Arts & Culture

With Allentown Fair opening its 173rd year today, music critic John J. Moser has 25 years of reviewing grandstand shows behind him. These are the best he's seen, ranked in order.

Heart will perform a grandstand show at 7 p.m. Aug. 27 on the opening night of Allentown Fair. Tickets remain available.

The 173rd Great Allentown Fair opens Wednesday, Aug. 27, through Labor Day, Sept. 1. The fair features rides, food, concerts, and family fun at one of Pennsylvania’s oldest fairs.

The 2025-26 season will feature innovative performances, including a modern "Alice in Wonderland" and an adaptation of "Medea." Part of the new UnBound Year-Round series, the season will run from Oct. 8 through June 30 in Bethlehem.

A few authors have brought books into Moravian Book Shop with AI-generated covers or art. That was enough for the staff to formally announce online that the bookstore would not support the use of technology that may replace creative jobs.

Coalition for Appropriate Transportation outside its headquarters on Friday announced it was awarded $634,122 to further its educational programming across the Lehigh Valley.

Recently retired linebacker Brandon Graham was the star turn at Dorney Park's tailgate party, where more than 100 fans celebrated the NFL season’s imminent start.

ArtsQuest's Cold Brew Hullabaloo, a cold coffee convention that debuted at Musikfest Café at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks last year, will return Sept. 14, it was announced.

This year's honorees are abstract artist Michael Freeman, Lehigh University producer Steven Lichak, museum accessibility advocate Elise Schaffer, and members of the IceHouse Performing Arts Collaborative. The group will be honored at an awards ceremony in September.

The Struts performed Wednesday night at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks. The focus of the concert was a celebration of the 10th anniversary U.S. release of their debut album, "Everybody Wants."

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.

Seph Schlueter, whose song "Counting My Blessings" topped both Billboard's Christian Airplay and Christian Adult Contemporary charts, will play at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at Calvary Baptist Church at 5300 Green Pond Road.

Pink Talking Fish, a tribute to Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish, will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 10, it was announced.

The event center has announced it's offering 25% off tickets to seven select shows, including matchbox twenty singer Rob Thomas, jazz singer Diana Krall and alternative rockers Bush.