Arts & Culture

Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, Jason Benning never thought he'd find himself in the Lehigh Valley, let alone at a "music festival he's never heard of." Yet, it would lead to him meeting the love of his life

The six-time Grammy winners performed a medley of their hits at the main Steel Stage as the rain poured down on Thursday, August 8.

Chicago, which is among the Top 30 bestselling music acts of all time, with more than 120 million copies of its 46 albums sold worldwide, will play at 8 p.m. Oct. 25. And Engelbert Humperdinck, known for his hits "Release Me," "There Goes My Everything" and "A Man Without Love," will perform at 8 p.m. Dec. 7.

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

Performances of eVenti Verticali SPHERE will take place at 7, 9 and 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, and 5, 7 and 9 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11, on Lehigh Valley Public Media's plaza and ArtsQuest's Town Square.

In an hour-and 22-minute set at Musikfest's main Steel Stage on Wednesday, Lynyrd Skynyrd played 13 songs — all the hits, but also deeper tunes — spanning the band's career.

Bethlehem's Austin Shaffer downed five ears of corn in just over four and half minutes to win the Aw Shucks Corn Eating Contest at Musikfest on Wednesday night.

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

The idea is simple: What if a man dressed as a Sasquatch in shades and a bandanna played saxophone and EDM covers of pop hits? Turns out, it's a winning formula, and Musikfest 2024 attendees absolutely love it.

Carly Pearce, best known for her triple-platinum 2019 hit "I Hope You're Happy Now" with Lee Brice, will perform at 8 p.m. May 2 at the venue. Singer Carter Faith will be the opening act.

Allentown Symphony's New Chamber Music Concert series will start with "Innovation" in the Da Vinci Science Center's Curiosity Center at 7 p.m. Oct. 28.

Saves The Day, whose albums "Stay What You Are" in 2001 and "In Reverie" in 2003 were the prototype for emo-punk, will perform at Archer Music Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Sharing the bill will be Glassjaw and Soul Blind.

"Kinky Boots," whose six Tony wins came from 13 nominations, and which also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album, will be performed Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8, the theater announced.

Trapt, with supporting acts Never Ready, William H. Taft and Honky Tonk Medics, will perform tonight at the Gin Mill & Grill,1750 Main St., Northampton. General admission standing tickets, at $20 each, can be found at Ticketweb.com.

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.

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.

After three years of low attendance because of inclement weather, the 2025 Celtic Classic & U.S. Highland Games returned with crowds and a packed celebration of the Celtic regions: Ireland, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Brittany, Scotland, and Wales.

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

Gwynn spoke at Moravian University on Sept.30 about his 30-year wrongful imprisonment and death row exoneration, sharing his journey of faith, art and justice.