Attending the Flower Carpet Festival in Brussels

Flower Carpet Brussels

A few years ago I stumbled across a photo that stopped me in my tracks. It was a mesmerising photo of a stunning square filled entirely with flowers and surrounded by exquisite Gothic architecture. It was one of those photos that jumps out from the computer screen and shouts ‘You need to visit me’! 

Faster than I could say my own name, I hammered the keys of my laptop to find out more information – where exactly could find this deliciously flowery spectacle?

I discovered I was looking at a photo of the Flower Carpet Festival in Brussels, an event I’d never heard of before, let alone seen. All I knew was that I wanted to see it for myself in person. I had flower power fever.

Brussels Flower Carpet in the Grand Place, Brussels

It takes place only every two years

My heart sank when I read it only takes place every two years over one weekend. The last one had only been a couple of months ago, so I would have to wait almost another two years to wait – two whole years!

Fast forward almost two years later and I hadn’t forgotten about the festival. I had a look at the dates, 15-17 August – there was nothing in my diary.

The occasion was not going to slip through my fingers again. I checked the Eurostar, found some affordable tickets, and booked it as quickly as I could.

Did the fact that it only takes place every two years over a couple of days make it appear even more attractive to me? Yes, it probably did.

City Hall, Grand Place Brussels

Attending the Flower Carpet Festival in Grand Place

On the opening night of the Flower Carpet Festival thousands of people crowd in the Grand Place to see the final results of months’ worth of planning put into action. Grand Palace is the city’s main square, and a UNESCO World Heritage soon, known for its intricate and diverse architecture, it’s one of the most beautiful main squares in Europe.

A firecracker of music, lights, swarms of people, beer, and waffles drenched in chocolate encapsulated the square and drifted through the side streets.

The square itself is one of the finest in Europe, a bold statement of different architectural styles maintained within an essentially Gothic and Baroque appearance. All the buildings in the square are protected and have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Acquiring a good view of the carpet for a wee short arse like me was a difficult task, but there was still hope.

I saw lots of little children on their fathers’ shoulders, and for a brief moment I thought about going up to someone tall and asking for a shoulder ride. Despite my eagerness to get a good view, I avoided what inevitably would have been an awkward moment between two strangers. Plus, Belgium beer was in full flow so for that reason alone it was never going to be a sensible idea, even if I did find a willing participant.

Although my view of the carpet was blocked for the majority of the time, I did manage to squeeze myself to the front for a few pictures:

Floral Carpet in Brussels

Flower Carpet festival

The Grand Place at night with Flower Carpet

Flower Carpet from above

After the crowd died down the following day I opted to go to the viewing platform from the City Museum, and here’s a short video I took.

Without the beer, lights and music it’s a completely different atmosphere between night and day. If you have time to experience both then you should. One thing is for sure: if you have the budget you should definitely pay the extra 5 Euros to see it from either the City Hall or City Museum. It looks significantly better from above.

Flower Carpet in Brussels

Every festival there is a new theme. For example, in 2012 it was a tapestry of patterns found in the tribes of Ethiopia, Congo, Nigeria, Botswana, and Cameroon, in 2014 it was inspired by Turkish Kilims, and in 2016 it was inspired by Japan. 

Flower Carpet, Brussels, Belgium

I had never been to Brussels before, and waiting for the Flower Carpet was a great time to visit the city for something that doesn’t happen every day.

Outside of the festival I found lots of other reasons to love Brussels, in particular, the Comic Book murals which are dotted all around the city.

For more information about the Flower Carpet Festival, check updates here.

Where to stay in Brussels

If you want to be as centrally located as possible, with historic architecture, vibrant atmosphere, and proximity to major attractions, then Grand Palace (Grote Markt) will be the place for you.

If you want everything on your doorstep, Pillow City Hotel Brussels Centre offers exactly this within the comfort of modern amenities.

However, if you’re on a smaller budget, Latroupe Grand Place is considered the best hostel in the city. Accommodation ranges for shared dorms to private rooms.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for somewhere quieter, I recommend staying in the Sablon neighbourhood. It’s still a chic part of town but slightly more affordable and possesses a more local vibe. You’ll find lots of independent shops, lovely pastry shops, and quaint, green spaces like Egmont Park which sits between Sablon and Avenue Louise.

In this area I recommend 9Hotel Sablon. It’s modern, well-situated on a quiet street, and even has a small sauna and pool to enjoy.

Do you want to attend the next Flower Carpet festival?

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Hi, I'm Shing

Welcome to The Culture Map, a place where I share my travel guides, adventurous tales, and capture the inspiring diversity of our world.

11 Responses

  1. Wow, that is absolutely beautiful and oh my gosh what a shame it’s only every two years. I love how the surrounding buildings are illuminated at night too! I really liked the “sound of cosmic matter” and “if flower power was a drug” is perfection. I checked out your video too. If you haven’t done one already have you considered doing a Vlog?? I think it would be a huge hit, Shing! Loved this post like all of yours always, our friend 🙂

    1. Hi Mike! No, I’ve never really thought about the idea of doing a Vblog because my speaking voice leaves little to be desired, in other words, people find my accent difficult to understand! However, now that you mention it, I should reflect on this matter and perhaps try it as an experiment for my blog – thank you for the suggestion!!

      1. Your beautiful accent would be very endearing and intriguing to us readers, Shing! And remember “we” are our own worst critics to what others find fascinating! I hope you will definitely give it some thought! Have a great weekend! 🙂

  2. Your pics are beautiful as Always and I loved to read the story!
    I’ve never been to Brussels and *shame* never heard of the flower carpet before!
    Now I’m going to think about it for the next 2 years as you did 😉

    1. Ahh, glad you’ve heard about it now then Pam! Although this post is about the Flower Carpet and the main square my favourite parts of Brussels were actually away from this area, there are some really cool districts away from the busy, touristy areas, especially North-West and South-West of the city that I think you would like, areas which feel more like Berlin or even Scandinavia from the point of view of design shops and overall chilled-out vibe.

  3. You’re going to kill me for saying this, but I think the flower carpet spoils the square! The Grand Place must be one of the nicest squares in Europe and could do without this monstrosity. Maybe once a decade would be more appropriate?!

    1. Saying you don’t like it is one thing, but calling it a MONSTROSITY is an entirely different thing!!!

      Flowers have feelings too Richard!

  4. I absolutely want to witness this gorgeousness! I’m gutted I missed it this year, but like you, this will be filed away on my mind’s travel shelf.

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