With Musikfest’s main stage, its only other paid stage, its largest free stage and its only new stage all movingto the SteelStacks campus this year, organizers want to give the public a chance to get comfortable with the changes.
So Musikfest this year will have a preview night for the 10-day festival.
The evening, from 6-11 p.m. Aug. 4, will feature tours of the new Steel Stage main performance venue as well at Musikfest Café. There also will be performances at Levitt Pavilion, which will replace Americaplatz as the festival’s largest free stage, and at Town Square, the festival’s only new stage.
Musikfest officially kicks off Aug. 5.
“This special preview night is designed for the residents of the Lehigh Valley, who have been so supportive of Musikfest over the years,” ArtsQuest President Jeff Parks said.
“The event will provide them with a taste of this year’s Musikfest, as well as give them an opportunity to learn about the exciting, new venues at the festival this year. We invite people to come out and explore the SteelStacks campus, enjoy the live music and start their ‘festing a day early.”
The preview event also will see the first lighting of The Bridge Sculpture, the arching steel bridge with a natural gas-fed blue flame that will serve as the centerpiece for the SteelStacks campus.
Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan and ArtsQuest President Jeff Parks will press the button to light the 34-foot-long, arching steel bridge’s flame, which will stay lighted for five minutes.
During Musikfest, The Bridge will be lighted at 9, 10 and 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 9, 10, 11 and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Each time it is ignited, it will remain burning for five minutes.
A minute before the flame ignites, a steam ship whistle sound will be broadcast from the Town Square sound system.
A steam ship whistle was used at the Bethlehem Steel plant for many years to designate shift changes. The plant’s whistle at the plant was taken from the French luxury liner SS Normandie when it caught fire and sank in New York harbor in 1942 while it was being recommissioned as a troop ship.
The preview evening will feature Smokin’ Joe Kubek and B’Nois King, who were previously scheduled at the Levitt Pavilion, from 7:30-9 p.m. Jerry Costello will perform from 6-7:30 p.m. and Little Buddy from9-11 p.m.,both at Town Square.
The Steel Stage open house will be from 6-8 p.m. People will be able to walk in and check out the new stage layout, the food vendors, the seating arrangements and the party deck . They will not be permitted near the stage.
Steel Stage replaces the RiverPlace stage at Sand Island, which has been Musikfest’s main stage for 11 years. To be built on the parking lot west of Bethlehem Steel’s blast furnace, the venue will have a larger capacity than RiverPlace — 7,200 as opposed to 6,500 — and use bleachers rather than lawn seating for its least expensive tickets.
The Musikfest Café open house also will be from 6-8 p.m. The café’s paid performances will replace those at Moravian College’s Foy Auditorium and Lehigh University’s Zoellner Arts Center.
Food and beverages at preview night will be sold at ArtsQuest Center, as will Musikfest merchandise, ArtsQuest memberships and more.
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