It’s Gettin’ Hot in Here! ArtsQuest to Welcome Nelly to the Wind Creek Steel Stage for Musikfest 2025
Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA., December 9, 2024 – ArtsQuest is thrilled to announce the fourth Musikfest 2025 headliner, Nelly, will be coming to the Wind Creek Steel Stage on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.
This show is sponsored by Yuengling Flight and Rich Mar Florist, with media partner LOUD Radio. Ticket access begins Tuesday, December 10 for ArtsQuest Members and Friday, December 13 for the general public at Musikfest.org. Ticket prices run from $39 to $129 ($234 for Steel Terrace which includes dinner, drinks and dessert at private tables under a covered tent). For more exclusive ticket access and advance purchase opportunities, become an ArtsQuest Circle Donor today. Gates open at 6 p.m., and the show kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
For 24 years, Nelly has been connecting generations with his exuberant anthems, fusing musical genres and engaging in multiple entertainment mediums including music, television and film. The diamond-selling, multi-platinum, 3x Grammy award-winning rap superstar, entrepreneur, philanthropist and actor, Nelly, has continuously raised the bar for the entertainment industry since stepping on the scene in 2000 with his distinctive vocals and larger-than-life personality.
Nelly strives to be a trailblazer and to be the first to make his mark in every category such as being the first hip hop artist to blur the musical genres of Hip Hop and Country with the chart-topping hit Over and Over with Tim McGraw. Nelly’s music history is lengthy beginning with his solo career in the year 2000, with his commercial debut album Country Grammar, of which the featured title track and the single “Ride wit Me” were top 10 hits. His following album Nellyville produced the number-one hits “Hot in Herre” and “Dilemma” (featuring Kelly Rowland), alongside many top-charting singles. The performer’s Country Grammar album, Nellyville album and his song “Cruise” with FGL have both achieved Diamond status. Nelly’s fifth studio album, Brass Knuckles, was released in 2008 producing the singles “Party People” (featuring Fergie), “Stepped on My J’z” (featuring Jermaine Dupri and Ciara) and “Body on Me” (featuring Akon and Ashanti). In 2010, Nelly released the album 5.0. The lead single, “Just a Dream”, was certified triple platinum by RIAA.
The music mogul’s newest album HEARTLAND made it to Billboard’s top ten Country Album Charts, double platinum certification for “Lil Bit” featuring Florida Georgia Line, “Cruise” being the best-selling country digital song of 2014, while “Dilemma” marked 1 billion views on YouTube.
About Musikfest
A total of 1,029,417 people attended Musikfest in 2024. The 11-day festival featured over 500 free performances, across 16 stages located throughout both the north and south-sides of Bethlehem. The 42nd Musikfest is scheduled for August 1 – 10, 2025. This year’s Musikfest 2025 poster artist is Banana Factory Teaching Artist Mallory Zondag. To see the poster and learn more about Zondag’s vision for it, along with information about the festival, visit musikfest.org.
About ArtsQuest
ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the Banana Factory Arts Center; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, of which nearly 50% are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.
