Areguà

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2019

City presentation

Areguá is a crafts city located on the shores of Lake Ypacarai and 30 km from Asunción. Although principally renowned for producing pottery, the city also offers a great range of popular arts including music and dance. Home to over 450 pottery workshops, Areguá is regarded as one of the three key pottery cities of Paraguay. Due to its Urban Cultural Heritage, Areguá was recognised as a national Cultural Heritage site in 1997.

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Aswan

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2005

City presentation

Aswan, located along the Nile, has a rich history as a commercial center and cultural hub dating back to Ancient Egypt. Renowned for its crafts and folk arts, Aswan’s creative heritage includes beadwork, palm branch creations, clay products, and traditional needlework. Local folk traditions, especially in clothing, jewelry, and dance, play a significant role in the city’s cultural identity, with over 50 traditional dances still performed today by groups like the Aswan Folk Troupe.

Institutions such as the Aswan Museum and Nubia Museum focus on preserving the region’s folk arts, while events like the International Symposium of Sculpture celebrate its artistic legacy. As a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, Aswan fosters sustainable development through culture by organizing events, supporting artisans with capacity-building programs, and engaging in international exchanges. These efforts promote creativity as a means of advancing social and economic development.

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Ayacucho

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2019

City presentation

Founded in 1539, Ayacucho is known as the “Capital City of Folk Art and Peruvian Craftsmanship.” This Andean city fosters cultural diversity and artistic creativity, developing 16 types of crafts, including retablo, tapestry, Huamanga stone carving, pottery, textiles, and embroidery.

Ayacucho’s local crafts and folk art are celebrated during festivals like Easter and Carnival, which blend music, cinema, theatre, and dance. Events such as the First Regional Meeting of Craftsmen in 2019 aim to promote growth by addressing issues in the industry.

The city also supports crafts through a symposium that led to the creation of a folk art museum, interpretation centers, and a dedicated budget. Ayacucho aims to improve the handicraft sector, promote crafts in local and international markets, teach folk art in schools, recover its cultural heritage, and provide youth internships in partnership with local universities.

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Baguio City

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

Baguio City, located in Northern Luzon, is a multicultural hub known for its crafts, folk art, woodcarving, silver craft, weaving, and tattooing. The city works to sustain these traditions through the transfer of skills across generations.

The Panagbenga Flower Festival is a major event, showcasing artisans from various linguistic groups, such as the Tuwalis for woodcarving and Benguet for weaving, aiming to boost international exposure. The city has also established creative villages and training centers, particularly for youth, to preserve traditional knowledge.
Baguio City supports its creative sector by fostering innovation, offering market opportunities, and promoting culture-based urban renewal through initiatives like the Rev-Bloom Urban Redevelopment Campaign, strengthening sustainable tourism and collaboration across different sectors.

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Ballarat

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2019

City presentation

Ballarat, located on the Yarrowee River in Victoria, Australia, is a creative city with a rich history, from indigenous culture to the gold rush era. With a population of 107,000, its crafts and folk art sector is the fastest-growing, blending traditional indigenous techniques with modern innovations.

The city celebrates its crafts legacy through the Winter Festival, which connects traditional crafts with new technologies like augmented reality. Ballarat supports creative growth with initiatives like “Start-Up Ballarat,” mentoring entrepreneurs in the crafts field, and “Made of Ballarat,” which links local tourism with artisans.
Ballarat envisions becoming an iconic city by revitalizing rare and forgotten crafts, promoting indigenous skills, and fostering creative innovation, while building capacity for cultural programming and supporting First Nations people through UNESCO’s Historic Urban Landscape approach.

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Bamiyan

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2015

City presentation

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Bandar Abbas

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2019

City presentation

Bandar Abbas, located on the southern coast of Iran, serves as a gateway to other nations, characterized by its handicrafts, local art, seafood, and music. The city’s creative industries prominently feature handicrafts, divided into three categories: practical and marine crafts, local clothing, and musical instruments.
Each year, numerous exhibitions and conferences highlight artworks created by local makers and students, fostering a new generation of artists and preserving traditional crafts. Bandar Abbas will host the International Handicrafts Fair and the Persian Gulf International Festival to share local experiences and enhance women’s participation in the creative economy.

