Brussels Flower Carpet Recreates Hokusai’s Great Wave with 700,000 Dahlias
Brussels' Grand-Place hosted the 24th biennial Flower Carpet from August 13 to 16, 2026, showcasing more than 700,000 flowers inspired by Katsushika Hokusai's iconic artwork, the Great Wave off Kanagawa. The installation, designed by Hiro Sugiyama, covered an area of 1,680 square meters and utilized 16 different colors to offer a fresh interpretation of the original piece. A full-scale design was printed on organic cotton, and over 100 volunteers completed the flower arrangement in less than six hours. This event, featuring Belgian-grown dahlias, celebrated Japan's return as a guest country and marked the 160th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Belgium and Japan. Hokusai's original print dates back to the early 1830s, and the flowers lasted only four days, leaving behind only photographs.
Key facts
- The Brussels Flower Carpet's 24th edition recreated Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa with over 700,000 flowers.
- The installation covered 1,680 square meters (70m x 24m) on the Grand-Place.
- Japanese artist Hiro Sugiyama designed the reinterpretation, working with 16 colors over eight months.
- More than 100 volunteer gardeners assembled the carpet in under six hours.
- The 2026 edition used dahlias instead of begonias, reflecting a shift in Belgian floral production.
- Japan was the guest country, coinciding with the 160th anniversary of Belgium-Japan diplomatic relations.
- The flower carpet was on view from August 13 to 16, 2026.
- The original print dates from the early 1830s as part of Hokusai's Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.
Entities
Artists
- Katsushika Hokusai
- Hiro Sugiyama
- Hokusai
- Joerg Daiber
Institutions
- Brussels Flower Carpet
- Flower Carpet
- Bloemencorso Loenhout
- European Union
- Enlightenment
- Brussels Stock Exchange
- Brussels Town Hall
Locations
- Brussels
- Belgium
- Grand-Place
- Japan
- Mount Fuji
- Netherlands
- Kanagawa
- Loenhout
- Guanajuato
- Mexico