Arts & Culture

On Thursday, Sept. 12, PPL Center turns 10, and since that opening show by The Eagles, the arena has offered more than 1,365 events and brought more than 4.58 million visitors to downtown Allentown for events.

In the decade since Allentown's PPL Center opened on Sept. 12, 2014, with a concert by The Eagles, the venue has presented 83 concerts, including comedy shows.

The Tom JeBran Collection features a dozen rare electric Martin Guitars and amps. It will be on display until September 2025.

A rainstorm didn't stop locals from pouring into the seventh annual Allentown Beer Fest on Saturday, Sept. 7.

It might feel early, but some local farms are gearing up to begin their fall festivities. Most pumpkin patches, corn mazes and hay rides open to the public this month. Find out when.

Pentatonix posted a 35-second video on its TikTok account Wednesday of it singing with David Archuleta at Allentown Fair with the comment, "You CRUSHED this😉 Allentown, you were amazing❤️."

Organizers of the beer festival have teamed up with Allentown Mural Arts for a day of craft beer tasting, mural unveilings, live music and local eats on Saturday, Sept. 7.

SteelStacks Smackdown, which presenter Lehigh Valley Apparel Creations described as its "biggest live show yet featuring the finest talent from across the independent wrestling scene and television," will be at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 5 in Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.

Alan Parsons Project, which from 1976-84 had seven gold and platinum albums that collectively sold more than 5 million copies, will perform Friday, Nov. 15.

Cirque du Soleil's "Crystal," which had a successful run at PPL Center in 2018, will return early in 2025 "due to popular demand," Cirque announced.

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.

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.

The PA Latino Convention in Pittsburgh drew leaders to discuss housing, education, and immigrant advocacy. Easton will host the 2026 convention, highlighting the Lehigh Valley’s growing Latino community.

Crews will begin laying steel for the Overlook on History exhibition and educational space in early October, with some material from the nearby Grist Miller’s House’s interim shoring even being repurposed for the project.