Uzbekistan hosts 3rd international handicrafts festival

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (MNTV) — Uzbekistan opened the 3rd International Festival of Handicrafts on September 19, turning the Silk Road city of Kokand into a global stage for artisans, cultural diplomacy and traditional craft. The three-day event runs through September 21.

Centered at Kokand’s Urda Square, organizers have built more than a hundred pavilions and a main stage for exhibitions and performances.

More than 300 experienced artisans from 71 countries are taking part, and for the first time international participants registered online rather than by invitation, according to the Uza.uz news agency.

Fergana region’s Deputy Governor , Khurshid Akhmedov, said dedicated pavilions will showcase crafts from Uzbekistan’s regions. The program also includes an International Pottery Forum in nearby Rishtan—famed for its ceramics—and the launch of a book highlighting the experiences and achievements of artisans from the previous festival.

Officials say the publication is meant both as a reference guide for young craftspeople and a response to rising global interest in Uzbek craftsmanship.

A key novelty this year is the opening of a permanent Museum of Crafts in Kokand. To underline ethno-tourism, a new park near Urda Street hosts around 100 stalls along a gastronomic street, while visitors can watch puppet theater and circus acts or attend tournaments in kurash, the national wrestling sport, and traditional archery.

First held in 2019, the Kokand festival has quickly become one of Central Asia’s leading cultural gatherings, giving Uzbekistan a platform to promote heritage while enabling cross-border exchange among makers and buyers. This year’s edition seeks to cement that role by pairing commercial opportunity with cultural diplomacy.