Arts & Culture

Rob Thomas, whose band matchbox twenty’s 1996 debut album “Yourself or Someone Like You” sold 12 million copies and produced four of the band’s dozen hits — “Push,” “3 a.m.,” “Real World” and “Back 2 Good” — will return to the center at 8 p.m. Jan. 16.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents the Greatest Show on Earth will have seven performances at Allentown's PPL Center: 7 p.m. May 21 and May 22; 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. May 23; and noon and 4 p.m. May 24, it was announced.

Culture Club and jazz singer Diana Krall are coming to the Wind Creek Event Center in separate shows in February.

The 15th annual German-themed festival, which ran Oct. 3-5 and Oct. 10-1 on the SteelStacks campus, had record-breaking attendance for the second straight year, ArtsQuest has announced.

Now in its fourth year, the awards ceremony recognized excellence across 17 categories, honoring everyone from seasoned entrepreneurs, actors, models, and filmmakers to emerging young talent. It was held at Archer Music Hall in Allentown.

Even after Hispanic Heritage Month ended, Northeast Middle School in Bethlehem was alive with the sound of salsa and the aroma of arroz con gandules during BASD’s annual Hispanic Heritage celebration.

Singer-songwriter Joshua Radin will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at Sellersville Theater 1894. Tickets, at $35 to $72, are available on the theater's website and are expected to be available at the door.

The annual holiday attraction is returning to Lehigh Parkway in Allentown for its 29th season with some new experiences.

Curt Mosel, ArtsQuest chief operating officer, called the occasion “another exciting milestone” for the incoming ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL, expected to open late next year at 25 W. Third St.

The production of "Macbeth" will take place at 8 p.m. Friday at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts at DeSales University.

Pennsylvania Music Preservation Society will present Music Alive at the Ritz, a series of shows on Sundays through October.

Sponge, whose biggest hit, “Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain),” hit No. 3 on Billboard's Hot Modern Rock charts in 1994, will perform at The Gin Mill and Grill in Northampton. Sponge will top a five-act show at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 13 in what the venue calls a "customer appreciation pre-Xmas bash."

The Party Animals traveling circus of Banana Ball couldn’t run without its many unsung heroes — from an umpire with a background in parkour to a player director with a degree in entertainment design.

The Knauss Homestead Preservation Society is coming back for its fourth year this summer at the Knauss Homestead Farmhouse in Emmaus. The late July event is free, but registration for attendance is required.

The quaint shop on North New Street sells stones from South America, Mexico and the Middle East, as well as locally themed artwork.

Coca-Cola Park will be hosting the Party Animals for two games of Banana Ball as part of the Banana Ball World Tour this weekend.

Foreigner, which ruled the charts from 1977 to 1987 with songs such as “Feels Like the First Time," "Hot Blooded" and "Waiting for a Girl Like You," will perform at Wind Creek Event Center on Sunday, Dec. 7.

Sigal Museum held a screening of Mariska Hargitay's movie about her famous mother for staff and volunteers on Tuesday. Hargitay filmed at the museum while tracing her family tree for the film.

Thomas Riddle of Bethlehem, founder and chairman of Valley National Financial Advisors, will be recipient of the Linny Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 Linny Awards ceremony on Oct. 23, ArtsQuest announced.

Drake Bell, best known for his starring roles on Nickelodeon’s “The Amanda Show” with Amanda Bynes from 1999-02, and “Drake & Josh” from 2004-07, will perform at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at Gin Mill and Grille, at 1750 Main St., Northampton.

George Gray was the founder of the U.S. Coast Guard Art Program and a combat artist during World War II and in Vietnam. Gray painted 233 murals for hotels across the country. Historic Hotel Bethlehem is the only hotel that still retains Gray's work, and has gained national recognition.

A group of entertainers held their first-ever AfroBeats celebration with dance classes, DJ sets and West African and Caribbean eats on Saturday, June 28 at the Wooden Match.