This area offers numerous cultural events - concerts, literary events, theatre, art shows and museums.

Among the most important annual music events are the Stresa 'Settimane Musicali' music festival, the Ascona music festival, the Umberto Giordano festival in Baveno, the Lake Orta 'Un Paese a Sei Corde' festival and the Jazz Festival at Ascona. There are other interesting cultural shows not to be forgotten such as Tones on the Stones (summer theatre, music and dance events in the historic caves of the area), the Letteraltura reading festival, and the Locarno Film Festival. The area is rich in local museums, many documenting the original industries of different towns.

The town of Gignese is home to the Umbrella and Parasol museum, at Quarna you can visit the Musical Instrument Museum, at Ghiffa the Hat Museum, and at Santa Maria Maggiore the Chimneysweep Museum. Other places rich in local lore are Montorfano's Granite Ecomuseum, Pallanza's 'the Landscape Museum' art gallery, and Fondotoce's tribute to the local wartime underground movement at 'the House of the Resistance'.