Brussels rolls out stunning flower carpet

The 2018 carpet contains more than 2,000 square yards of begonias and dahlias.

ByMolly Hunter
August 16, 2018, 12:20 PM

For a few days every two years, the Grand-Place in Brussels rolls out the red carpet -- of flowers, that is.

PHOTO: A 20,000 square feet flower carpet on the theme "Guanajuato, cultural pride of Mexico" and made with over 500,000 dahlias and begonias is seen at Brussels' Grand Place, Aug. 16, 2018.
A 20,000 square feet flower carpet on the theme "Guanajuato, cultural pride of Mexico" and made with over 500,000 dahlias and begonias is seen at Brussels' Grand Place, Aug. 16, 2018. Picture taken with fish eye lens.
Yves Herman/Reuters
PHOTO: The flower carpet is composed by about 120 volunteers, with nearly 1 million begonias in less than 4 hours, at the Grand-Place in Brussels, Aug. 16, 2018.
The flower carpet is composed by about 120 volunteers, with nearly 1 million begonias in less than 4 hours, at the Grand-Place in Brussels, Aug. 16, 2018. The 2018 theme of the flower carpet is Mexico and dedicated to Guanajuato, a Mexican region with a particularly rich floral culture and tradition.
Isopix/REX/Shutterstock

This year's masterpiece contains more than 2,000 square yards of begonias, dahlias, grass and bark. The impressive display was created in less than four hours by 120 hard-working volunteers and is composed of nearly 1 million begonias, according to organizers.

PHOTO: The Flower Carpet at the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium, Aug. 16, 2018.
The Flower Carpet at the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium, Aug. 16, 2018.
Wang Xiaojun/Xinhua/Newscom

The first flower carpet in Brussels was created in 1971 by landscape architect Etienne Stautema, and this year's floral designer is Mexico's Ana Rosa Aguilar Aguado. Aguado's carpet is dedicated to the Mexican region of Guanajuato, which, much like Brussels, is "known for its rich floral culture and tradition," organizers said.

The Grand-Place is also marking two decades as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The entrance fee is about $7 and the carpet will be on display until Sunday.