Flower carpet on the Grand Place in Brussels

The traditional flower carpet of begonias was opened for public view on the Grand Place, the main square of Brussels, on August 13. The flower festival lasted until Sunday, August 15.

The carpet of live begonias is made up by Belgian florists in the heart of Brussels once every two years. The flowers are packed together one by one so tightly that they won’t be blown away by the wind and no soil is used at all.

There are 300 begonias per square meter of the carpet, making up to roughly 750,000 flowers in total.

This year the floral carpet was dedicated to the presidency of Belgium in the European Union. The logo of the EU presidency is placed in the center of the carpet in three versions, in the colors of the national flags of Spain, Belgium and Hungary. These countries form a team presidency in the EU, the so-called trio, and have a joint 18-month program.

The city hall is the best spot during the festival. From the early morning it is occupied by crowds of tourists and local residents who want to admire the floral carpet.

The flower carpet attracts tourists from all over the world and mainly from European countries.

Thanks to begonias, the flower carpet has impressive color combos – from bright to pastel shades.

Florists use begonias to create the carpet because these flowers are resistant to bad weather and sunlight.

Grand Place visitors can see a light and musical show when it becomes dark.

The evening show ends with colorful fireworks.

The floral carpet decorated the central square in Brussels for one weekend.