workers and visitors, the figures mainly indicate the scale of crowding associated with this four-day heritage attraction.
International — The Japanese design gave the municipal event a cross-border diplomatic dimension. Hiro Sugiyama’s reinterpretation of Hokusai’s Great Wave off Kanagawa marked 160 years of diplomatic relations between Belgium and Japan, bringing that anniversary before a mass public audience. The connection concerned bilateral cultural diplomacy rather than a new EU policy or institutional measure. Its practical international value lay in promoting Brussels and Belgium through a prominent Japanese cultural reference in the UNESCO-recognised Grand-Place setting.
What it means for you
The 2026 carpet has ended, so there is no remaining ticket or visit decision for this edition. Readers planning to attend the next Flower Carpet should note that the 25th edition is scheduled for 2028 and monitor the City of Brussels or Tapis de Fleurs de Bruxelles for exact dates, balcony-ticket prices and access arrangements when announced. The 2026 attendance figures suggest that visitors should expect substantial crowds around the Grand-Place and book any paid elevated viewing promptly. Entry to the square was free in 2026, while City Hall balcony access was paid.
Opposing perspectives
- City tourism and economic framing
Nawal Ben Hamou, the City of Brussels alderwoman for culture, tourism and major events, presented the edition chiefly as a successful international showcase for the capital and its economic stakeholders. This municipal framing treats visitor reach and the visibility of the Grand-Place as central measures of success.
- Japanese artistic and diplomatic framing
Hiro Sugiyama described the design as a bridge between past and future, analogue and digital creation, and Japanese culture and contemporary art. Shuichi Nishino of the Japanese Embassy placed the wider anniversary programme in the context of mutual understanding and new collaboration, especially among younger generations.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
Host city of the Flower Carpet and its associated visitor flows.
Country whose 160 years of diplomatic relations with Japan were marked by the design.
Historic central square where the 1,680-square-metre carpet was displayed.
Japanese artist who designed the 2026 carpet.
Municipal building whose balcony provided paid elevated views of the carpet.
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Japanese artist who designed the 2026 carpet.
Japanese artist whose Great Wave off Kanagawa inspired the 2026 design.
Host city of the Flower Carpet and its associated visitor flows.
Historic central square where the 1,680-square-metre carpet was displayed.
Municipal building whose balcony provided paid elevated views of the carpet.
Country whose 160 years of diplomatic relations with Japan were marked by the design.
Belgium’s bilateral partner and the cultural reference point for the 2026 edition.
Biennial floral-art event whose 24th edition took place in August 2026.
Municipal authority that co-produces the Brussels Flower Carpet.
Non-profit co-producer and organiser of the Flower Carpet.
Artwork reinterpreted in the 2026 Flower Carpet design.
Federal institution providing official context on the Belgian-Japanese anniversary.
International body documenting the Grand-Place’s World Heritage status.
Brussels media outlet reporting the event’s attendance figures.
Brussels media outlet reporting the City Hall visitor total.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceBX1Primaryprimary· bx1.be· 17 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 46 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBRUZZcorroborating· bruzz.be· 16 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 47 days ago· Dated
- View sourceCity of Brusselsofficial· bruxelles.beRetrieved 26 August 2026
- View sourceTapis de Fleurs de Bruxellesprimary· flowercarpet.prezly.com· 16 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 47 days ago· Dated
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.