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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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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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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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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Castelo Branco

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2023

City presentation

At the heart of Castelo Branco lies the renowned art of Castelo Branco Embroidery, which shapes the city’s unique cultural identity. This embroidery is not only celebrated for its beauty but also for its economic significance, adorning sidewalks and buildings as a symbol of the city’s rich heritage. Local artisans dedicated to preserving this craft continue to produce intricate embroidery, ensuring its relevance in the creative world.

Castelo Branco has also engaged in international collaborations with cities across various continents, enhancing its cultural influence. To combat demographic decline, the municipality focuses on improving quality of life, making Castelo Branco one of the most attractive cities in Portugal for foreign residents and investments. The crafts industry is crucial to the city’s development, exemplified by the “Embroidery and Hosting” brand, which protects local artisans and promotes events like the Castelo Branco Fashion contest, further advancing this cherished tradition.

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Durán

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2015

City presentation

Durán, known as the “Railway Town of Ecuador,” preserves its cultural heritage through the exchange of practices shaped by its historical role as the country’s first railroad hub. The city views culture and creativity as essential for collective memory, urban well-being, and social cohesion, especially through urban art.

Since 2007, the Festival Memories of the Railroad has honored former railway workers, inspiring projects like History on Frontages, where local artists paint murals depicting the city’s history. Another initiative, Youth for Human Rights, involves over 150 young artists, emphasizing civic awareness through art. Durán’s Cultural Nights project, supported by the municipality, promotes local art, while the Luis Sánchez Borja Convention Centre contributes to transforming this industrial city into a hub for creativity and cultural exchange.

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Gabrovo

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

Gabrovo, in central northern Bulgaria, was a major craft center in the 19th century, known for woodcarving and wool weaving. Today, it remains a vibrant hub for crafts, with 33 craft enterprises and 111 independent artisans. The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum (ETAR), established in the 1960s, showcases the region’s rich craft traditions.

Gabrovo hosts the annual International Crafts Fair, the largest of its kind in the region, featuring artisans from around the world. The event includes a master competition and scientific conferences on global craft trends. Gabrovo’s lively carnival also highlights local humor, traditional songs, and folk culture. The city aims to attract young artists through its Culture Development Strategy, promoting crafts as a driver of sustainable development.

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Hoi An

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2023

City presentation

Hội An, located in Central Vietnam, is a beautiful city with an ancient town recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1999; Chàm Islands – Hội An was recognized as a World Biosphere Reserve in 2009; and the art of Bài Chòi in Central Vietnam, effectively practiced in Hội An, was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017. In 2023, Hội An joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Crafts and Folk Art.

Hội An’s intrinsic strength is the resonance of work, creativity, indigenous cultural values and the absorption of the quintessence from countries that have come to trade over the long periods. From experts, artists, intellectuals to workers, farmers, etc.; from indigenous communities to individuals from other places; they have all brought together the essence of labor, innovation and the determination to create a source of creativity for this land.

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Jacmel

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2014

City presentation

Jacmel, known for its rich heritage and vibrant carnival, takes pride in its history as a hospitable trading port. Following the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010, the city has focused on preserving its invaluable tangible and intangible heritage.
Jacmel promotes culture, traditions, art, and crafts, with the Carnival of Jacmel serving as a key driver of creative development through its deep-rooted local traditions in painting, sculpture, and papier-mâché. This event attracts thousands of visitors each year and emphasizes the importance of revitalizing Haiti’s cultural heritage. The “Destination Jacmel” initiative aims to restore and protect the historic center to enhance cultural tourism and preserve traditions for future generations. With artistic figures like painter Préfètte Duffaut and writer René Depestre, Jacmel embodies the motto “Jacmel, Sursum corda!”—a call to rise and celebrate its creative spirit.

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Jaipur

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2015

City presentation

Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan in India, has a population of 3 million and a rich history as a trade center known as the House of the 36 Industries (Chattis Karkhanas) in the early 18th century. This historical identity is preserved through dedicated streets and markets for crafts like painting, carving, and jewelry, which employ about 175,000 people across 53,500 workshops. The city views creative industries as vital for sustaining its cultural heritage, actively promoting local traditions through festivals such as the Jaipur International Heritage Festival, which highlights both traditional and contemporary crafts. Initiatives like Heritage Walks aim to revitalize ancient streets, improve artisans’ working conditions, and support direct selling. Jaipur also plans to establish a Global Art Square and promote international showcasing through a museum and gallery at the airport, fostering knowledge exchange with other Creative Cities.

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João Pessoa

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

João Pessoa is the capital of Paraíba, in the northeast of Brazil. The third oldest city in the country, founded in 1585, it is also known as the “Gateway to the Sun” because it is located on the easternmost point of the Americas. A UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017, it has been implementing various initiatives aimed at incorporating the concepts of creativity and innovation, as well as the transversality of segments, fostering the local economy and meeting the commitments made when the municipality joined the UCCN.

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