The Fourteenth Annual Flower Carpet will take place at the Grand-Place of Brussels in Belgium beginning with a grand opening celebration beginning with the official inauguration (by invitation) at 8:30 pm on Thursday, August 12 at the “Maison du Roi” and the Town Hall, and continuing Friday through Sunday with public viewings from 9:00 am through 11:00 pm.  Town Hall’s balcony will be open to visitors for a panoramic view for the price of three Euros, with children 12 and under admitted free.

The flowers are set in place by hundreds of horticulturists, and there will be a fireworks display and music concert as part of the festivities.  Visit www.flowercarpet.be for a look at past flower carpet displays.  The painstaking recreation of Oriental carpet patterns is something to behold. Officially, the first Floral Carpet as its present-day form was created in 1971 on the Grand-Place by the landscape architect E. Stautemans, but, in fact, it was the culmination of a whole series created in various towns in Flanders. He had been experimenting since the early 50’s making simple small carpets, more like rugs, mainly consisting of begonias. He very quickly realized that floral carpets would be an excellent vehicle for the promotion of his beloved begonias which he had always worked with, both technically, economically and aesthetically.After years of attempts and calculations, this architect, who was inventive and imaginative, and knew how to make the most of the numerous resources of begonias, became an expert in the creation of superb floral carpets with sophisticated colors and complicated designs.