The Boise Metropolitan Area is a region in southwestern Idaho which officially includes Ada, Boise, Canyon, Gem and Owyhee Counties. It includes three of Idaho's five largest cities, Boise, Nampa and Meridian. The metro area is currently the third largest in the Pacific Northwest (after Seattle and Portland), and the 87th largest in the United States.

Boise is also a regional hub for jazz and theater. The Gene Harris Jazz Festival is hosted in Boise each spring. The city is also home to a number of museums, including the Boise Art Museum, Idaho Historical Museum, the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, Idaho Black History Museum and the Discovery Center of Idaho. Several theater groups operate in the city, including the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Boise Little Theatre and the Boise Contemporary Theater. On the first Thursday of each month, a gallery stroll is hosted in the city's core business district by the Downtown Boise Association. The city also has an Egyptian Theatre. In the Fall season, Downtown Boise hosts a film festival called Idaho International Film Festival.