The first Flower Carpet appeared on Brussels’ Grand-Place in 1971, transforming a space then used for parking into an ephemeral garden. The designer Étienne Stautemas brought experience making floral carpets elsewhere to a square whose guildhall façades already offered extraordinary ornament. The dialogue between the elaborate design on the cobbles and the architecture around it became the event’s defining attraction.

The tradition settled into a biennial August celebration, built by teams of volunteers and intended to last only a few days. Begonias became its signature material, although recent editions have also used dahlias as Belgian flower production changed. Themes vary between editions, so the carpet is never simply a repeat: each visit combines a new design with the same spectacular historic frame.