Entertainment News

Music lovers across the board — those who enjoy it, produce it, perform it and teach it — have more to check out alongside Musikfest this week.

The IronPigs are joing forces with Peeps for a special promotion, creating IronPeeps merchandise including caps, jerseys and more.

Catch a breakdown of some of the best free acts performing during Musikfest 2024 tonight on PBS39. The 30-minute program airs at 5:30 p.m. and again at 11:30 p.m. It features ArtsQuest's Patrick Brogan and LehighValleyNews.com's John J. Moser.

Billed as one of the country's largest antique and classic car shows, the Das Awkscht Fescht is in its 61st season and will take place on Aug. 2-4 starting at 6 a.m. each day.

There will be two “Twist & Shout” Musikfest Sunday Brunches in Hotel Bethlehem's Grand Ballroom — Aug. 4 and Aug. 11.

Wheatus, best known for its 2000 single “Teenage Dirtbag,” will perform at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22 in Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, it was announced.

One of the best chances to ‘catch a falling star’ is the Perseid meteor shower. And the evening of Aug. 12 and early morning of Aug. 13 should be the peak night for this annual event.

Musikfest 2024 begins with a preview night on Thursday. The 11-day festival will feature more than 422 artists and more than 500 concerts. Headliners include Greta Van Fleet, ZZ Top, Ludacris and Jowell & Randy.

The Puerto Rican Day Parade and Festival will return to Allentown on Sunday, July 28. It kicks off at noon at North Fifth and Hamilton streets.

Tickets for the 50 shows in the new season go on sale to theater members at 10 a.m. Aug. 1 and to the public at 10 a.m. Aug. 8 at www.statetheatre.org, or at the box office at 453 Northampton St., Easton.

A big part of the Christkindlmarkt experience is the food, drink and holiday music. The German-inspired holiday market will be open Friday to Sunday for its first three weeks, then expand to Thursday to Sunday through Dec. 22.

The State Theatre show will kick off a tour in which Elvis Costello will perform only with pianist Steve Nieve from his band The Attractions, according to his website.

Sebastian Maniscalco is scheduled to perform at the PPL Center in Allentown on Thursday, March 13. Tickets go on sale Friday morning.

Conservative TV talk show host Greg Gutfeld, whose program "Gutfeld!" on Fox-TV is the most-watched late-night show in the United States, is coming to PPL Center on Sept. 20.

"Saint Nick of Bethlehem" is screening at the Frank Banko Alehouse Theatre and Shankweiler's Drive-In. Actor Danny Roebuck will also appear at ArtsQuest as Santa Claus on Sunday, Dec. 1.

The owner of Board to Death Games at 338 Main St., just off the Emmaus Triangle, said he wants to be a space for both classic board games and more hardcore hobbyist games. Just down the road, on the same side of the Triangle, Let's Go Coffee Co. is set to open at 358 Main St.

The warm weather, albeit part of a drought, gave more visitors more time to visit Lehigh Valley Zoo and learn about its purpose in 2024. Nearly 185,000 guests visited. The 11th annual Winter Light Spectacular opened this weekend.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs flipped the switch on Illumination during a preview event Thursday. Getting to Opening Day involved significant staff efforts, with 12-15 part-time staff and 30-40 people on peak days over a four-week period.

The announcements continue a trend at Musikfest Cafe to book tribute acts and cover bands. In June, ArtsQuest announced more than a dozen shows for the venue's lineup.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs will host the Tri-City Chili Peppers, a college summer team from Colonial Heights, Virginia, that plays in the Coastal Plain League, on May 17 at Coca-Cola Park.

A public hearing allowed residents of Allentown to voice comments and concerns about the future of the city's park system. Concerns ranged from insufficient lighting, poor maintenance, and inaccessibility — and a common concern that the focus was too much on the distant future of parks, rather than near.

Aaron Lewis, who with Staind sold 10 million copies of the group's first five albums, three of which hit No. 1, will perform with his solo band The Stateliners, at 8 p.m. April 10.