Arts & Culture

Check out a roundup of activities, places, and times to see the fireworks as the Lehigh Valley celebrates Independence Day.

Next year marks 250 years since the colonists produced a bold declaration of freedom and self-governance that still echoes today. It will be an occasion celebrated and recognized across the land — and we at Lehigh Valley Public Media are no exception.

In addition to live music, there will be more than a dozen local vendors, businesses and crafters, as well as trail and outdoor demonstrations, and group walks.

Steel Panther, which has had five albums top Billboard's Comedy chart, will perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 11 at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, it was announced.

In the spirit of Shakespeare, Saturday's celebration will feature entertainment for all ages, including musical performances by the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, alpaca and ponies, and a student-led Latin band.

From 8 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. Friday, June 27, you'll be able to buy tickets for five of Musikfest's 11 headline shows, two paid-ticket Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks shows and nine Musikfest Cafe shows without paying any service fees.

Howie Mandel, who since 2010 has been a judge on “America’s Got Talent,” will perform with fellow comedian Brad Garrett at 8 p.m. Aug. 24. And Alan Parsons Live Project, which continues the work of Alan Parsons Project, will perform at 8 p.m. Oct. 2.

Now in its 14th year, the festival honors Puerto Rican culture in the city. The three-day celebration starts on Thursday with a documentary screening, a tribute to the women of salsa, and a flag-raising on Friday, and more Latin music and food on Saturday.

Lehigh Valley Dodgeball is building an inclusive, community-driven space for players of all skill levels in Easton. Open gyms are now underway every Monday night.

Shankweiler’s, renowned as the oldest continuously operating drive‑in theatre in the country since 1934, will soon be showcased to millions across the country on "Good Morning America."

After an "unimaginably" successful first year, IronPigs President Kurt Landes announced the Illumination experience will return to Coca-Cola Park for the upcoming holiday season. Tickets are on sale now.

Beatles tribute act Rain performing a Christmas tribute at 8 p.m. Dec. 5.

It's spooky season in July at the third annual Greenway Pride festival held from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Juily 26, in South Bethlehem.

Country music hitmaker Riley Green has no tickets left for his Aug. 1 Steel Stage concert, Musikfest presenters ArtsQuest said on its Facebook page.

Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom is bringing another Philadelphia Eagle to the area for a charitable event.

A community-driven plan to address upgrades to the city’s park network over the next decade is nearing the end of its public input phase.

Alejandro Escovedo, a member of the musical family that has made stars of his brothers — percussionist Coke Escovedo, who played with Santana, and Pete Escovedo, father of Sheila E. — will play Tuesday, Sept. 9 in The Archer's Arrow Room.

The city and Lehigh Valley partners want you and the whole family to check out the free World Heritage Community Celebration from noon to 7 p.m. Sept. 6.

The Bethlehem Rose Garden, at West Union Boulevard and Eighth Avenue, recently was approved for the funding through the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

Scott Gordon is a professor of English and a scholar of the Colonial and post-Colonial history of the Lehigh Valley. He recently spoke with WLVR’s Brad Klein about the role the Moravians played in the American Revolution.

From 8 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Friday, July 25, you'll be able to buy tickets for six of Musikfest's 11 headline shows — and a paid-ticket Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks show — at 25% off.

Megan Moroney, who last year won the Academy of Country Music's New Female Artist of the Year, is the first artist to sell out a concert on this year's Musikfest main Steel Stage.