Battle Creek styles itself as the Cereal City. In the beginning the W.K. Kellogg Co. was one of dozens of cereal manufacturers in Battle Creek. Throughout the decades of the 20th century, the W.K. Kellogg Co. has withstood the challenge of many rivals to dominate the cereal industry worldwide. Since its sesquicentennial celebration in 1981, Battle Creek has entered a period of renaissance, resisting the slow death by attrition that has been the fate of many Midwestern manufacturing towns in recent years. Tourists come to Battle Creek primarily to see the new Cereal City USA family attraction and Binder Park Zoo.
Battle Creek supports diversified art and cultural activities and organizations.
There is an Art Center for instruction and exhibition, a symphony orchestra, a civic theater and community chorus. Twice a year, the world-class Battle Creek Brass Band plays to sellout audiences at the W.K. Kellogg Auditorium. Theater lovers flock to the Barn Theater in nearby Augusta to enjoy repertory theater by one of the oldest summer stock companies in the nation. Every summer, residents and visitors numbering close to one million attend Battle Creek's Team U.S. Nationals Hot-Air Balloon Championship and Air Show. During the holiday season, Battle Creek hosts a Festival of Lights with every contour of its downtown commercial district gleaming in a megawatt display of tiny bulbs.