Arts & Culture

The fall celebration starts on Saturday, Sept. 16, at Burnside Plantation in Bethlehem.

A children's audiobook made entirely with local talent has hit the national stage.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

The 4th Annual International Cultural Festival on Saturday, Sept. 16, will feature handcrafts, performances and food from a diverse range of cultures around the globe.

Starting Friday, Sept. 15 is Halloween Haunt, a nighttime event meant to thrill and terrify in equal measure, running select nights through October 28.

The show, at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2, will be topped by Two-time WWE World Champion A.J. Styles, considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, and four-time World Champion Sheamus, the first Irish world champion in WWE history.

Saturday's festival will feature cooking and beauty demos, live music and guest lectures by authors.

The eighth Martin's Guitar Wood Summit was held Thursday at Martin & Co. in Nazareth. The main topic centered on sustainability of forests that provide wood used for guitar construction.

A stage play based on music from the Saturday morning “Schoolhouse Rock” animated series – much of it written by late Lehigh Valley-area resident Bob Dorough – is set to open Friday.

The Bethlehem Running Festival has added a half-marathon relay to its inaugural event on Oct. 21-22.

Well over 1,000 fans descended on Palmer Park Mall in Palmer Township on Saturday to catch a glimpse of Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B, who made an appearance at Spin Me Round record store for her new "Am I the Drama?" album.

Nick Hexum, lead singer for rock band 311, will perform with folk band Water Tower at Archer Music Hall in Allentown at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21. Tickets remain available.

Lehigh University Art Galleries' 100th birthday bash coincides with the "Here and Now: 100 Years of LUAG, 100 Local Artists" exhibition, which runs through May 22 and highlights the works of local creatives.

The Foundry Chief Executive Officer and studio Director Jason Wegfahrt, a Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts graduate with a creative arts background, said the new 6,000-square-foot Foundry takes creative possibilities to another level with a variety of services at a fair price.

"Elegance in Stone," an exhibition opening at Peralta’s studio, 1601 West Chew St., kicks off with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20. and runs through Oct. 24.

Comedian Tom Shillue will perorm at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, as opening act for the Gutfeld Live 2025 show at Allentown's PPL Center. Tickets, at $49.60-$86.90, remain available at the PPL Center website.

Christkindlmarkt will open Nov. 14 and run Fridays through Sundays through Nov. 30. It then will open Thursdays-Sundays, Dec. 4 though Dec. 21.

Foodies now have another late night option in Southside Bethlehem. The Barbecue Boys, which opened Tuesday, Sept. 16, offers a fast-casual dining setting that's open Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. from Thursday through Saturday.

Lehigh Valley IronPigs unveiled the team’s new America 250 uniforms, created in collaboration with ArtsQuest and featuring Musikfest’s 2026 “Music Unites” artwork by local artist Doug Boehm.

The 12th annual Winter Light Spectacular, with 1.2 million holiday lights — which the zoo says is more than any other Pennsylvania attraction — will kick off Nov. 14 and run through Jan. 3.

Pennsylvania saw 201.6 million visitors, generating $49.9 billion in visitor spending and $83.9 billion in economic impact in 2024. In the Lehigh Valley, visitor spending increased 1.5%, generating just over $2.5 billion.

The grant will be used to help replace all 91 windows with historically accurate, insulated glass and wood models to "enhance the building’s energy efficiency while preserving its historical integrity," a news release says.