Phoenix 24
More than half a million flowers transform the Belgian capital’s historic square into a contemporary reinterpretation of Hokusai’s iconic “Great Wave.”
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM | CULTURE | AUGUST 2026
Brussels’ Grand-Place has been transformed into a monumental floral artwork inspired by Japan, covering the historic square with waves of colour for the 24th edition of the Belgian capital’s celebrated Flower Carpet.
The 2026 design reimagines Katsushika Hokusai’s world-famous woodblock print The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Japanese artist Hiro Sugiyama and his Enlightenment collective created the composition, combining traditional motifs with contemporary digital aesthetics.
Stretching 70 metres long and 24 metres wide, the installation occupies approximately 1,680 square metres. More than half a million predominantly Belgian-grown dahlias were arranged by hand to reproduce the wave, Mount Fuji and other elements associated with Japanese visual culture.
Around 120 volunteers assembled the carpet directly on the cobblestones in only a few hours, following a detailed full-scale plan designed to maintain the precision of the original composition.
The installation commemorates 160 years of diplomatic relations and friendship between Belgium and Japan. It also marks Japan’s return as the event’s guest of honour, ten years after the country inspired the 2016 edition.
Sugiyama described the artwork as an attempt to connect past and future, analogue and digital expression, and Japanese cultural memory with contemporary art.
For the first time, the celebration extends beyond the Grand-Place. A second floral carpet has been installed near the Brussels Stock Exchange, drawing inspiration from hops and Belgium’s centuries-old brewing heritage.
Visitors can see the carpets from August 13 to 16, while evening sound-and-light performances illuminate the Grand-Place every half-hour between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Brussels’ Flower Carpet is held every two years and has become one of the city’s most recognizable cultural traditions. Its temporary nature is central to its appeal: hundreds of thousands of flowers are transformed into a monumental artwork destined to disappear after only four days.
In the heart of Europe, the installation demonstrates how cultural diplomacy can be expressed without speeches or treaties—through shared beauty, craftsmanship and the reinterpretation of collective memory.
Phoenix24: periodismo sin fronteras. / Phoenix24: journalism without borders.