In the field of the cultural life Balassagyarmat has colourful programms. There are different exhibitions, musical events, and sport programs very often. Some of them are well-known in the whole country. For example we can mention the Madách Imre Commemoration Festival to where amateur theatrical companies came from the whole country, the International Music Camp, or the international duathlon and triathlon competitions.

Balassagyarmat was always proud for it civil past, so it has important traditions. There are some civilian associations which are existing for long years surviving more social systems. They are active in different territories, like music, environment, and traditions. The oldest civilian association is the singing club of Balassagyarmat, it functions for one and a half centuries, and it won several country-wide competitions.

There are more than 20 sport clubs in the town, most of them are working in amateur level. The walking club reached outstanding successes in the country and world-wide.

In the past Balassagyarmat was called the "Capital of Paloc Land", too. The town has several scenes, buildings which should be respected as pilgrimage places for the hungarian spiritual life.
For example the county hall stands in the town built in 1835 in which Madách Imre Mikszáth Kálmán or Janko Král worked in the previous century.

Not far from the county hall stands the five-storey prison built in the Reform Era where among others Sisa Pista the outlaw or Millináry Gizella writer had been doing their time.
Not far from the prison can be found the house where Mikszáth lived in the old times. In the next street can be seen the Church road number 10. where Szabó Lôrinc one of the most famous writer and translator lived his happiest years, and childhood. In the same street stands the catholic church built in the 18th century which is a historic monument and where the martyr Felician the saint's relics can be seen here.
Opposite the church century old bourgeois houses remind the flourishing town when well-to-do Jewish merchants lived in them. Continuing our walk on the main street we can find more monumental houses align up from the 18-19. century among them the hotel of Balassa's.
In Szerb street open from the main street a small greek orthodox church hide in the place of an older one where the largest services were held in Hungary at that times. It was built by wealthy local Greek and Serbian merchants.
Since the community decreased it was ruined and a new small church had been built instead of it at the beginning of the 20th century.
From the list of sights of the town we can mention the Museum of Paloc that was established from the inheritance of Nagy Iván who founded the hungarian genealogy or the orthodox cemetery. The latter is internationally known monumental piety place where the tomb of Deutsch Áron Dávid can also be found.
Balassi Bálint who was an outstanding figure of the hungarian renessaince poetry had also connected to the town. He used the "gyarmat" name consistently.
We have to mention Rózsavölgyi Márk who composed the hungarian "csárdás" and who was born in Balassagyarmat as the son of a merchant called Rosenthal.
We can't forget about Bérczy Károly who established the hungarian sport-press and translated Anyegin from Puskin; or Komjáthy Jenô, the hungarian simbolc poetry's herald; or Ligeti Lajos ancient researcher or about two internationally known artists Szabó Vladimir and Horváth Endre. Their stay in Balassagyarmat is announced by statues or memorial plaques.
We can mention that the gradual development of intellectuality and spiritual atmosphere of this small town influenced several artists, researchers during their carrier. For example: Nyéki Lajos professor, poet living in Paris, Kövi Pál who became world-wide known in New York by his gastronomy and as a writer, or Markó Iván ballet artist.