2025 | Namur hosted the annual meeting of UNESCO Creative Cities in the field of Media Arts

From 21 to 25 October 2025, the City of Namur hosted representatives of UNESCO Creative Cities in the field of media arts during the KIKK Festival, the international gathering for creative and digital cultures.

As the first city in Wallonia to be recognised in 2021 as a UNESCO Creative City of media arts, Namur has reaffirmed its role as a major player in digital creativity and cultural innovation.

Nearly 20 cities from around the world were represented by their cultural and institutional delegates, with strong representation from Europe (Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Portugal, Serbia), Asia (China, South Korea) and the Americas (United States, Colombia).

Today, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network brings together more than 350 cities across 100 countries, all of which place creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their sustainable urban development strategies. Among them, only 27 cities are recognised in the field of media arts.

The official opening of the meeting took place at the Walloon Parliament, as part of the 20th anniversary of the 2005 Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, in the presence of Wallonia-Brussels International (WBI).

The programme included working sessions, field visits and exchanges at the heart of the KIKK Festival:

• participation in Wake! Tour by Digital Wallonia,
• meetings with artists and exhibition curators,
• discovery of the art trail in the city and the KIKK Market,
• Horizon Europe workshop organised by WBI – NCP Wallonia.

“Thanks to the quality of our festivals, the richness of our infrastructure and the collaboration between local actors, Namur is establishing itself as a creative and innovative city. The KIKK Festival plays a central role in this UNESCO recognition.”
— Ms Charlotte Bazelaire, Acting Mayor of the City of Namur

Namur thus confirms its ambition to be a creative, innovative and sustainable city, an urban laboratory where cultural, technological and social initiatives intersect.