Piła is a significant culture centre of northern Great Poland. The festivals, events, and meetings organised here have already become integral to the town. The variety of the events proves open and hospitable nature of the town and its cultural forerunning role.

The town has its indefatigable organizers of cultural activities. Piła’s Culture House is a place of many interesting drama initiatives, performances by dance groups, music bands, artists professional as well as amateur ones. The International Folk Festival Bukowińskie Spotkania is organized here to cultivate folk tradition of Carpathian Bukowina. An all-Poland Family Theatres Festival “Theatre – the family passion” has taken place annually since 2000. The festival is a perfect opportunity to present great plays by outstanding acting families to the local audience.

The art galleries with the Artistic Exhibition Bureau to lead the way and the both museums, the monographic of Stanisław Staszic and the District one make an extensive cultural base. The District Museum is situated in a beautifully renovated Italian villa, which was the seat of the Republic of Poland consulate at the interwar time. The branch of the District Museum, the Folk Culture Museum in Osiek by the river Noteć is the second open-air ethnographic museum in Poland in terms of size.

There are two libraries and their nine branches in Piła. The Pantaleon Szuman County and Municipal Public Library organizes many different events and meetings, among other things Literature Days for Children and Teenagers. The cinema-goers can make use of some screening rooms including the multiplex cinema.
The event Days of Piła has been held annually in May, since 1993. Initially it was a cultural and sports addition to the Local Fair but it has become an independent event since 1999, and the twin towns representatives participate in it.