Arts & Culture

On Thursday, ArtsQuest and public officials gathered for a ceremonial "brick-breaking" marking the start of construction work at the former Bethlehem Steel Turn and Grind Shop at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

Straight No Chaser will perform at the theater at 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 5. And the stage play "Waitress" at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 and 16.

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.

Available through early March, the private chalets seat up to six guests and are designed in an alpine décor, including seasonal treats such as hot chocolate, s’mores and optional add-on snacks, as well as access to a heated outdoor hot tub.

ArtsQuest has announced that 26 bands from Pennsylvania and New Jersey will compete over five dates in February and March, in front of live audiences and a judging panel of music educators at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be observed Monday, Jan. 19, with a wide range of events across the Lehigh Valley honoring the life and legacy of the civil rights leader.

As America approaches its 250th birthday in 2026, we take a look back at the role Allentown played in hiding the Liberty Bell from British troops during the Revolutionary War.

Roebucks' newest film, made entirely in the Lehigh Valley, will premiere Feb. 21 with three red-carpet events before a Feb. 27 national release.

Jessica "Jess" Lee, 67, served PBS39 viewers in the Lehigh Valley for nearly a half-century. The Bethlehem native and Liberty High alum died Thursday after a battle with cancer. She joined the station in 1980.

Scranton rock band Tigers Jaw will perform at Allentown's Archer Music Hall as part of the venue's Pennsylvania's Own series of Keystone State musical act. Tickets went on sale Friday.

A new addition at Steel Ice Center will house the facility's now third 200-by-85-foot ice rink, along with a new fitness center, stretch-and-recovery lab and other amenities.

Juxtahub has tapped Ryan Hill, who previously served as its chief programming officer since April, to serve as its executive director. Hill will participate in the arts center and gallery's JuxTuesday on Jan. 13.

On Thursday, representatives of Steel Ice Center will be back before city planners with the latest on an expansion for the site at the intersection of East Second and Polk streets, west of SteelStacks.

Secondhand Serenade, the acoustic rocker who had the double-platinum hit "Fall for You" in 2008 and put three songs in the Top 20 on Billboard's Indie Albums chart, will perform Friday, June 19.

As families celebrated Día de los Reyes, Sunday's celebration marked the end of the holiday season as children received Toys for Tots gifts during a joyful event that honored tradition and community.