Ghent puts finishing touches to Floraliën 2026 ahead of royal opening
Hundreds of florists, decorators, ornamental plant growers and horticultural professionals are putting the finishing touches to Floraliën Ghent on Wednesday. The 10 day event features impressive works of art, temporary garden landscapes and immersive sensory trails made from arranging flowers, plants and decorative elements.
Frantic preparations are underway in Ghent for the 2026 edition of its Floraliën exhibition. Across the city, decorative gardens, floral sculptures, hanging structures and large artistic installations are taking shape in halls, corridors and exhibition spaces, all designed to form a single cohesive experience.
The flower exhibition, held every four years, opens Thursday morning with a visit from King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, with the first public visitors expected in the afternoon. The event officially runs from 1 to 10 May and organisers expect around 65,000 visitors for this edition.
Floraliën Ghent features 240 participants from Belgium and abroad. Alongside Flemish and Walloon florists, international floral artists and design teams from countries including the United States, Romania, the Netherlands and Japan are contributing.
A half-billion-euro industry on display
What makes Floraliën distinctive, according to the organisers, is that dozens of individual creations converge into one large visitor route. This year's central theme is connection. The Floraliën hall features a giant heart made of moss balls, a participatory artwork on which Ghent-based associations have been collaborating for months, symbolising the heart of both the sector and the wider public.
Behind the floral spectacle lies a robust economic engine. The Flemish floriculture sector generates an annual production value of approximately 503 million euros and comprises 927 companies, 684 of which are specialist floriculture businesses. East Flanders alone is home to around 45 per cent of these companies, and in some segments, 80 to 90 per cent of production is destined for export markets.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO / VIDEO JONAS D'HOLLANDER
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