Arts & Culture

The Christmas City tree lighting took place at Payrow Plaza on Friday, with Mayor J. William Reynolds and a group of children coming together to flip the switch around 5:30 p.m. following an enthusiastic countdown from the crowd.

Lehigh Valley Health Network is providing free parking in Downtown Bethlehem for the fourth consecutive year.

Construction started on the ice rink at SteelStacks just after Halloween. Workers are now putting the finishing touches on the venue, which opens Nov. 22. We captured the process, featured in a time lapse video.

With visitors set to weave through the open-air stalls of Bethlehem's Christkindlmarkt, many will be looking for seasonal items to purchase for friends and family. But not all are aware of the history and symbolism of the objects they’ll purchase.

This week, the LehighValleyNews.com digital desk handpicked three events for you to enjoy, including Easton Winter Village, Christkindlmarkt and Steelworkers’ Archives Walking Tours.

Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center met its funding goal to build a new Pride Café through donations and state budget funding.

The Office of Attorney General is now encouraging frustrated Swifties—Taylor Swift fans—to file complaints to the office.

Käthe Wohlfahrt of America sells German inspired and handcrafted holiday and seasonal décor at Bethlehem's Christkindlmarkt. They offer Nutcrackers, incense smokers, pyramids and ornaments reflecting skills of artisans that have flourished in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) of Germany for over 200 years.

A songwriting workshop at Broughal Middle School stems from a partnership between the Any Given Child program and Icehouse Tonight.

Residents of South Bethlehem are invited to learn more about the next steps for a potential community center at a public meeting on Jan. 30 at Northampton Community College's Fowler Center. The event will share results from a 2023 feasibility study.

Tigirlily Gold will perform on Friday, Jan. 31, as part of Philadelphia country radio station WXTU-FM 92.5's Ski Day at Bear Creek. Also performing will be 2020 "American Idol" contestant Megan Knight.

You can learn about the legend of Krampus, a German folklore creature who steals misbehaved children at Christmas, at Angel's House of Design this weekend in Easton.

Cavalera, a gold-record-selling metal band from Brazil that has placed three albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, on Monday announced its latest tour. Its flier lists a March 8 show at The Archer.

The Gene Simmons Band will perform at Wind Creek Event Center on Thursday, May 8, as part of a tour that so far has 14 dates.

Jordan Davis, whose first single, "Singles You Up," went triple-platinum in 2017 and whose song 2021 "Buy Dirt" (featuring Luke Bryan) went five times platinum, will headline Musikfest in August, it was announced.

Tommy Castro, who has won the Blues Foundation B.B. King Entertainer of the Year four times, will perform with his band The Painkillers on Feb. 27. And Low Cut Connie, the Philadelphia retro-piano-rock band that has shown up on Barack Obama's Spotify Summer Playlist and gotten effusive praise from Elton John, will perform March 5.

During the hourlong drive through Christmas City, a guide shares facts about the Moravian traditions and the Star of Bethlehem.

Social media rumblings this week included a number of people saying they weren’t able to mail Christmas cards from the Bethlehem Post Office using the special Christmas City postmark. Postal service officials have said there’s no cause for concern.

Eric Hutchinson, whose 2008 song “Rock & Roll” topped that chart, and who also hit the chart with 2009’s “OK, It’s Alright With Me” and 2012’s “Watching You Watch Him,” will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 23.

Marblehead Chowder House on William Penn Highway in Palmer Township has been in operation since 1996. The ownership says the business has changed with the times and owes its success to loyal customers and staff.

As the owners of Smartivity Showcase cut the ribbon Thursday night on their new store, they prepared to close the art market's original home in Easton.