Arts & Culture

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.

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.

Pizzafest, which ArtsQuest calls "a celebration of all things pizza," will be held Sunday, Sept. 29, at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

Terry Bradshaw, who is an NFL Hall of Famer, will perform in Bethlehem as part of a four-city, seven-performance tour. He said the Lehigh Valley stop is part of "Steelers Country."

All-female band Plush stops at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 6, at Maingate Nightclub in Allentown as part of its first headline tour. Tickets are available at www.ticketweb.com.

The 7th iteration of the Nazareth Adult Soap Box race brought many celebrating the legacy of racing in the borough, while others came to celebrate the childlike silliness of the event and the creative cars.

June is Pride Month, an annual celebration of the LGBTQ community. There are many Pride events in and around the Lehigh Valley this year.

The Bayou, a southern food restaurant in Easton and Bethlehem, features food flights twice a week. The restaurant embraces Fat Tuesday each week with its mac and cheese flight, and celebrates Waffle Wednesday with chicken and waffle flights.

It's hard to miss the new mural on Third Street in South Bethlehem. The artists, William Nieves and Jermel Fountain, painted and designed the mural with help from seven fifth-graders from Donegal Elementary School.

Chris Nee’s Comedy to Break the Stigma will be performed at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at Civic Theatre of Allentown, 527 N. 19th St.

Allentown businesses and high school students were honored at the Allentown Chamber of Commerce annual awards reception at the Renaissance Allentown Hotel on Thursday.

Scooped: An Ice Cream Trail has returned for its 7th year, taking Pennsylvanians on a tasty tour of the Keystone State.

The sale, which will be offered in person only, will be noon to 1 p.m. for ArtsQuest Circle donors and ArtsQuest members. It will open to the general public from 2-5 p.m.

Leaders in the arts discussed the cultural and economic impacts of the industry at the Lehigh Valley Arts and Cultural Alliance's 2024 conference at Lafayette College.