Cities of Gastronomy

About

The UCCN is currently formed by 350 cities and covers seven creative fields: Crafts & Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Music and Media Arts. Since the field was introduced to the UCCN in 2005, the Gastronomy subnetwork has grown to a total of 56 designated Cities of Gastronomy in 34 countries and 68.6 million habitants.

LEARN MORE

Benefits of becoming a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy

The members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network will have the opportunity to learn, get inspired, and partner with other member cities in the following key areas of action (UCCN Mission Statement):

sharing experiences, knowledge, and best practices;
pilot projects, partnerships, and initiatives associating the public and private sectors, and civil society;
professional and artistic exchange programmes and networks;
studies, research, and evaluations on the experience of the Creative Cities;
policies and measures for sustainable urban development;
communication and awareness-raising activities.

How can a city join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network?

The UCCN makes a Call for Applications every 2 years. Next Call will be in 2025 and it will be available to every city through the UNESCO website.

EXPLORE MORE

Recent initiatives

VIEW MORE

Tacacazeiras Festival

Tacacá is a typical dish from the Amazon. With indigenous origin, it is much appreciated by residents and those who visit Belém. The Tacacazeiras Festival, which had its fifth edition in 2024, is held annually in honor of the women who traditionally serve this delicacy throughout the city, those that even have the “Tacacazeira Day”, established through Municipal Law No. 8,846/2011. Expected outcomes: The Festival aims to contribute to the preservation and promotion of local gastronomic culture, while also presenting traditional dance and music attractions from the region. Target Audience: Residents, Visitors. Partners: Government, Private sector.

Type of Activity:

Best Practice, Event

Read More

Boulevard of Gastronomy

Delivered to the public in November 2023, the Boulevard of Gastronomy constitutes a gastronomic corridor, bringing permanent dynamism to an area in the historic center of Belém, a cultural heritage site of the City. The Boulevard encourages the development of tourism and gastronomy, creating a hub to attract visitors and offer them an immersion in the city's culture, in terms of gastronomy, music, customs and historical architectural heritage. Expected outcomes: To strength and preserve the gastronomy culture heritage of the Region, by offering to the general public a hub where traditional food (in restaurants, street snack trucks, producers, etc.) and craftworks are exposed and sold. Target Audience: Residents, Private sector, Visitors. Partners: Government, Private sector.

Type of Activity:

Best Practice

Read More

Gastronomy Of The Islands Project

The Project seeks to preserve and strengthen the traditional gastronomic culture of the islands that make up the City, covering the islands/districts of Combu, Mosqueiro, Icoaraci, Outeiro and Cotijuba. In addition to Gastronomy, the Project also has great relevance for promoting tourism on those islands, enchanting visitors with its stunning landscapes, exuberant flora and fauna and characteristic music. Expected outcomes: To develop economically and environmentally sustainable operations in the gastronomy sector on the islands of Belém, offering training to entrepreneurs, producers and workers in the sector, which encourages the development and improvement of local production of inputs, hence contributing to reducing costs and improving income and quality of life of producers in the region. Target Audience: Residents, Private sector, Public sector, Visitors. Partners: Government, Private sector, Universities or research centres, Culinary Schools.

Type of Activity:

Best Practice, Cooperation Project, Event, Policies

Read More

Recovery of the São Brás Market

Recovery and re-adaptation of the historic São Brás Market in Belém, built at the beginning of the 20th century, mixing elements of art nouveau and neoclassical styles, with sculptural details also in iron and decorative tiles. The new Market will strengthen the local economy, as a new and modern tourist, gastronomic and cultural complex with an economically and environmentally sustainable vision. Expected outcomes: Provide the City with a renewed Market, prepared to offer residents and visitors regional products and services in a very pleasant and comfortable location, with strict attention to sustainability. Target Audience: Residents, Visitors Partner: Government, Private sector, Universities and research centres.

