Arts & Culture

Sophie Vandecasteele is hoping to open Sophistiqué before Thanksgiving, with a soft opening set for Friday, Nov. 22, at 924 Walnut St.

"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.

"New Conversations: Renaissance and Baroque Art" opens on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the museum located at 31 N. Fifth Street.

The German-inspired holiday market opened on Friday, Nov. 16 at ArtsQuest's SteelStacks campus.

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.

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.

Hundreds of animated shorts from cartoons to Polish and Iranian stories will come alive onscreen at the historic movie theater through Sunday, Nov. 9.

The show runs at 7 p.m. today, Nov. 7, and at the same time Saturday in Emmaus High School’s auditorium. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

Filmmaker-turned-showrunner Jiah Peck debuts the entire first season of an original comedy series at the Emmaus Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The baby alpaca was born Oct. 23. The zoo is taking suggestions for a name.

Journey, perhaps best known for its 1981 hit "Don't Stop Believin'," will perform at 7 p.m. June 11 at Allentown's PPL Center, the event center announced.

Bethlehem Area Public Library's annual 11Fest fundraising concert, which seeks to turn up the volume — and donations — to 11, is set for 5-11 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11 (11/11).

The Christmas tree for Bethlehem's annual display was delivered to Payrow Plaza on Wednesday. The 43-foot-tall spruce was donated by the Simoes family of Bethlehem Township.

Pop-punk singer Taylor Acorn, who attended Kutztown University, plays Allentown's Archer Music Hall on Saturday, Nov. 8. Tickets, at $33 each, remain available.

The Vegan Chef challenge was organized by Vegan Outreach and Animal Defenders Greater Lehigh Valley, and the challenge drew more than 400 community reviews between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15. Winners were honored at an awards ceremony Tuesday, Nov. 4, inside Swift at the Wilbur Mansion.

The My Generation Tour, led by The Lovin' Spoonful, will perform at 7:30 p.m. March 13 at Easton's State Theatre. Also on the bill are Gary Lewis and The Playboys — best known for its 1965 chart-topping hit "This Diamond Ring" — and The Hollies Greatest Hits starring Hollies guitarist Terry Sylvester.

Tickets for the 17th PeepsFest, at $5 per person, will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 7 at the ArtsQuest website or the box office at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founder Way, Bethlehem.

Country singer Dylan Gossett will perform at Wind Creek Event Center on Thursday, March 5. The Temptations, who from 1965-89 had 45 Top 10 R&B hits, will perform with The Four Tops, who from 1965-72 had 15 Top 10 hits on the R&B chart, on Friday, April 10. Tickets are on sale at the event center website and its box office at 77 Wind Creek Blvd.