Musikfest Announces 2024 Free Stage Lineup
See performances by Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Hannah Wicklund, Saxsquatch, and more!
Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA, July 22, 2024- ArtsQuest is excited to announce its Musikfest 2024 Free Stage lineup, hosting over 500 musical acts across 16 free stages throughout the city. To view a full list of performers and stay up to date on food, festivities and more, visit musikfest.org or download the Musikfest app powered by PNC.
Southside Highlights
Acts performing at the Air Products Americaplatz at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks this year include Melt on Sunday, Aug. 4; Preservation Hall Jazz Band on Thursday, Aug. 8; Scythian on Friday, Aug. 9 and Dustbowl Revival on Saturday, Aug. 10.
Additionally, South Carolina musician Hannah Wicklund will help start the festival with a preview night performance on Thursday, Aug. 1. Wicklund began touring at 16 years old and has since toured with several big artists, including musician and singer Marcus King and this year’s Musikfest headliner Great Van Fleet during the European leg of their 2022 “Dreams in Gold” tour. The singer released her album, The Prize, in 2024, receiving critical acclaim and a feature on The Times’ “Best Albums Of 2024 So Far” list.
‘Festers can also watch performances by Burn the Jukebox, a rock ‘n’ roll band of high school students from Northeastern, Pa., on Sunday, Aug. 11 and Bigfoot-dressed musician Saxsquatch on Monday, Aug. 5 and Tuesday, Aug. 6 at the Highmark Blue Shield Community Stage.
North Side Highlights
Located on Main and Lehigh Streets, the Guardian Zinzenplatz stage will host The Arcadian Wild on Saturday, Aug. 3; Dracu-Las on Sunday, Aug. 4; Jagged Little Thrill – The Alanis Experience on Friday, Aug. 9 and Bassel & The Supernaturals on Sunday, Aug. 11.
Don’t miss Max Embers at the Hotel Bethlehem Platz on Friday, Aug. 2. Born in Germany, Embers attended Liberty High School in the Bethlehem Area School District through an exchange student program before returning to the states to attend Berklee College of Music. The now Los Angeles based singer-songwriter has worked with major label artists like GRAMMY nominee Noah Cyrus, Swedish star Feliz Sandman and Joji. Embers will also perform on Sunday, Aug. 3 and Saturday, Aug. 4.
Other free stage acts include Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise at Plaza Tropical on Friday, Aug. 9; The Sensational Barnes Brothers at PNC Stadtplaz on Sunday, Aug. 11 and House of Hamill at IBEW Local 375 Liederplatz on Thursday, Aug. 8
For more free entertainment, check out eVenti Verticali’s SPHERE Aug. 9 – 11 at the Martin Guitar Handwerkplatz. All the way from Italy, SPHERE is a 30-minute outdoor performance delivered by five aerialists suspended from a crane 60 feet above the ground. The aerialists will take the audience on a journey reflecting on their life on planet earth in this brand new Musikfest addition. Performances will be held at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
To view the complete list of free performers, visit the new, user-friendly Musikfest website at musikfest.org.
Musikfest will take place Aug. 1 – 11, 2024. This year’s main stage acts performing at the Wind Creek Steel Stage at PNC Plaza include Sugar Ray, Better Than Ezra and Tonic, Shinedown, Jowell & Randy, SLASH – S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, Old Dominion, Lynyrd Skynyrd: Celebrating 50 Years, Black Eyed Peas, Big Time Rush, Ludacris and ZZ Top. 15 diverse opening acts will also take the stage with performances by The Beaches, Luis Figueroa, Flyana Boss, Sorelle and more. The festival will kick off with a preview night on Aug. 1 with headliner Greta Van Fleet.
For more information and to view participating vendors and performers, visit musikfest.org. You can also download the free Musikfest app, powered by PNC, allowing you to customize your schedule and access an interactive Musikfest map, emergency weather information, shuttle schedules, best parking lot locations and more! The app is available to download at the Apple and Google Play app stores.
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 over 50% are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.
