UNESCO does not only protect old monuments. It also honours living creativity in food, music, film and crafts. Nine Indian cities now sit in its Creative Cities Network. This lesson shows which city belongs to which field.
At a glance
Four key facts on this topic
Contents
Must Know · The Network
What is the Network?
1.1 What does UNESCO's Creative Cities Network do?
UNESCO created the network in 2004. It links cities that treat creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
Cities cooperate with each other. They share ideas on food, music, film, crafts and more.
1.2 How big is it today?
- Size: 408 cities across more than 100 countries.
- 2025 batch: 58 cities were designated on World Cities Day 2025.
1.3 How many creative fields are there?
UNESCO named seven fields for many years. In 2025 it added an eighth, Architecture. So the Network now has eight fields.
Think it through: Why does the date of a question matter here?
An older exam may say seven fields. A 2026 question may say eight. Always check the year.
Good to Know · Indian cities and Lucknow
Which Indian cities belong?
2.1 Which Indian cities are in the Network?
| City | Field | Joined |
|---|---|---|
| Jaipur | Crafts and Folk Art | 2015 |
| Varanasi | Music | 2015 |
| Chennai | Music | 2017 |
| Mumbai | Film | 2019 |
| Hyderabad | Gastronomy | 2019 |
| Srinagar | Crafts and Folk Art | 2021 |
| Gwalior | Music | 2023 |
| Kozhikode | Literature | 2023 |
| Lucknow | Gastronomy | 2025 |
Sources: UNESCO city pages, PIB releases and the UNESCO Creative Cities list. Nine Indian cities were found in that list.
2.2 Which field belongs to which city?
- Music: Varanasi, Chennai, Gwalior.
- Crafts and Folk Art: Jaipur, Srinagar.
- Gastronomy: Hyderabad, Lucknow.
- Film: Mumbai.
- Literature: Kozhikode.
2.3 Which cities joined most recently?
Srinagar joined in 2021, with a special mention for its craft and folk art. Gwalior and Kozhikode followed in 2023. Lucknow joined in 2025.
Sources
- UNESCO, Jaipur – Creative Cities Network
- UNESCO, Varanasi – Creative Cities Network
- UNESCO, Chennai – Creative Cities Network
- PIB, Ministry of Culture, 1 November 2019: Mumbai (Film) and Hyderabad (Gastronomy)
- UNESCO, Hyderabad – Creative Cities Network
- UNESCO, Mumbai – Creative Cities Network
- UNESCO, Srinagar – Creative Cities Network
- PIB, Prime Minister's Office, 8 November 2021: Srinagar joins the UNESCO Creative Cities Network
- UNESCO, Gwalior – Creative Cities Network
- UNESCO, Kozhikode – Creative Cities Network
- PIB, Prime Minister's Office, 1 November 2023: Kozhikode and Gwalior
- UNESCO DataHub, Creative Cities List (field; city; year of designation)
How did Lucknow join?
3.1 When was Lucknow recognised?
UNESCO announced it on 31 October 2025. Lucknow was one of 58 new cities. It joined as a City of Gastronomy.
3.2 Why Lucknow?
UNESCO says the inclusion celebrates its centuries-old Awadhi cuisine. UNESCO’s city page names tunday kebabs, dum biryani and sheermal.
3.3 Is it the first Indian Gastronomy city?
No. All India Radio News calls Lucknow the second Indian city to win the title. Hyderabad won it in 2019.
Exam Practice
Which cities are distractors?
4.1 Are Agra, Indore and Ludhiana members?
No. None of the three appears in UNESCO’s list of 408 member cities. The list was checked on 9 October 2026.
Exam writers use well-known cities as wrong options. Fame is not membership.
4.2 How do you avoid the trap?
- Learn the nine. Jaipur, Varanasi, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Srinagar, Gwalior, Kozhikode, Lucknow.
- Link city to field. Film means Mumbai. Literature means Kozhikode.
- Check the year. The 2025 Gastronomy city is Lucknow.
Exam traps and the PYQ
5.1 What did UPSC ask?
UPSC NDA & NA (I) 2026, General Ability Test, Series A, Q144. Which one amongst the following cities has been designated as the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2025?
(a) Agra
(b) Lucknow
(c) Indore
(d) Ludhiana
The answer is (b) Lucknow. I found no official answer key on UPSC’s exam page. The answer comes from UNESCO’s own announcement.
5.2 Why is (b) right and the rest wrong?
- Lucknow: named a City of Gastronomy on 31 October 2025.
- Agra, Indore, Ludhiana: none is in UNESCO’s list of member cities.
5.3 What else could they ask?
- Which field is Jaipur in? Crafts and Folk Art.
- How many fields are there? Eight now. Seven before 2025.
- Which city is for Film? Mumbai.
Remember this
- Created: 2004. Now 408 cities. Eight fields since 2025.
- Music cities: Varanasi, Chennai and Gwalior.
- Crafts cities: Jaipur and Srinagar.
- Food cities: Hyderabad (2019) and Lucknow (2025).
- Film: Mumbai. Literature: Kozhikode.
Explain it back: Name the Indian city recognised in 2025 and say why UNESCO chose it.
Check your understanding
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MCQ on UNESCO Creative Cities and India
Try 6 practice questions on the Network, its fields and the nine Indian cities.
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