Arts & Culture

The 1982 hit includes the lyrics, “Well, we’re livin’ here in Allentown/And they’re closin’ all the factories down” – marking the city a symbol of the American rust belt. Some people who live in Allentown say it's not fair and not true.

Soviet-born Israeli-American classical pianist Yefim Bronfman, whose works have won a Grammy Award and also appeared in Disney films, will open the 73rd season of Allentown’s Miller Symphony Hall.

28 string musicians, most in middle school or younger, performed in Allentown's Miller Symphony Hall Sunday, as part of the Allentown orchestra's education program.

The concert will feature music from local composers and presented by a string quartet.

The two-day, family-friendly festival features lectures from authors, children's story-hours, a jazz brunch and movie night.

ArtsQuest, in partnership with the Lehigh Valley Brewer’s Guild, has announced its first annual Spring Beer Fest on April 15 at the SteelStacks campus.

The Freedom High alum and Franklin and Marshall College grad will appear on Season 20 of the dating reality show.

One Earth ReggaeFest will offer a dozen reggae and related musical acts on two outdoor stages over 12 hours on July 12 on the SteelStacks campus. The hours will be noon to midnight.

The Allentown Symphony Orchestra is gearing up to present "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" in a concert with a screening of the complete film.

Mayfair Festival of the Arts, the Allentown Memorial Day weekend festival that for the past five years has been held at Cedar Crest College, will return May 26-28, the festival announced Tuesday.

The 2024-25 Pennsylvania State Budget introduced updates to the state's complex liquor laws, including extended happy hours and ready-to-drink cocktails. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board already received over a thousand RTDC applications and has begun permitting with the law effective Sept. 16.

”A Sousa Band Concert” with the Allentown Band playing the music of famed composer and conductor John Philip Sousa will be held Sunday, Oct. 13, at Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown. At the show, the first Sousaphone — the large-belled instrument in the tuba family named after Sousa — will be displayed.

Cut the Scrap! opened in June on North 19th Street in the West End of Allentown. Crafters can trade in secondhand art supplies, shop for goods or take an art class.

The Karl Stirner Arts Trail will introduce their 2024-25 artist-in-residence Chakaia Booker with the premier of a piece built from recycled tires, No More Milk and Cookies, at the trail this Sunday.

Several events are in the works to celebrate Latino culture across the Lehigh Valley during Hispanic Heritage Month, which starts Sunday, Sept. 15.

"67 Women, 67 Counties: Facing Breast Cancer in Pennsylvania' will be on display at the Bethlehem Township campus through Sunday, Sept. 22.

Art In The Park, which will showcase the works of hundreds of local musicians, painters, photographers and sculptors, will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept 14, in West End Park.

Allentown Farmers Market, Brass Rail and food truck fare complement free local and regional musical talent through mid-October.

An Evening with Sherlock: BAPL Rare Book Auction, a fund-raising event, will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The library will hold a rare and vintage book sale in the Cohen Room at its main location, Main Library 11 W. Church St., Bethlehem.

Trevor Wallace and Michael Blaustein will take their "The Stiff Socks Podcast" on tour for the first time and will stop at Wind Creek at 8 p.m. Dec. 8.

The Nitro Circus tour will perform at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at Allentown's PPL Center. Tickets, at $54-$204, go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 13 at PPLCenter.com.

On Thursday, Sept. 12, PPL Center turns 10, and since that opening show by The Eagles, the arena has offered more than 1,365 events and brought more than 4.58 million visitors to downtown Allentown for events.