Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Music Festival Tradition: Musikfest

Musikfest is just one of the affordable summer activities in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. Check out other summer festivals in Pennsylvania as well.

Musikfest is a summer music festival tradition that is held every August in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It begins on the first Friday in August and ends on the Sunday, ten days later. Musikfest 2007 runs from August 3 through August 12, ending with a big fireworks show. Each year, more than one million people attend the festival.

Every year, Musikfest offers 700 to 1,000 free shows. But there are also premium artists that charge for advance tickets.

Next to the music attractions, or instead of for some folks, the other main feature of Musikfest is the food. The festival food spans the spectrum of ethnic foods. From traditional American fast foods and dishes, to German, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Southern, Caribbean, Cajun, and more! As with most festivals, the food is not the cheapest for a family. Expect to pay between $10 and $15 per person for each mealtime. And make sure to watch what you eat if you get heartburn easily. Good tasting food is not always nice to your stomach.

Being a German-based event, expect to see dozens, if not hundreds, of brands and varieties of beer. There are always wines and other drinks available. Bringing your own drinks is prohibited and purchasing them at the festival requires that you be carded.

Also, as a German-based event, each of the many Musikfest venues' (locations) names end in "platz," the German word for place, One such popular venue is "Festplatz," where you can eat and listen; it has 300 dining tables and features a polka band.

Each year, Musikfest is operated by ArtsQuest, which is a community-focused, non-profit arts organization founded to "celebrate arts and culture" in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. Proceeds go to several local performing arts organizations.

Literally hundreds (usually 300+) of bands and singers appear at Musikfest each year. If polka is not for your, Musikfest has many alternatives, from rock, country, rap, swing, and more, some of which will meet anyone's music tastes. From local and regional bands to big name, chart toppers.

Appearing Artists for 2007

In 2007, some of the biggest music stars that are scheduled to perform at Musikfest include, Patti LaBelle, Petula Clark, Ludacris, Deep Purple, The Black Crowes, Big & Rich, The Moody Blues, Meat Loaf, B.B. King, Stone Sour, The Manhattan Transfer, and Big & Rich with Cowboy Troy.

History

Musikfest began in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1984. That first year, the festival began small and hosted 182,000 visitors and featured 118 performers with 295 performances on 6 stages.

No one knew that the festival would grow into what it has become today nor that it would recur every year for over 20 years. Today, Musicfest has grown into a 10-day musical event that boasts over one million people from all over the country.

Each year, Musicfest has more than 300 performers from across the country and the world. It has 13 different indoor and outdoor stages. Tons of foods of several ethnicities are offered. In addition, there are several fun and educational activities for the family and children.

Volunteering

In order to run such as large event, Musikfest requires the help of around 2,000 local volunteers each year. Volunteers run sites, stages and operational functions of the festival. The volunteering has become as much a tradition as Musikfest itself.

Volunteering has its benefits as well. Those serving 18-29 hours during the festival receive a volunteer shirt, souvenir pin, name badge, shuttle bus and trolley transportation, $5 in food and beverage tickets per shift and a coupon for a nonalcoholic beverage each shift. Volunteering at Musikfest is a good addition to young people's resumes.

Costs

At Musikfest, there a free music performances and pay performances. There are hundreds of free, mostly outdoor music performances throughout the day and into the evening. At night, the pay performances by big name performers begin. These are generally indoors and cost between $22 and $45 per performance.

The food and drinks will cost you, on average, about $10 to $15 per meal.

VIP Packages

Musikfest offers VIP Packages for groups or families. The features generally include a more secluded, private area, some with air conditioning (depending on price). Some offer waiter/serving services for food and more. Some offer premium food, others offer pizza and sandwiches. They all offer prime seating for premium performances at night. These packages will cost you from $30, up to around $150 person per day.

Special Events

As a festival, Musikfest runs special events throughout the duration of the festival. A few are listed below. To check out the rest, visit Musikfest's official site.

Reggae Day - non-stop reggae.

Day at the Beach - music, games, contests and exotic Caribbean foods

Hits of the '50s & '60s - dancing, 50s & 60s music

Dance Party Night - dance to songs of the 80s, 90s, and today

August Indies - Cinema & Draft Night - film festival

Country Music Showcase

Mardi Gras Day - New Orleans themed music

Swing Dance Explosion - dance to Big Bands

Fireworks - to end Musicfest with a bang

Musikfest offers great music by hundreds of performers, food from many ethnic traditions, and educational and fun activities for people of all ages, If this sounds like fun, go check out Musikfest this year!

Musikfest Official Web Site.
http://www.musikfest.org/