BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The wait for music fans is over!
The gates have opened for the start of Musikfest 2026.
Thursday night is Preview Night, with a limited number of performers.
The festival in Bethlehem officially starts Friday, and run through Sunday, Aug. 9.
Lee Soke says for the past 41 years, he has never missed a day of Musikfest.
“Every day I came over, and my first day was in front of Moravian book store and the band came up from under the bridge,” says Lee Soke of Hellertown.
Lee is one of thousands of people that look forward to the festival each and every year, and on Thursday, attendees got a first look at this year’s excitement at Preview Night.
“I love Musikfest. It’s the best, you meet a lot of friends, have fun,” says Betty Fenstermacher of Hellertown.
“I’m a local, I was born and raised in Bethlehem, so I come every year, probably every day, so we had to come on Preview Night,” says Andrea DeJesus. “We’re gonna get some food, listen to some music, get the new mugs cause they’re really cool.”
Before Musikfest makes its way across Bethlehem, the stage was set on the city’s Southside with live performances, Musikfest merch and food.
The owners of Kou Kitchen tell us they’ve been gearing up for big crowds and they’re looking forward to feeding lots of customers at the fest.
“Very busy,” said Kou Taylor, owner of Kou Kitchen. “We’ve been prepping a lot and then were just remaining hopeful that people will come out and the weather will cover it too.”
Friday’s opening ceremonies begin at 5:30 p.m. to officially kick off Musikfest 2026.