All About Musikfest Festival

Bethlehem, PA, USA

Open-air

XXL – 50k+

Pop

$$$

International

+3 Days

Musikfest is the largest free admission music festival in the US.

Musikfest offers free performances, making their music available to everyone who wants to listen. Some famous artists that have performed in the past here include Zedd, Sam Hunt, Snoop Dogg and Jimmie Allen.

Here’s everything you need to know about Musikfest.

The first edition of Musikfest was huge

At the festival’s first edition in 1984, there were 295 performances across six stages. The large number of artists who took over Musikfest festival playground had attracted more than 182,000 people to Bethlehem. 

During its first year, the festival ran for nine days and 500 volunteers ensured Musikfest was smooth-sailing successful event.

Now, the festival runs for 10 consecutive days during every summer season.

Musikfest has broken records in terms of attendance

Musikfest has been attracting over 1 million visitors since 1994. It has fallen below that mark only in 2011 due to heavy rains, and in 2016 because of the boiling temperatures.

In 2019, Musikfest organisers broke their own record with a whopping 1.23 million guests worldwide, making it the highest-ever attendance. The last record for visitor numbers was 1.196 million in 2017.

Musikfest is a fan-favorite

Musikfest won No. 1 Music Festival in North America in USA Today readers’ poll. It became the only back-to-back winner in the history of this poll, when it won the title in 2019 and then again in 2020.

Musikfest has been a favorite for far longer than that, though. A The Morning Call article dating from December of 1984 called this festival “the best thing to happen to the city in a long, long time.”

Anyone can be a part of the festival

By following the online application process, you can join the festival as a performer, festival vendor or food vendor.

On top of having the opportunity to perform on the same stage with industry leaders, artists will also be compensated for the time they spend at Musikfest.

Whether you are into music or have a soft spot for food, arts and crafts, the festival is one of the best ways to show your talent.

The festival is run by the non-profit organization ArtsQuest

Supporting Musikfest is supporting the community. ArtsQuest provides access to music, art and culture along with educational programmes and classes Bethlehem citizens.

The proceeds from Musikfest’s 2019 edition helped free programming at the Banana Factory Arts Center and the SteelStacks Arts and Cultural Campus. 

Students took part in the planning of Musikfest festival

ArtsQuest created a course together with the Bethlehem Area School District called Marketing Musikfest. 39 teenagers from Liberty and Freedom high schools were given the opportunity to help hire bands to play at the festival. 

The course was created to enrich academic programs by involving students in a real-life business environment.

They were able to look through applications to choose an act, negotiate a price and promote artists. 

A folk-rock band chosen by the students in 2013, The Ballroom Thieves, received such good feedback that they were invited to return in 2014.

The 2020 edition of Musikfest went virtual

The COVID-19 pandemic could not stop this festival from providing entertainment to its over one million fans. In 2020, the festival moved to an online platform where artists showcased their talents digitally. 

Musikfest was live-streamed from the 31st of July 2020 to the 9th of August 2020.

The links to these videos are still on their website for those who want to reminisce or watch the performances for the first time.

The festival celebrates the city’s German roots

The spelling of Musik with a “K” in Musikfest is an acknowledgement of Bethlehem’s German heritage.

With stage names like Hotel Bethlehem Platz, Zinxenplatz and Yuengling Lagerplatz (where “Platz” translates to stage) the German influence is loud and clear.

Musikfest is family friendly

Don’t hesitate to bring the little ones to Musikfest as there’s plenty for them to do here. Find your way to Familienplatz and you’ll see many things to keep children busy and happy.

There are bounce houses, slides and a Crayola Creativity Tent that they can play on if they need a break from the music.

Musikfest festival has an official mobile application

To keep you updated with more than 500 performances, 300 performers, and all the extras the festival has to offer, you can download the Musikfest App.

The app will also list all of the extras that the festival offers, such as art performances, comedy shows, dance pieces and other forms of entertainment.

It’s pretty much like having a pocket-sized Musikfest encyclopedia.