{"id":2100935,"date":"2026-08-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2100935"},"modified":"2026-08-19T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T21:00:00","slug":"brussels-grand-place-is-carpeted-with-750000-fresh-dahlias-in-a-tribute-to-hokusai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2100935","title":{"rendered":"Brussels\u2019 Grand-Place Is Carpeted with 750,000 Fresh Dahlias in a Tribute to Hokusai"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/brussels-4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">All images \u00a9 Flower Carpet Master Shoot, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Brussels\u2019 Grand-Place Is Carpeted with 750,000 Fresh Dahlias in a Tribute to Hokusai<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-08-19T09:17:05-05:00\">August 19, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<ul class=\"colossal-share-buttons\">\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--facebook\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F08%2Fbrussels-grand-place-flower-carpet-dahlias-hokusai%2F&amp;title=Brussels%26%238217%3B%20Grand-Place%20Is%20Carpeted%20with%20750%2C000%20Fresh%20Dahlias%20in%20a%20Tribute%20to%20Hokusai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Share<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--pinterest\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F08%2Fbrussels-grand-place-flower-carpet-dahlias-hokusai%2F&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F08%2Fbrussels-4-960x720.jpg&amp;description=Brussels%26%238217%3B%20Grand-Place%20Is%20Carpeted%20with%20750%2C000%20Fresh%20Dahlias%20in%20a%20Tribute%20to%20Hokusai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share to Pinterest\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Pin<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--email\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email this article\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Email<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--copy\">\n\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Copy article link\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link colossal-share-button__copy\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/08\/brussels-grand-place-flower-carpet-dahlias-hokusai\/\" data-label-default=\"Copy\" data-label-copied=\"Copied!\" data-aria-default=\"Copy article link\" data-aria-copied=\"Link copied to clipboard\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-live=\"polite\">Copy<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--bookmark\">\n\t\t\t<button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"476927\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In Brussels\u2019 iconic Grand-Place, a summer tradition literally blossoms in monumental style. The city\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flowercarpet.brussels\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Flower Carpet<\/a> event, which this year celebrated its 24th edition, celebrates art, community, and diplomacy in the heart of Belgium\u2019s capital, which is also the hub of the European Union. From August 13 to 16, the event marked 160 years of friendship between the nation and Japan, inviting artist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hiro_sugiyama_enlightenment\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hiro Sugiyama<\/a> to design a city square-sized composition, which he conceived as a tribute to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/ukiyo-e\">ukiyo-e<\/a> artist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/hokusai\">Katsush<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/katsushika-hokusai\">i<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/katsushika-hokusai\/\">ka Hokusai<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Titled \u201cNeo Hokusai,\u201d the monumental arrangement comprised more than 750,000 fresh dahlias, covering nearly 14,000 square feet. Framed with ornate patterns, the reimagining of the famous woodblock print \u201cThe Great Wave Off Kanagawa,\u201d from Hokusai\u2019s series <em>Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji <\/em>(1830-1832), glows in bright magenta, vermilion, and yellow. Flowers covered about 80 percent of the entire design.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/brussels-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476927\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1536\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/brussels-5.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-476932\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>Dahlias aren\u2019t the only species artists choose to use for the carpet, although the 2024 edition also incorporated the voluminous blossoms. In 2018, a design highlighting the central Mexican region of Guanajuato grew out of one million begonias and was captured in an aerial timelapse by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2020\/06\/joerg-daiber-flower-power\/\">Joerg Daiber<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This year, the dahlias are sourced in partnership with <a href=\"https:\/\/bloemencorsoloenhout.be\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bloemencorso Loenhout<\/a>, a giant flower parade that has been running for three quarters of a century in the northern city of Loenhout. This year, the event kicks off on September 12.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/brussels-2.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476927\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/brussels-2.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-476929\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/brussels-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476927\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/brussels-3.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-476930\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"block-17\" class=\"widget widget_block\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-benefits is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hide advertising<\/li>\n<li>Save your favorite articles<\/li>\n<li>Get 15% off in the <a href=\"https:\/\/colossal.shop\/\">Colossal Shop<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Receive members-only newsletter<\/li>\n<li>Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-options is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Join us today!<\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-verdigris-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/colossal.memberful.com\/checkout?plan=113464\">$7\/month<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-verdigris-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/colossal.memberful.com\/checkout?plan=113463\">$75\/year<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-chalk-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\">Explore membership options<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"20\" height=\"21\" class=\"wp-image-327872\" style=\"width: 20px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/arrow-left.svg\" alt><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/aside>\n<nav class=\"navigation post-navigation\" role=\"navigation\">\n<div class=\"nav-links\">\n<div class=\"nav-previous\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/08\/alejandro-aguliar-canela-graphite-drawings\/\" rel=\"prev\">Next article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All images \u00a9 Flower Carpet Master Shoot, shared with permission Brussels\u2019 Grand-Place Is Carpeted with 750,000 Fresh Dahlias in a Tribute to Hokusai August 19, 2026 Art Kate Mothes Share Pin Email Copy Bookmark In Brussels\u2019 iconic Grand-Place, a summer tradition literally blossoms in monumental style. The city\u2019s Flower Carpet event, which this year celebrated [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-2100935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2100935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2100935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2100935\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2100935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2100935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2100935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}