Sister Cities of Durham

The City of Durham has nine sister cities around the globe:


  1. Arusha, Tanzania
  2. Durham, United Kingdom
  3. Kostroma, Russia* (suspended August 15, 2022)
  4. Toyama, Japan
  5. Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, China
  6. Celaya, Mexico
  7. Kavala, Greece
  8. Sibiu, Romania
  9. Tilarán, Costa Rica
*Note: On August 15, 2022, Durham City Council voted to suspend relations with Kostroma, Russia, based on concerns about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. For more information, see the statement (PDF) and resolution (PDF) adopted by the Sister Cities Board of Directors.


 The city also has two friendship cities:


  1. Kunshan, China
  2. Xianning, China

Activities and Events


Activities and events for our sister cities are handled through the non-profit organization, Sister Cities of Durham, Inc.

  • Sister Cities of Durham promotes international friendship, intercultural understanding, and economic development with exchange programs in the areas of Education, the Arts, Medicine, Local Government, Business, and Environment.  
  • The major program is the Annual Festival of Nations, featuring Durham's 9 Sister Cities and 18 other countries connected to Durham. Learn more and participate on the event website.
Email Sister Cities of Durham for more information.