Arts & Culture

The staff at Bethlehem Area Public Library has taken out the time to tell us their favorite chapters of the entire year that has just passed.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Mahogany Reynolds-Clarke, founder and executive director of Just Be You Academy & Performing Arts, held a presentation on Kwanzaa at Easton Area Public Library's Palmer Branch Thursday evening.

The Winter Light Spectacular features 1.2 million lights in holiday displays, fire pits for s’mores, hot chocolate and live performances by princesses Anna, Elsa, Belle and Cinderella.

Chuck D, one of the founders of seminal rap group Public Enemy, will present "A conversation with Hip Hop legend Chuck D of Public Enemy" at 7 p.m. April 16 in NCC's Spartan Center.

Looking for a fun way to ring in the New Year? We've got you covered with some local events that are fun for the whole family.

The Lehigh Valley tradition started in 2009. The family-friendly New Year's celebration returns this Saturday and Sunday at the SteelStacks campus in Bethlehem. Fireworks are set for both nights.

The flagship store for Dave Phillips Music & Sound will close in the coming days, owner Joe DiMarco wrote on Facebook. On Wednesday, customers who flooded the store lamented the loss.

The second annual Allentown Film Festival will be from April 6-14 at the Civic Theatre of Allentown and its boutique Theatre514 across the street.

Ashley Cooke, best known for her song "Never Til Now," her gold single with Brett Young, will perform at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Longswamp Township, Berks County, on Jan. 26.

The idea is simple: What if a man dressed as a Sasquatch in shades and a bandanna played saxophone and EDM covers of pop hits? Turns out, it's a winning formula, and Musikfest 2024 attendees absolutely love it.

Carly Pearce, best known for her triple-platinum 2019 hit "I Hope You're Happy Now" with Lee Brice, will perform at 8 p.m. May 2 at the venue. Singer Carter Faith will be the opening act.

Welcome to LehighValleyNew.com's Fest in Show, a daily offering of some of the can't-miss acts on the free stages of Bethlehem's Musikfest festival.

The Bach Choir of Bethlehem's new 2024-25 season will begin in September with a free Bach at Noon concert.

Gates for the headliner show now will open at 4 p.m. and the Old Dominion performance will begin at 5 p.m., the festival said in a release.

Welcome to LehighValleyNew.com's Fest in Show, a daily offering of some of the can't-miss acts on the free stages of Bethlehem's Musikfest festival.

The Puerto Rican reggaeton superstars, who came on the scene in the early 2000s, performed a medley of their hits like "Loco" "Bonita" at Musikfest on Aug. 4.

Musikfest organizers have already eliminated paper food and beverage tickets, and started using renewable energy sources to power tents, vendors and beer trucks – but the work continues to make the event more environmentally-friendly.

Welcome to LehighValleyNew.com's Fest in Show, a daily offering of some of the can't-miss acts on the free stages of Bethlehem's Musikfest festival.

Marlo Shankweiler, guitarist for Melt, talks about her homegrown roots before her performance at Musikfest on Sunday.

In a rain-delayed concert of 16 songs in 97 minutes, Shinedown put on a virtual master class on how to please fans, playing a breadth of hits from the band's 21 years, connecting with the crowd and putting on a display of staging, with explosions, fire and images on a big screen.

Thunderstorms that Musikfest called "pesky" closed the festival for more than 3 1/2 hours on what is typically one of its busiest days Saturday. The festival also was delayed on the SteelStacks campus as Bethlehem police discovered what they called "a commercial grade firework" at SteelStacks.