The Philharmonic Society of Lefkada was founded in 1850. It is the oldest association in the region and the second oldest Philharmonic Orchestra in Greece. In 1864, it performed honoring the Union of the Ionian Islands with Greece, in 1896 for the Olympic Games in Athens, in 1906 for the Intercalated Games in Athens (the only Philharmonic Orchestra from the Ionian Islands) and in 1983it was awarded the Academy of Athens Award. Since 1999, the Philharmonic Society of Lefkada is housed at a privately-owned building in Kontari Street, in the center of the Lefkada town. The small museum of the Philharmonic Society is on the ground floor of the building. Its exhibits include old sheet music and musical instruments, musicians’ costumes as well as a rich archive of photographs from its long-lasting cultural history.