The temples and mosques of this district contain sculptures and inscriptions which are of considerable interest to the students of art. Kozhikode town itself has many temples, the most important of which are the Tali Temple, the Trivannur temple, Azhakodi temple, Varakkal temple, Bilathikulam temple amd Bhairagimadom temple. Some of these temples contain sculptures and paintings of very high artistic order. The Thiruvilangad temple contains many ancient sculptures. Its gateway is interesting because it is built in the same style as the Jain Bastis.

At Meppayur, 16.09 kms. south-east of Vadakara, is the Elavattara temple of Durga, in the grove attached to which are some sculptured images. South-east of Vadakara by 4.92 kms. is the Lokanarkav, in the vicinity of which are three rock-cut caves. There is an art gallery and Krishna Menon Museum at East hill in Kozhikode city. Lalithakala Acadamy also has an art gallery adjacent to town hall, Kozhikode.

In the field of Malayalam Language and Literature, Kozhikode has made most significant contributions. The district is famous for folk songs or ballads known as Vadakkan Pattukal. The most popular folk songs among them are those which celebarate the exploits of Tacholi Meppayil Kunju Othenan, "the Robinhood of North Malabar'.

During temple festivals and improtant social functions entertainments like Koothu, Kathakali, Ottanthullal and Kaikottikali are performed. There are also ritual dances such as Thira and Theyyam.

One of the favourite pastimes of the Muslims of this district is the singing of the Mappilapattu and Oppana. These songs are sung in a distinctive tune and cover a wide range of themes. The songs are composed in a composite language of Arabic and Malayalam.