Arts & Culture

The 2024 Great Allentown Fair runs Wednesday, Aug. 28 through Monday, Sept. 2. We've got a rundown on what you can expect, from the grandstand headliners to the Iron Chef competition and more.

The Lehigh Valley Zoo is hosting its annual Brew at the Zoo again in 2024. This year, it falls on Saturday, Sept. 14, and will feature more than three dozen craft beers and ciders.

Jayna Elise, who auditioned on "Idol" in both Season 21 in 2023 and Season 22 the past spring, recently was chosen for the role of Turner in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which performs at Easton's State Theatre on Oct. 1-2.

Allentown Fair’s main Grandstand stage is inarguably one of its biggest draws — offering top music, performances and other acts in the Lehigh Valley’s largest-capacity arena. Here's how we rank this year's headliners.

Starbucks' pumpkin spice latte and accompanying pumpkin-flavor coffee customizations are set to return Thursday. Local coffee shops plan to bring back — or already have — seasonal favorites, too.

The Hooters play Univest Performing Center in Quakertown at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23. The group performed to a nearly sold-out crowd in Quakertown last year.

Characters from Disney’s "Moana," "Frozen," "Coco," "Beauty and the Beast" and more will perform with Disney On Ice at Allentown's PPL Center. There will be seven performances over four days.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts conducted a brainstorming seminar in Allentown on Monday to advance a statewide arts and culture plan.

The free exhibit, “America’s Beautiful,” at Lehigh Gap Nature Center runs from Aug. 21 to Aug. 29. It includes 50 watercolor paintings of Smokey Bear.

The 16th Lehigh River Blues Jam will be 2-10 p.m. Feb. 1 at The Charles A. Brown Ice House, 56 River St., Bethlehem.

SteelStacks Smackdown, which presenter Lehigh Valley Apparel Creations described as its "biggest live show yet featuring the finest talent from across the independent wrestling scene and television," will be at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 5 in Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.

Alan Parsons Project, which from 1976-84 had seven gold and platinum albums that collectively sold more than 5 million copies, will perform Friday, Nov. 15.

Cirque du Soleil's "Crystal," which had a successful run at PPL Center in 2018, will return early in 2025 "due to popular demand," Cirque announced.

Labor Day marked the end of the 172nd annual Great Allentown Fair. From typical fair fare to live entertainment, what stood out to many was the optimal weather.

The ventriloquist and comedian brought his act to the second-to-last day of the Allentown Fair. It was his seventh headline show at the fair.

Chef Ryan Lukow of the Savory Grille unseated reigning champion Chef Courtney Davenport on Sunday to win the Allentown Fair’s annual Iron Chef cooking competition.

Local media faced off against politicians for the Allentown Fair's annual grape stomping competition. This year was different, though, with the media team winning for the first time in years.

Five-member vocal group Pentatonix returned Saturday to Allentown Fair for an audience about three-quarters of 7,500 and — this time on a lovely night — proved it wasn't just a one-note wonder.

The scrapple contest was held on Saturday, Aug. 31 at the Great Allentown Fair.

Baseball, food and fun family offerings are out there if firing up the grill is not your thing.

Easton has secured a $100,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, which will go toward public arts projects including new murals throughout the city.

Country singer Brad Paisley played at Allentown Fair on Friday night. Although the crowd was subdued, the headliner pulled out the songs many know and love to sing along to.