Type of Activity:

Best Practice, Policies

Read More

News

Food and Culture Festival

The Food and Culture Festival has been held for 17 sonsecutive years since 2006. It usually incluses a series of activities like food exhibition and sales, cooking demonstration and exchange, gastronomy culture forum, traditional sports event, cultural and art exhibition, etc. The festival is planned and coordinated by the government, and widely participated by local communities and enterprises. In 2019, Shunde invited 21 creative cities home and abroad to participate in the Shunde Food and Culture Festival, and carried out a series of international activities such as City of Gastronomy Symposium and "Star Chef Show" at the event site. The Food and Culture Festival in 2020 integrated different elements like "Gastronomy + Creativity", "Gastronomy + Music", "Gastronomy + Culture", "Gastronomy + Design",and held offline and online activities including the International Food Design Festival, the "City of Gastronomy" Star Chef Show, Gastronomy Themed Painting Exhibition, etc. More than 200 restaurants participated in the event on site, and more than 3,000 restaurants offered online discount coupon.The total offline visitors of the Food and Culture Festival was about 280,000 and 1.2 million people participated in the online discount activity, which resulted in 15 million yuan of consumption. In 2021, the Food and Culture Festival integrated Shunde cuisine, intangible cultural heritage, cultural and creative products to create a one-stop Shunde food district. During the 2022 Food and Culture Festival, Shunde invited gastronomy cities like Chengdu, Macao, Yangzhou and Huaian to carry out food and culture exchange activities in Shunde. The total visitors was more than 200,000, and the total booth sales exceeded 5 million yuan. During the 2023 Food and Culture Festival, there were a total of 100 food booths, and activities like Marathon, food culture forum, star chef show, folk parade, etc were held. The festival received more than 250,000 visitors within 3 days and reached 12.6 million yuan in food sales. Expected outcomes: a) Promote the development of local catering industry; b) help with the recovery of the local economy after Covid-19; c) promote the influence of Shunde cuisine. Target Audience: Residents, NGO's, private sector, public sector, academic institutions & research centres, cultural institutions, visitors, press & media. Partners: Government, NGOs, private sector, universities or research centres, culinary schools, press, others.

Type of Activity:

Best Practice, Communication, Cooperation Project, News, Open Call, Studies & Research & Evaluations

Read More

Open Calls

Food and Culture Festival

The Food and Culture Festival has been held for 17 sonsecutive years since 2006. It usually incluses a series of activities like food exhibition and sales, cooking demonstration and exchange, gastronomy culture forum, traditional sports event, cultural and art exhibition, etc. The festival is planned and coordinated by the government, and widely participated by local communities and enterprises. In 2019, Shunde invited 21 creative cities home and abroad to participate in the Shunde Food and Culture Festival, and carried out a series of international activities such as City of Gastronomy Symposium and "Star Chef Show" at the event site. The Food and Culture Festival in 2020 integrated different elements like "Gastronomy + Creativity", "Gastronomy + Music", "Gastronomy + Culture", "Gastronomy + Design",and held offline and online activities including the International Food Design Festival, the "City of Gastronomy" Star Chef Show, Gastronomy Themed Painting Exhibition, etc. More than 200 restaurants participated in the event on site, and more than 3,000 restaurants offered online discount coupon.The total offline visitors of the Food and Culture Festival was about 280,000 and 1.2 million people participated in the online discount activity, which resulted in 15 million yuan of consumption. In 2021, the Food and Culture Festival integrated Shunde cuisine, intangible cultural heritage, cultural and creative products to create a one-stop Shunde food district. During the 2022 Food and Culture Festival, Shunde invited gastronomy cities like Chengdu, Macao, Yangzhou and Huaian to carry out food and culture exchange activities in Shunde. The total visitors was more than 200,000, and the total booth sales exceeded 5 million yuan. During the 2023 Food and Culture Festival, there were a total of 100 food booths, and activities like Marathon, food culture forum, star chef show, folk parade, etc were held. The festival received more than 250,000 visitors within 3 days and reached 12.6 million yuan in food sales. Expected outcomes: a) Promote the development of local catering industry; b) help with the recovery of the local economy after Covid-19; c) promote the influence of Shunde cuisine. Target Audience: Residents, NGO's, private sector, public sector, academic institutions & research centres, cultural institutions, visitors, press & media. Partners: Government, NGOs, private sector, universities or research centres, culinary schools, press, others.

Type of Activity:

Best Practice, Communication, Cooperation Project, News, Open Call, Studies & Research & Evaluations

Read More

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

VIEW MORE