Arts & Culture

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.

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.

After chatting through an online dating app, Lehigh Valley natives Stu Elsenbaumer and Jess Madzik had their first date at Musikfest 2021. Now, attending the festival will be a cherished tradition for the newlyweds for years to come.

With the growth of Musikfest comes an ever-growing number of parkers in Bethlehem during Musikfest, one parking official told LehighValleyNews.com. Here's a look at some of your options.

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.

While mid-afternoon rain on Friday forced postponement of Musikfest opening ceremonies, it did not deter folks from attending the festival — just as many food vendors expected.

Billed as one of the country's largest antique and classic car shows, the festival is in its 61st season and will take place on Aug. 2-4 starting at 6 a.m. each day until 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Lauren "Ren" Beck just finished her latest work of art — a mural inspired by this year’s Musikfest poster — painted inside the 1st Street bus shelter at the SteelStacks campus.

Greta Van Fleet's hour-and-52-minute show covered just 11 songs, as the group favored long, meandering guitar solos, and a drum solo, over the hard-hitting rock with which it started.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs flipped the switch on Illumination during a preview event Thursday. Getting to Opening Day involved significant staff efforts, with 12-15 part-time staff and 30-40 people on peak days over a four-week period.

The announcements continue a trend at Musikfest Cafe to book tribute acts and cover bands. In June, ArtsQuest announced more than a dozen shows for the venue's lineup.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs will host the Tri-City Chili Peppers, a college summer team from Colonial Heights, Virginia, that plays in the Coastal Plain League, on May 17 at Coca-Cola Park.

Aaron Lewis, who with Staind sold 10 million copies of the group's first five albums, three of which hit No. 1, will perform with his solo band The Stateliners, at 8 p.m. April 10.

The Symphony is looking for volunteers for its March performances of Vaughn Williams' "Dona Nobis Pacem."

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms Youth U8 Development Program will present free games Nov. 23 and Penguin Figure Skating Club will presents a holiday-themed skating show Nov. 24 at ArtsQuest's Ice Rink at SteelStacks.

Lewis Black, who is known for his angry-face comedic style and also is an author, playwright, social critic and actor, will bring his Goodbye Yeller Brick Road tour to the venue at 8 p.m. Oct. 10.

Roberts was coached by guest mentor Jennifer Hudson and Michael Bublé on "The Voice" Knockout Rounds on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

The 28th annual Lights in the Parkway, an Allentown holiday tradition, will be held on the Lehigh Parkway from Friday, Nov. 29 through Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. Visitors can drive through more than a mile of enchanting holiday displays featuring between 175,000-200,000 LED lights.

A sale is scheduled to close in the coming months to Wilkes-Barre-based D&D Realty Group, which has plans for the holiday lights to continue, albeit in a new fashion.

Addison Agen, who finished second to Chloe Kohanski on the show's 13th season, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at the center at 30 E. Belvidere St., Nazareth.

Musikfest will be "Different Round Here" in 2025, with country singer Riley Green announced as the first headliner for next summer's festival.