The area's beautiful scenery and colourful art-deco style shops and houses attract an alternative and somewhat eccentric subculture. Many poets, artists, environmentalists and numerous eccentric characters reside in Katoomba (and the Blue Mountains, generally) and the town hosts the well-patronised Winter Solstice festival, Winter Magic, that features local talent, art and handicraft. The festival was established in 1994 to provide a local focus for the Blue Mountains-wide Yulefest. Yulefest is a long-running tourism initiative that promotes Northern Hemisphere-style Christmas celebrations during the Australian winter months June to August.
Novelist and historian Eleanor Dark (1901�1985), best known for her historical novel A Timeless Land, lived in Katoomba with her husband Dr. Eric Dark from 1923 until her death. The couple's home "Varuna" is now a writer's centre. In 1921, acclaimed production house duo Raymond Longford and Lottie Lyell filmed The Blue Mountains Mystery in part around the town centre. Ursula Dubosarsky's 1991 time-travel novel Zizzy Zing is set in Katoomba in 1938, at the time of the Sesquicentenary.
Lincoln Hall was a well-known Australian mountaineer and adventurer who lived in the neighbouring town of Wentworth Falls (died 2012). He had written a guidebook on walks and attractions in the area. He was responsible for organising the first Australian ascent of Mount Everest in 1984.
Blues/Roots musician Claude Hay is also a resident of Katoomba, having built his home and recording studio on the outskirts of town. Both of Hay's albums, 2007's Kiss The Sky and 2010s Deep Fried Satisfied were recorded in Katoomba, with the latter earning Hay critical acclaim and a #1 on the Roots Music Report Australian chart and #21 for airplay worldwide in October 2010.
The scenic beauty and tranquillity of Katoomba and the surrounding Blue Mountains area have long made Katoomba a haven for Sydney-siders looking for rest and relaxation
