Musikfest 2023 is a wrap! Celebrating 40 years of the country’s largest non-gated music festival proved to be a success as this year’s festival broke attendance records with 1,330,000 people checking out the festival this year. It was a phenomenal 11 days and nights, filled with exceptional music performances, delicious food representing a variety of cultures reflective of the Lehigh Valley, plenty of artisans and crafters and dedicated areas for children and families to get creative and have fun.

“The biggest news for Musikfest 2023 is of course record-setting attendance numbers,” said Kassie Hilgert, president and CEO of ArtsQuest. “1,330,000 people from 46 states (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) and 10 countries (including Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Senegal, Sweden and The United Kingdom), all attended. We celebrated with residents and visitors from near and far for this annual event that just keeps getting better year after year.

“I’m honored to be a part of such an amazing organization that includes just over 1,000 Musikfest volunteers, who without their help, Musikfest wouldn’t happen, and a staff that truly values and knows the positive effect the arts can have on a community. Of course, a special thanks goes out to Mayor Reynolds, the Bethlehem Police Department, all of our partnering law enforcement agencies and city officials who worked tirelessly to make sure we were safe and secure throughout the festival. Something special happens every August, where we all row together in the same direction, making Musikfest a tremendous success year after year.”

Musikfest welcomed 457 performers from 26 states and eight countries, including Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Senegal and The United Kingdom. 50,000 tickets were sold for 11 ticketed headliner shows that took to the Wind Creek Steel Stage, with 26 bands in total playing there. Headliners included AJR (sold out), WALK THE MOON, G-Eazy, Dan + Shay, Walker Hayes, Keith Sweat & Monica, Goo Goo Dolls and O. A.R (sold-out), Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, El Gran Combo, Maren Morris and Train & Better Than Ezra (sold out).

Additionally, there were 88 FREE street performances that musically jammed throughout the entire festival and included genres such as alternative, blues, children’s/family, classical, country, folk, funk, indie, pop, rock, soul, and more (and of course, the festival’s staple, polka).

There were a total number of 40 official food vendors at this year’s Musikfest, of which nine were new to the festival this year.

“We’re honored and humbled to have been invited to be a part of Musikfest for their 40th anniversary and our first ever appearance,” said Nick and Erika Loukas, owners of Slide on By. “We were impressed with how organized and efficient the staff and volunteers were to help us with any issues that arose. We experienced a strong sense of community with our neighboring vendors and a lot of people willing to offer help and advice to the newbies. The crowds were awesome, and we got so much positive feedback that they loved our food! Musikfest has allowed us to get our food truck and our brand in front of a lot of new faces and we find that to be the highest value to our business.”

“This year’s festival was our best to date and we are so grateful for the opportunity to serve our food to thousands of people over 10 days,” said Christie Vzmazal, of The Flying V. “It’s very hard work, but we love the energy the festival brings and are honored to be a part of it all.”

The beloved Cast In Bronze (also known as The Bell Guy) returned for the 40th anniversary with limited performances.

The Inclusion Zone, in partnership with Accessible Festivals and presented by Good Shephard Rehabilitation Network, featured two Zones this year, on both the North and Southside. It is a sensory-supportive space that provides services, tools and amenities to benefit individuals with sensory-processing difficulties of all ages and abilities

Musikfest partnered with VSYN+ and SignTasTic to bring sign language entertainment to the festival, with a two-day event featuring nationally renowned deaf artists.

Comedyplatz, located at the Charles A. Brown Ice House, included free standup showcases featuring comedians from the Lehigh Valley, New York City, Philadelphia and beyond.

This year, Musikfest celebrated its 40th anniversary with just over 1,000 volunteers, including 12 dedicated 40-year volunteers who continue to play a pivotal role. Whether a first-year volunteer, a 40th-year volunteer or somewhere in between, Musikfest relies on the people who volunteer their time and talent and want to be a part of it all, and have some fun, too.

Contributed article