Art and architecture go hand in hand in San Jose. Ballet San Jose and American Musical Theatre of San Jose appear at the Center for the Performing Arts, designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Symphony Silicon Valley and Opera San Jose make their home at the California Theatre, a meticulously-restored, 1920s movie palace, and San Jose Repertory Theatre has their own downtown venue. The new city hall designed by Richard Meier adds to downtown San Jose's architectural excellence.

San Jose was among the first cities to adopt a public art ordinance, with part of its annual building funds going to art installations, many of them downtown. The San Jose Museum of Art features contemporary art exhibits.

San Jose's Cinequest Film Festival, an important venue for independent film makers honors cinematic mavericks such as Gus Van Sant and Peter Fonda and attracts over 60,000 attendees per year. Music lovers flock to the free AT&T Jazz Festival.