Musikfest Voted ‘Best Festival in North America’ in USA Today Reader’s Poll

The festival is the only back-to-back winner in the poll’s history.

In USA Today’s 2020 poll of the 10Best Festivals in North America, Bethlehem’s Musikfest was voted number one, again(!) followed by other distinguished names in the industry such as Riot Fest (2), Bonnaroo (8) and The Newport Folk Festival (9). For the poll, USA Today selected 20 well-known music festivals in the nation and gave their readers four weeks to vote for their favorite top 10.

Founded in 1984 by the nonprofit ArtsQuest, the first Musikfest featured 295 performances on six stages, attracting more than 180,000 people to historic Bethlehem. Over the past three decades, the event has grown to become the largest free festival in the nation, with 500-plus shows on 16 stages over 10 days. Each year more than 900,000 people make their way to the Lehigh Valley and the festival, with their sights set on experiencing all the music, food and fun of this musical extravaganza.

Musikfest and all of its free programming is made possible through the support of 1,700 volunteers, 150 corporate partners, the City of Bethlehem, the Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority, ArtsQuest Members, the artists, performers, vendors and patrons.