To support the sector’s growth, the city has implemented various plans, including simplifying business permit processes and organizing home-based artisans. Weekly markets have also been introduced to provide greater exposure for craftsmen, particularly women in the industry. Bandar Abbas envisions integrating cultural industries into local development and becoming a center of excellence for creative industries in the region.

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Bida

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2021

City presentation

Bida City, situated in Niger State, Nigeria, is a member of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, recognized as a City of Crafts and Folk Art in 2021. Its rich cultural heritage dates back to the 11th century, encompassing various crafts such as glassmaking, iron and brass smithing, wood and raffia weaving, and traditional music and songs. These crafts are created using traditional methods and tools, reflecting the city’s deep-rooted cultural traditions. The major ethnic group in Bida is of Nupe descent, coexisting peacefully with other ethnic groups. Bida is renowned for its folk festivals, including the Durbar Festival and Nupe Day, showcasing its vibrant culture and heritage. Historically, Bida has been a center of trade in glass, brass, silver, and iron works since the 14th century, engaging with empires such as Mali, Songhai, Ashanti, and Kanem-Bornu.

As a leading city of crafts and folk art in Nigeria, Bida remains committed to preserving its cultural legacy through its vibrant festivals, traditional crafts, and historical landmarks.

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Biella

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2019

City presentation

Located between the Alps and the Po River Valley in Italy, Biella is home to 44,000 residents and is known as the Italian wool capital. The city’s rich textile manufacturing industry, which dates back to the 1300s, thrives due to its abundance of rivers and streams, emphasizing artisanal skills and manufacturing creativity.

Biella serves as a hub for the entire textile chain, hosting events like the World Congress of Coloured Sheep and the Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Congregation. The city also organizes international expositions, such as Textile Innovation Days, fostering global synergies.
To promote creativity, the local government has transformed former wool mills into incubators for artistic experimentation and co-working spaces for emerging startups. Biella aims to connect local players through culture, build a reputation for creative hotspots, establish partnerships with other Creative Cities, and facilitate exchanges in textile, fashion, art, and social design.

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Bukhara

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2023

City presentation

Bukhara, renowned for its cultural and architectural heritage, has a long-standing tradition of craftsmanship that plays a crucial role in the city’s development. The craft industry supports economic growth, job creation, and increased tourism, while promoting social inclusion and preserving cultural heritage. Skilled artisans in Bukhara practice traditional techniques in golden embroidery, ceramics, jewellery, and woodwork, which are integral to the region’s history along the ancient Silk Road. These artisans also contribute to cultural preservation through workshops and training programs.
With growing global interest in Bukhara’s crafts, international recognition has opened new export opportunities, boosting the local economy and reinforcing the city’s cultural identity.

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Cairo

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

Cairo, the capital city of Egypt, is the largest metropolitan area in the Middle East and has long been a major cultural hub. Known for its rich craftsmanship, the city’s historic center features neighborhoods named after various craft practices. The local creative economy heavily relies on the crafts and folk art sector, which represents 80% of its cultural activities.

Communities in the historic center support crafts by establishing guilds for pottery, glassblowing, coppersmithing, ceramics, and jewelry. Cairo organizes events like the Diarna Fair and the Heritage Forum to promote craft heritage and raise awareness of the creative sector. The International Festival of Drums and Traditional Arts showcases traditional folk art and music. To revive the inactive historic center, the Urban Regeneration Project identifies culture and creativity as key elements for restoration. Cairo aims to strengthen artisans’ skills, create a multipurpose urban square for craft exhibitions, repurpose public buildings as Community Craft Centres, and engage in partnerships for professional development within the cultural sector.

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Caldas da Rainha

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2019

City presentation

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