The patron of Cortale is Saint John the Baptist, celebrated on 24 June; the municipality holds the Chiesa di S. Giovanni Battista. On 2 and 3 May the feast of Santa Croce takes place, deeply felt and attended by the people of Cortale and of the neighbouring towns.
In August the «Festival Jazz & Vento» is customary, and over its editions Ludovico Einaudi, Giorgio Gaslini, Billy Cobham, Stefano Bollani, Enrico Rava and Stefano Di Battista have taken turns on its stage. On 15 August, in honour of the poet Paolo Vinci, the Festival degli Scordati is celebrated, an idea of the theatre actor Gianni Pellegrino.
