Arts & Culture

At the Allentown Fair grandstand on Thursday, the hyperactivity was dialed back a measure for Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour, and the kids — who made up about half the audience of perhaps 3,000 — were at least exposed to learning.

The crowd at Allentown Fair for Cheap Trick and Blue Oyster Cult was there to hear the hits of their youth and — for the most part — got what they wanted.

For the first time, Robbie Furman will showcase his work at the Allentown Fair.

The oppressive heat did not deter folks from making their way to the 172nd Great Allentown Fair at the Allentown Fairgrounds on Wednesday. Great food and drinks, amusement park rides and a variety of events will take place at the fair through Monday, Sept. 2.

Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour hits the grandstand stage at Allentown Fair at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. Tickets, at $30 each, remain available at the fair website.

Nearly 50 years later, Blue Öyster Cult still is performing, and this year even released "Ghost Stories," its first album of new material in four years and only second in 23 years. The group also will open for fellow 1970s rockers Cheap Trick as the grandstand feature for opening night at Allentown Fair at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28.

The wartime lost portrait by German artist Lucas Cranach the Elder, entitled "Portrait of George the Bearded, Duke of Saxony," has hung at the Allentown Art Museum since 1961.

Bethlehem's SouthSide Arts District has joined with the city and Wawa stores to create what it calls a "Gateway sign" — "a vibrant public art piece that enhances the entrance between Route 412 and SouthSide downtown."

The 2024 Great Allentown Fair runs Wednesday, Aug. 28 through Monday, Sept. 2. We've got a rundown on what you can expect, from the grandstand headliners to the Iron Chef competition and more.

The Lehigh Valley Zoo is hosting its annual Brew at the Zoo again in 2024. This year, it falls on Saturday, Sept. 14, and will feature more than three dozen craft beers and ciders.

On Thursday, representatives of Steel Ice Center will be back before city planners with the latest on an expansion for the site at the intersection of East Second and Polk streets, west of SteelStacks.

Secondhand Serenade, the acoustic rocker who had the double-platinum hit "Fall for You" in 2008 and put three songs in the Top 20 on Billboard's Indie Albums chart, will perform Friday, June 19.

As families celebrated Día de los Reyes, Sunday's celebration marked the end of the holiday season as children received Toys for Tots gifts during a joyful event that honored tradition and community.

Co-hosted by a father-daughter duo, the show is focused on renovation, but the pair said they also wanted to create family-friendly entertainment while working to preserve existing farms from development.

ArtsQuest’s annual Souper Bowl, in which area restaurants compete to create the best bouillons and superior stews, will return for a 16th year, it was announced. The event will be at 1 p.m. Feb. 1 in Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.

Lincoln Financial Field's The Wing Wall, painted by Lehigh Valley artist Justin Klement, has been "the most Instagrammable thing down at The Linc since it’s been built," he says.

Of the thousands of stories covered and told in 2025, our staff picked some of their favorites. They included a bald eagle looking for love in the Hellertown area and an $11 million "sky dome" planned for Easton.

Despite frigid temperatures — gusts drove the wind chill down to a bone-chilling 14 degrees Tuesday — families still lined up both indoors and outdoors across the SteelStacks campus for the 17th annual PeepsFest.

The Broken Record, whose decor and even food names follow a music theme, held a soft opening at its strip-center location at 6776 Hamilton Blvd. in Lower Macungie Township.

With the new year comes a new season of high school musicals, as hundreds of student performers begin rehearsals, hoping for a nomination at the 24th annual Freddy Awards.

Tickets to PeepsFest, the Peeps-themed New Year’s celebration at SteelStacks with its family-friendly party Dec. 30-31, are sold out, according to the ArtsQuest website.

A look back at some of our favorite arts, culture, and entertainment stories of the year, including Allentown Art Museum's must-see windows, Musikfest, Super Bowl bling, and a rock legend's last performance in Allentown.