Arts & Culture

Indie/punk/pop rockers Slingshot Dakota opened the festivities for Musikfest 2023 Thursday night, regaling the crowd with a succession of energetic hits.

As Musikfest enters its fifth decade, who have been the best of its 370 headline acts? Our music expert gives us his set list.

Lehigh Valley indie-rockers Slingshot Dakota are kicking off Musikfest at the Air Products Americaplatz at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks stage at 5 p.m. Thursday, bringing their unique and creatively energetic punk rock sans guitar.

Welcome to LehighValleyNews.com's Fest in Show, a daily offering of some of the can't-miss acts on the stages of Musikfest.

Musikfest, a 10-day festival of music, food, refreshments and more, celebrates its 40th year beginning on Thursday.

The classic & antique car festival is expected to bring thousands of visitors and hundreds of cars to the park, dating back to the early 1900s.

The Musikfest show will be the first day — and second stop — in Allman’s See It All American Tour with Donovan Frankenreiter. The tour will be an attempt by Allman and Frankenreiter to set the official world record by playing 50 shows in 50 states in 49 days.

Philadelphia psyche-pop master Kurt Vile and The Violators, who topped the Adult Album Alternative charts with the 2015 song “Pretty Pimpin’” and have had three albums in the overall Top 50, will headline a concert with the late jazz great Sun Ra’s band The Sun Ra Arkestra at Allentown’s Miller Symphony Hall.

The opening acts for Musikfest's main stage headliners have been announced. They include several Lehigh Valley favorites.

A completely dry stretch of weather is almost unheard of this time of year, said meteorologist Bobby Martrich of EPAWA Weather Consulting, the official forecaster of Musikfest.

Let Freedom Sing, to be held at 7 p.m. May 27 at Allentown’s Coca-Cola Park, seeks to unite more than 5,000 voices from across the region for “a choral experience to the community, uniting in celebration.”

John Mulaney, who for six years was a writer on “Saturday Night Live” and starred in the short-lived FOX-TV series “Mulaney,” will perform at 7 p.m., it was announced by ArtsQuest, the nonprofit that produces Musikfest.

Jeff Foxworthy, whose catchphrase is “You just might be a redneck,” will perform Thursday, April 9, it was announced.

“Weird Al” Yankovic, best known for turning Michael Jackson’s 1984 hit “Beat It” into the parody “Eat It” for a Top 15 hit that was certified gold, will perform at Musikfest 2026, it was announced.

Bailey Zimmerman, best known for his multi-platinum hits "Fall in Love," "Rock and a Hard Place" and "Religiously," will perform at 7 p.m. Aug. 6, ArtsQuest revealed Monday.

Next month, Wind Creek Event Center owner Jeff Trainer plans to open The Broken Record, a restaurant in Lower Macungie Township that will combine a broad range of food offerings with a music theme — and perhaps more.

Crayola has announced the lineup for Crayola Creativity Week 2026, with special guests like Kate Micucci — a Nazareth native — and Questlove.

Just like the former Bethlehem shop, the store sells gently worn women’s, men’s, and kids’ clothing — all donated by members of the Barkley family.

Christmas City Village will run from Nov. 14 through Dec. 21, operating from noon to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Christkindlmarkt will run Fridays-Sundays through Nov. 30. It then will open Thursdays-Sundays, Dec. 4 though Dec. 21.

Illumination is back at Coca-Cola Park for the holiday season with more experiences and more lights. For its second year, the seasonal event returned with about 1.5 million lights and more chances to warm up and embrace the holiday spirit.

Holiday lights will illuminate the Lehigh Valley Zoo and Coca-Cola Park while Christmas City decks the hall with Moravian traditions this holiday season.