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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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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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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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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Chardeleg

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

Chordeleg, a small city in southern Ecuador, is renowned for its precious metal work, pottery, footwear manufacturing, and toquilla straw weaving. These four sectors employ 66% of the active population, with 58% being women artisans. Craft knowledge is traditionally passed down through families and communities via oral tradition, and the city supports sustainability by helping artisans establish cooperatives and facilitating knowledge transfer.

The annual Candonga Festival, initiated in 2011, promotes Chordeleg’s crafts and encourages collaboration among artisans. The city partners with the Inter-American Centre for Crafts and Popular Arts (CIDAP) to safeguard traditional craft methods and improve working conditions. Additionally, the Municipality is implementing a National Plan to protect traditional toquilla weaving, focusing on revitalizing the craft sector through promotion and communication, while a broader Development and Territorial Planning strategy has already led to the creation of 12 new businesses.

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Como

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2021

City presentation

Como, at the heart of Italy’s Textile Valley, is renowned for its textile industry, particularly silk craft and sericulture. The city is dedicated to preserving its rich traditions while promoting innovation through strong support from training centers and the creativity of its artisans and textile manufacturers.

Como’s textile sector is backed by renowned institutions such as the Setificio school, Italy’s oldest textile school, the University of Insubria, which emphasizes research and sustainability, and the Silk Museum, which preserves traditional production methods. The “Ratti” Foundation also plays a key role with its textile archive. Today, Como produces around 70% of Europe’s silk and is home to 1,400 silk companies, employing over 15,000 people. This thriving industry supports both the cultural heritage and the social fabric of the city.

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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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Hangzhou

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2012

City presentation

With a 5,000-year history, Hangzhou, one of China’s ancient capitals, has transformed by focusing on cultural and creative industries. Its rich history supports renowned crafts such as silk and tea production, as well as porcelain and bronze sculptures. As a historic center for Chinese silk, Hangzhou has preserved this craft heritage. Known as China’s “Tea Capital,” the city is famous for West Lake Longjing Green Tea. Additionally, the stone carvings by the Xiling Seal Engraver’s Society highlight Hangzhou’s enduring crafts tradition. Recognized as a “National Cultural and Creative Centre,” Hangzhou’s creative industries employ over 336,000 people and play a key role in the city’s economic and cultural development.

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Hoi An

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2023

City presentation

Hoi An places great emphasis on preserving traditional crafts and folk art as part of its sustainable development strategy. The city is renowned for Bài chòi, a folk art form that blends dance, theatre, and song, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Following the city’s cultural resolution (2018-2022), Hoi An integrates culture into its economy, ensuring culture remains central to growth.

Key initiatives include support for the “Hoi An Memories Island Culture Show,” employing 500 local craftspeople and artists, and establishing training programs for young people in traditional crafts and folk arts. The city fosters inter-generational knowledge transfer and provides over 40 specialized folk art classes for high school students.

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