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Musikfest Preview Night arrives Thursday, July 30, followed by 10 days of music, food, art and nearly unavoidable reunions throughout Bethlehem from Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 9.
For the fifth annual Mayor’s Musikfest Preview Podcast, we set up at StadtPlatz outside Bethlehem City Hall with Mayor J. William Reynolds and eight guests who plan the festival, perform on its stages, volunteer behind the scenes and help create the community around it.
The 43rd Musikfest features more than 400 performers and 500 performances across 16 stages, 15 of which are free.
Mayor Reynolds described Musikfest as a shared experience that cannot be recreated through a screen.
“You can’t one-up somebody else’s experience. What happens there is that it brings people together, and it shows us what’s possible when we’re focused on people.”
Building a temporary city
ArtsQuest President and CEO Kassie Hilgert started with the people responsible for turning more than 50 acres of Bethlehem into the country’s largest free music festival.
“It takes 5,000 people to put this festival up and to tear it down. You’ve got volunteers that are taking 10 days from their vacation time at work to support this festival.”
Hilgert also made a direct appeal for people to support the vendors, restaurants, hotels, artists and cultural organizations that keep events like Musikfest alive.
Patrick Brogan, ArtsQuest’s Chief Programming Officer, said more than 2,000 artists applied to perform this year. The final program includes 417 artists presenting 512 sets, with roughly one-third of the festival changing each year.
His advice is simple:
“Follow your ears through the festival.”
Turn a corner, stop at an unfamiliar stage and stay long enough to find the artist who could become your next favorite.
“The soundtrack of Bethlehem”
Miguel Perez-Soto has experienced Musikfest as an ArtsQuest board member, a musician, a B. Braun Medical employee and a supporter who has been attending for 25 years.
He has also watched Musikfest and ArtsQuest’s year-round programming grow to represent more of the cultures found throughout Bethlehem.
“Musikfest is the soundtrack of Bethlehem. We’re going to have a great time doing this for the next 10 days, but throughout the year, Bethlehem always has the initiative to reinvent itself and put events together for the entire family, for the entire community.”
A place where everyone can Fest
Richard Liu helped lead the creation of SoberPlatz, the inclusive alcohol-free space that returns to the SouthSide for its second year. Located near Americaplatz and the Flywheel, SoberPlatz offers room to relax, activities, recovery resources and a community that does not revolve around drinking.
Everyone is welcome. The only request is that visitors not bring alcohol into the space.
Liu shared the response that showed exactly why SoberPlatz was needed.
“I’ve had people tell me they didn’t feel like they could Fest until SoberPlatz was there.”
For Liu, Musikfest ultimately comes back to people.
“It’s the volunteers that I see year after year and become friends with. It’s the friendships with performers who come back year after year. It’s the community members who I see and become friends with. It’s the people.”
Learn more about SoberPlatz and its 2026 activities.
Community voices and volunteers
WDIY Executive Director Margaret McConnell described the station as another community organization powered largely by volunteers.
WDIY was built by community members who wanted their own radio station. Its programming still reflects that original mission.
“Picking hand-curated music, no algorithms involved. Very little automation. This is really led by this community, for this community.”
ArtsQuest ambassador-level volunteer Robin Sherrerd has poured beer, sold tickets, worked with the Eco Squad and served as a site supervisor.
“I worked my way up to site supervisor and enjoyed every bit of it because of the camaraderie that we have with all of the other volunteers.”
Those relationships continue after the tents come down. Sherrerd said many volunteers have become friends who see one another and spend time together throughout the year.
Two Bethlehem artists step onto the stage
Bethlehem country artist Lilly Moss opens for Russell Dickerson at the Wind Creek Steel Stage on Friday, July 31. She returns Sunday, August 2 for a free Main Street performance.
Two years ago, Moss opened a fortune cookie while attending the Maren Morris concert at Musikfest.
“I opened a fortune cookie and it said, ‘You will make a name for yourself.’”
She kept and framed the fortune. Now she plans to carry it onto the largest stage she has ever played.
Moss said she no longer becomes more nervous as the crowds grow.
“As the crowds get bigger, I get more excited. I feed off the energy and the adrenaline.”
Jenny Founds performs with Ruby Dear at Zinzenplatz from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday, August 2. The Bethlehem alternative-rock trio is expanding for a special Ruby Dear Big Band performance featuring additional musicians from Start Making Sense.
Founds performs original music with Ruby Dear and Talking Heads music with Start Making Sense. She sees value in both.
“I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘I’ve never heard you before, but I can relate to your lyrics, and I’ve never felt seen like that.’ So both are valid, and both give opportunities to musicians.”
A free Musikfest stage gives original artists something particularly valuable: people who were walking past, heard something interesting and decided to enter the tent.
The Musikfest must-do list
Mayor Reynolds and George also shared a few rules for getting the most out of Musikfest:
- Put the phone away.
- Spend time with someone you unexpectedly run into.
- Buy at least one thing.
- Watch an artist perform original music.
- Show someone your favorite Musikfest spot.
- Try a food you are not completely sure about.
- Leave one night open and see where Musikfest takes you.
Musikfest Preview Night is Thursday, July 30. The full festival runs Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 9.
Get the complete schedule and download the official app at Musikfest.org.
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