UPPER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — A new ArtsQuest festival announced in February as a paid-ticket event now will be free, organizers said.
The first Upper Mac Community Day, originally announced as a three-day event in Upper Macungie Township's Grange Park, will be a free one-day event on June 24 featuring family-friendly music, games, food and amusements.
- ArtsQuest has announced that its first Upper Mac Days, originally announced as a three-day, paid-ticket event, will instead be a free one-day event
- It will be June 24 at Grange Park in Upper Macungie
- It will feature firefighter games, archery, disc golf, stationary bike races from Valley Preferred Cycle, cornhole and a variety of lawn games and live music
ArtsQuest had been selling tickets for the event with a daily price of $9 and $5 for ages 13 and younger, with prices set to increase to $14 and $10 starting June 18.
On the SteelStacks website, that has been replaced by details of the single-day event 12-8 p.m. June 24.
"After evaluating our presence in Upper Macungie Township, specifically our ticketed events like Concerts on the Grange, Sangria Fest and Veg Fest, we felt strongly that Upper Mac Days should be held as a free event and accessible to all residents, like many other community days that take place at community centers and parks," ArtsQuest said in an email.
"With this change impacting our event economics, moving Upper Mac Days to a one-day free event for this first year made the most sense."
'Something for everyone'
ArtsQuest said local businesses have stepped up with "phenomenal" sponsorship for the event to replace the need for paid tickets.
ArtsQuest's email said that "in making this adjusted change, we are also redistributing some content to our other ticketed events that will be held at Grange Park." It did not elaborate.
At ArtsQuest's Concerts on the Grange event Friday at Grange Park, ArtsQuest Chief Operating Officer Officer Curt Mosel said Upper Mac Community Day will offer "family fun and kids activities."
People come out for a couple of hours and enjoy the park — a little different from what they normally do here.ArtsQuest Chief Operating Executive Officer Curt Mosel
Mosel said it will have family music during the day, and at night shift to music such as it typically found at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks.
"People come out for a couple of hours and enjoy the park — a little different from what they normally do here," Mosel said.
ArtsQuest's website now describes Upper Mac Community Day as "a family-focused celebration of all things Upper Macungie" with firefighter competitions, bounce houses, bungee trampolines, magicians and bands.
Food and beverage still will be sold by local vendors as well as from ArtsQuest.
"We are excited to partner with Upper Macungie Township on Upper Mac Community Day and anticipate high attendance all day long," ArtsQuest said in the email.
"There will be something for everyone to enjoy and it will be a great day for families to come out and enjoy the fun."
ArtsQuest first revealed details of the event as a series of events partnering with Upper Macungie for a music festival and other events this summer.
The events are significant because ArtsQuest rarely offers programming off its home SteetStacks campus in South Bethlehem.
