Arts & Culture

As Musikfest enters its fifth decade, who have been the best of its 370 headline acts? Our music expert gives us his set list.

Lehigh Valley indie-rockers Slingshot Dakota are kicking off Musikfest at the Air Products Americaplatz at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks stage at 5 p.m. Thursday, bringing their unique and creatively energetic punk rock sans guitar.

Welcome to LehighValleyNews.com's Fest in Show, a daily offering of some of the can't-miss acts on the stages of Musikfest.

Musikfest, a 10-day festival of music, food, refreshments and more, celebrates its 40th year beginning on Thursday.

The classic & antique car festival is expected to bring thousands of visitors and hundreds of cars to the park, dating back to the early 1900s.

The Musikfest show will be the first day — and second stop — in Allman’s See It All American Tour with Donovan Frankenreiter. The tour will be an attempt by Allman and Frankenreiter to set the official world record by playing 50 shows in 50 states in 49 days.

Philadelphia psyche-pop master Kurt Vile and The Violators, who topped the Adult Album Alternative charts with the 2015 song “Pretty Pimpin’” and have had three albums in the overall Top 50, will headline a concert with the late jazz great Sun Ra’s band The Sun Ra Arkestra at Allentown’s Miller Symphony Hall.

The opening acts for Musikfest's main stage headliners have been announced. They include several Lehigh Valley favorites.

A completely dry stretch of weather is almost unheard of this time of year, said meteorologist Bobby Martrich of EPAWA Weather Consulting, the official forecaster of Musikfest.

The first celebration featured an array of talent with an emphasis on local artists.

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.

The festival is now in its 16th year and will feature close to 20 blues acts, including Nikki Hill, Ghost Town Blues Band, Craig Thatcher Band and Dustin Douglas.

Cheer on the U.S. Men's Team at SteelStacks when they play Uruguay, Panama and Bolivia during the 48th Copa América games. For young soccer fans, there will also be soccer clinics and an all-day youth tournament in July.

Bob Mould, who was guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the influential band Hüsker Dü in the 1980s, will perform at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

The City of Allentown held a Juneteenth Block Party celebration at Center Square on Tuesday, commemorating the last bastion of slavery in the U.S. in 1865.

ArtsQuest has announced a lineup of 15 shows at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem, starting after Musikfest and continuing into February.