Sapporo Flower Carpet 2024

"Sapporo Flower Carpet 2024" is a citizen-participation art event in which large flower paintings are created using Hokkaido petals and natural materials, with the main venue being the Sapporo Kita 3-jo Square in front of the Hokkaido Prefectural Government Red Brick Building. The aim is to promote the beautiful "flower scenery" of Hokkaido and Sapporo, and to promote the floriculture industry. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the event, which began in 2014, and a total of approximately 3,800 volunteers have been involved in the production, with a total of approximately 640,000 visitors.

In 2024, it will be held from June 28th (Friday) to 30th (Sunday). Fujie Suzuki, a Sapporo native and art director at NOMURA IVD, was invited to design the anniversary carpet (main carpet) to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the event. NOMURA IVD was also in charge of the key visuals for this event.

The theme of the anniversary carpet is "Weaving towards the future." The carpet is 225m², the largest to date, and has been redesigned and re concept design by Suzuki himself, who was the first Japanese concept design the "Brussels Flower Carpet 2016" and was highly acclaimed both at home and abroad.

As a special collaborator, NOMURA is concept design the anniversary carpet and key visuals, as well as providing public relations and volunteer support.

What is Sapporo Flower Carpet?
The event has been held since 2014. It is run by a public-private partnership between the government (Hokkaido and Sapporo City) and private companies. It is working to develop human resources who will increase the value of the region, run by a diverse group of citizen volunteers, from young children to people working in the neighborhood and foreign residents, and promote understanding of Hokkaido's floriculture industry for the next generation through collaboration with elementary and high schools.

Sapporo Flower Carpet aims to promote the beautiful flower scenery of Hokkaido and Sapporo and promote the floriculture industry.
-concept design will once again focus on Belgium, which has a long history of flower carpets and was the theme of the first event.
・ concept design incorporates Hokkaido petals and Ainu patterns to promote the floriculture industry and Ainu culture.
We received requests such as the above, and were asked for concept design to celebrate the 10th anniversary that combined multiple cultures, including Hokkaido, Belgium, and the Ainu.

Because the anniversary carpet will be produced in collaboration with the local community and with the participation of local citizens, the theme was decided after gaining an understanding of the local climate and culture through interviews with the Sapporo Flower Carpet Executive Committee, the Sapporo Ainu Association, and people in the Hokkaido floriculture industry.

The theme of the anniversary carpet is "Weaving towards the future". It is our hope that the flower carpet will connect the people involved, Hokkaido and Belgium's culture, and create new bonds that will be woven into the future. In addition, Ainu patterns are incorporated around the symbol used in the "Brussels Flower Carpet 2016", expressing our thoughts on the future of Ainu culture.

According to the executive committee, 550 volunteers were involved in the production and displays of the flower carpet over the three-day period, and approximately 42,000 visitors* came to see it, with 77 media reports. It was a spectacular event worthy of the 10th anniversary.

*Figures for the Akapla venue where the anniversary carpet was installed