WILLEMSTAD – The Kaya Kaya Street Festival has contributed to a remarkable transformation of Otrobanda, helping breathe new life into vacant buildings, neglected streets and public spaces while attracting visitors, entrepreneurs and renewed investment to the historic neighborhood.
That is one of the main conclusions of new academic research by Corina Regales of the University of Curaçao and Ilja Simons of Breda University of Applied Sciences. The researchers examined how Kaya Kaya has contributed to changes in Otrobanda since the festival's first edition in 2018.
The study, published in June in the academic journal Urban Planning, describes Kaya Kaya as more than a street festival. According to the researchers, it has effectively become an instrument for neighborhood regeneration.
Ahead of each edition, vacant or underused buildings and public spaces have temporarily been transformed into locations for music, art, food and other activities. Organizers frequently approached property owners directly to obtain permission to use their buildings.
According to organizers interviewed for the research, approximately 10 to 12 buildings were temporarily activated during each edition. Across Kaya Kaya's history, an estimated 40 to 45 properties have been used, excluding public spaces.
Many improvements initially intended only to prepare areas for the festival eventually became permanent.
Streets and gardens were cleaned, buildings painted, minor repairs carried out and poorly illuminated areas provided with additional lighting.
Figures cited in the research indicate that Kaya Kaya-related activities resulted in the removal of around 400 kilograms of waste, repairs to 125 windows, doors and gates, the painting of 40 social housing units and safety improvements at 22 monuments. Potholes were repaired in 14 streets, approximately 75 LED lights were installed and four recreational areas were created.
One of the most visible transformations has been Otrobanda's growing collection of murals.
According to the research, the number of murals increased from just seven in 2018 to nearly 70 by 2025. The artwork has itself become a tourist attraction, with people visiting Otrobanda outside festival periods specifically to see and photograph the murals.
Several temporary projects also became permanent. A pop-up studio developed into a permanent art studio, a vacant lot became a playground and an underused public space was transformed into an amphitheater.
Interviewees also indicated that buildings and streets receiving attention through Kaya Kaya were generally better maintained afterward.
The transformation has had economic consequences as well.
Business owners reported increased visitor activity in the neighborhood. Restaurants experience greater demand around Kaya Kaya, apartments have recorded higher occupancy and tours continue bringing visitors into Otrobanda outside the festival itself.
Several interviewees said Otrobanda has evolved from an area once considered by some to be a "no-go area" into a neighborhood people deliberately choose to visit.
Interest from investors and property buyers has also increased. Interviewees reported more property transactions, renovations, restaurants and new residents. Buildings temporarily activated during Kaya Kaya have in several cases subsequently been purchased, renovated or rented.
In one street where an early edition of Kaya Kaya took place, reportedly only one building remains available for temporary use.
Residents and volunteers interviewed for the study also pointed to social benefits. The neighborhood is perceived as safer, more people spend time outdoors and greater activity has strengthened informal social control.
Community participation in cleaning, painting and preparing the neighborhood has also strengthened residents' belief that they can influence what happens in their surroundings.
According to the researchers, Kaya Kaya's impact therefore goes beyond physical improvements. It has contributed to greater neighborhood pride, participation and a sense of ownership.
The experience demonstrates how a relatively small, locally driven initiative can trigger wider change in a historic neighborhood where government and private investment had previously struggled to generate sufficient momentum.
But the success has also created a new challenge for Otrobanda: ensuring that the people who helped sustain the neighborhood can continue to benefit from its revival.