Arts & Culture

Friday's show, which started this year's lineup of 48 concerts, gave the audience its first exposure to a new state-of-the-art sound system that replaces a public address system developed 25 years ago.

Two-thirds of the way through construction, the new Creativity Center is ahead of schedule, below budget, growing in size and adding new elements of creativity, opportunity and community, officials said.

WWE will return to the Lehigh Valley this summer, bringing its 2026 Summer Tour to the PPL Center on Thursday, July 16, marking the company’s first live event in Allentown in roughly three years.

The Freddy Awards is now in its 24th year. The ceremony will take place on May 21 at State Theatre.

Country music star Martina McBride and Justin Hayward, who led The Moody Blues for more than 50 years, are among four new shows announced for the theater's 100th season.

Musikfest announced 331 music acts announced for about 500 concerts on the festival's 15 free stages during its July 31-Aug. 9 run, with a July 30 preview night.

The season will offer 48 shows and open May 15.

Hard rock band The Used will perform at Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem on July 22. Tickets are available at the venue website or box office.

Families are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets to the Levitt lawn for the films, which start at 6:30 p.m. and are in English with Spanish subtitles.

The Box Tops will be the opening act for another 1960s act, Herman's Hermits with Peter Noone, at Easton's State Theatre.Tickets, at $70-$90, remain available.

For the 172nd fair, which kicks off Aug. 28 and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 2, fair President Daryl Urmy has challenged concessionaires to come up with new treats at their stands. Eighteen concessions have responded, hoping fair-goers will belly up to their counters and try something new.

The Allentown Repertory Dance Theatre and Allentown Symphony Orchestra are seeking dancers for its celebrated annual production of The Nutcracker. Auditions for the performance are scheduled for Aug. 25 at Repertory Ballet Academy, 6426 Memorial Road, Allentown.

Jonny Craig, the singer who led indie bands Dance Gavin Dance, Emarosa and Slaves, will perform at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, at Northampton's Gin Mill & Grille.

The Pen Argyl restaurant was brought into the limelight by Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy several months ago. Now it'll join Portnoy for his one-day One Bite Pizza Festival.

Allentown Rescue Mission began its art therapy program during the pandemic. It has since become one of the favorite classes among the men who temporarily reside at the shelter.

Gov. Josh Shapiro recently signed House Bill 829 and Senate Bill 688 into law. Both expand on the state's unusual and complex liquor laws, including an increase in happy hour and combo meal opportunities.

Dorney Park's Halloween Haunt, which features haunted mazes, elaborate scare zones and more, will return, the park announced.

Musikfest, the largest non-gated music festival in the country, said it still had record crowds for its headline Steel Stage, and the most sold-out headline shows in its history.

State Sen. Nick Miller said he hopes the federal funds drive more people to Miller Symphony Hall.

If you missed the fireworks display that brought Musikfest 2024 to a close, you can catch a time-lapse of it here, recorded from the Univest Public Media Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem. The 11-day festival ended Sunday night.

Rod Stewart, who in his 55-year recording career has sold more than 40 million albums in the United States alone and had nearly 30 Top 25 hits, will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23.

While memories still are fresh, the reviewers at LehighValleyNews.com have ranked their favorites of Musikfest's 11 headline shows this year.