On the 12 August 2022, the town square in front of the grandiose Grand Palace in Brussels will yet again, after a 4-year suspension, be adorned by the colourful and magnificent flower carpet (Tapis des Fleurs). A, 1848 sqm (77m x 24m) flower carpet that is composed predominantly of begonias, dahlias, grasses and bark. Albeit that the flower carpets had been exhibited throughout Europe by various Belgian landscape architects, the honour to create and design the first on the town square in Brussels was given to Étienne Stautemas. It is no surprise that they use begonias, this hardy flower comes in an array of colours which helps with the design, another big contributing factor is that Belgium is the world’s largest producer of begonias with 35 million bulbs.
Amazingly the biannual event, is designed and created by a non-profit organisation called Tapis des Fleurs de Bruxelles. Landscape architects submit their designs and after meticulous planning hundreds of volunteers have a few hours to lay down millions of fresh flowers. In honour of the semi-centennial anniversary of the event, landscape architects Roo Aguilar Aguado and Koen Vondenbosch, will be replicating Étiennes’ first design which will be called “Arabesques” a technique which was Étienne’s trademark.
So, if you happen to be in Brussels from the 12-15 Aug, make sure you get to this spectacular display of colour or you will have to wait until 2024.
(Travel tip: for a small fee you can get access to the town hall balcony to get a better aerial view)
