Entertainment News

Garlic Fest is back, and this year promises more of everyone's favorite Allium in a wealth of savory and sweet dishes, drinks, and more, including a special preview night on Friday.

Call it sludge, stoner metal, heavy rock, whatever. Melvins, one of the most influential acts in the game, came out to Musikfest Cafe on Thursday and played an incredible set exploring its vast and varied four decades.

"Iron Chef" winner Jose Garces has opened Okatshe, a Japanese-inspired izakaya on Hamilton Street, with an eight-foot sushi roll instead of a ribbon-cutting. Located across from Rosa Blanca, Okatshe offers small plates, sushi, sake,and whiskey in a modern take on Japan’s traditional neighborhood bar.

The Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office and ArtsQuest will work together to bring a DUI Awareness Campaign to this year’s Oktoberfest at SteelStacks.

Former Phillies Steve Carlton and Ricky Bottalico were at a meet-and-greet event at Coca-Cola Park on Thursday. The event was sponsored by St. Luke's University Health Network, of which Carlton is a community ambassador.

The 2026 Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic, a PGA TOUR Champions event, will be held Sept. 28-Oct. 4 at Lehigh Country Club. The 54-hole tournament will feature a field of 78 PGA TOUR Champions players.

The festival spans two weekends of authentic German traditions, including stein holding competitions, bratwurst eating contests, live polka bands, schuhplattler dancers, dachshund races and new contests.

Comedian Michael Che, currently in his 11th season of "Saturday Night Live," will perform Dec. 10 at Easton's State Theatre, it was announced.

Blues star Kenny Wayne Shepherd will perform at Wind Creek Event Center on Friday, March 6, as part of a 30th anniversary tour for his 1995 chart-topping, platinum debut album "Ledbetter Heights."

Melvins perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

Parliament-Funkadelic dominated R&B music during the 1970s, with more than 40 R&B hit singles, including three No. 1s, and three platinum albums.

Crews checked off another milestone on Tuesday when they finished connecting the tilted loop on Dorney Park's new Iron Menace roller coaster. The loop is the first of its kind on a dive coaster.

Big Time Rush will perform at 7 p.m. Aug. 9, the festival announced.

Shinedown, best known for its 2000s songs "Second Chance," "Sound of Madness" and "If You Only Knew," will headline Musikfest's Steel Stage on Aug. 3, it was announced.

Sublime with Rome, the version of the ska band Sublime that reformed with new lead Rome Ramirez in 2009, on Friday night posted a list of locations for its "Farewell Tour," including Bethlehem, Pa.

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 Clap will play an album-release show at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at The Gas House Dance Hall, 311 Front St., Catasauqua, with supporting acts The Lunch Trucks, Pol Pot, Edgar Gore and The Nevermore's and Rotting Fruit. Tickets, at $10, will be available at the door.

Dorney Park is hosting a special preview event in anticipation of Iron Menace's premier, with proceeds from ticket sales benefitting Lehigh Valley Reilly Children's Hospital.

The annual festival features live music, horse carriage rides, ice sculpting, discounts on shopping and scenic train excursions.

Spring Beer Fest, which had a sold-out debut last year on the SteelStacks campus, will again serve up the suds for a second year March 30, ArtsQuest announced.

John Legend, best known for his 14-times platinum No. 1 hit “All of Me” from 2013, will perform “A Night of Songs and Stories” at 8 p.m. June 22 at Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem.

The circus is coming to town for three days in November.