Arts & Culture

Juneteenth events are taking place throughout the Lehigh Valley. A large crowd took to Easton to celebrate the city's second annual Juneteenth parade on Sunday.

Lehigh Valley Friends Meeting, as the Quaker congregation is known, celebrated its 75th birthday Sunday with an open house in Hanover Township, Northampton County.

On Wednesday, June 19, DJ Prince Hakim (nee Hakim Bell) will be the musical entertainment from 2-8 p.m. for Allentown's downtown Juneteenth block party along Hamilton Street.

Dozens of vendors, musicians, and historians came together at SteelStacks in Bethlehem on Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth by exploring culture and history.

Jefferson Starship will play at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at Penn's Peak in Penn Forest Township. Tickets, at $28-$33, remain available at the Penn's Peak website.

The mural, by artist Mercedes Salazar, is a collaboration with Lehigh Valley Arts & Cultural Alliance, Community Action of Development of Allentown, The Chamber Foundation and Allentown Mural Arts.

With help of sponsors D.G. Yuengling & Sons and Bazella Works, all men and women now serving in any branch of the military, all veterans and immediate family of those killed in action, are eligible to get tickets to a variety of events, ArtsQuest said.

The federal holiday is a week away, but that doesn't mean celebrations are that far out yet. Festivities are taking place all over the area, with Juneteenth Lehigh Valley scheduling events through June 19.

The Bethlehem film festival will feature close to 70 shorts and indie films ranging from documentaries to comedy and horror. The screenings begin Tuesday at the Cathedral Church of the Nativity and close on Saturday, June 15.

Rick Springfield, best known for his hits “Jessie’s Girl,” “I’ve Done Everything for You” and “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” will perform at 8 p.m. Nov. 3. Tickets, at $39.50-$79.50, go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, June 14, at www.windcreekeventcenter.com.

Pablo Batista, Hector Rosado and Luisito Rosario will headline ArtsQuest's ¡Sabor! Latin Festival on Saturday, June 29.

The Pointer Sisters, known for the gold hits "Fire" and "He's So Shy" and "Slow Hand," will perform a dual-headline show with Billy Ocean, best known for his hits "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)," "Loverboy" and "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)," at 8 p.m. Oct. 24.

David Archuleta, who at 17 finished second behind David Cook on the seventh season of "American Idol" in 2008, will be the supporting act at the show, at 7 p.m. Aug. 31.

Singer Tom Jones, who has had more than two dozen Top 30 hits on pop, rock, R&B, country and dance charts, will perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 13 at Wind Creek Event Center in Bethehem.

B Social, a state-of-the-art, multi-entertainment center and event venue, will hold its grand opening on July 15 at Saucon Square shopping center on Route 378 in Lower Saucon Township.

James Bartolacci, an Easton-area artist and grant-winner, is working on new pieces intended for an art exhibition in Germany.

A feature film, "The Next Play," is set to be shot in the Lehigh Valley in July 2025. The field hockey-themed drama also touches on pressure and suicide concerns that student-athletes face.

An early concept for a new mural planned for the plaza at Seventh and Hamilton streets in Allentown has left some asking why it doesn't showcase native species.

A show about vampires and a haunted magic show, just in time for Halloween, have been announced for October presentations at Easton's State Theatre. Also announced for October are shows focused on a popular children's character and a tribute to two iconic piano men.

ArtsQuest announced that it has dropped paid admission to the festival, set for noon July 20 on PNC Plaza on the SteelStacks campus during ArtsQuest's Blast Furnace Blues Festival.

Reminiscing on Pride Party Palooza 2023, which was also the inaugural event, organizer Scottie Prime said seeing smiling faces all around was his favorite part.

All Elite Wrestling came to the PPL Center in Allentown Thursday, with nearly four hours of high-energy matchups featuring legends of pro-wrestling and more.