BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 ArtsQuest and the organizers of Cars & Coffee Lehigh Valley announced this week that the popular monthly event will not take place during the 2026 season at its longtime home, SteelStacks in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
The culprit is an active campus expansion. ArtsQuest is currently converting the Turn & Grind Shop \u2014 a 150-year-old former Bethlehem Steel building \u2014 into a new arts venue that, when complete, will expand the footprint for Musikfest, Christkindlmarkt, and Oktoberfest, and serve as a home for traveling exhibits and private event rentals.<\/p>\n
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Construction equipment and fencing occupy the PNC lot at SteelStacks in Bethlehem on March 27, 2026, where the Turn & Grind Shop renovation is underway. The project is the reason Cars & Coffee Lehigh Valley will not return to the site this season. (Jai Smith \/ Lehigh Daily)<\/p>\n
The new venue is currently set to open in mid-2027, according to ArtsQuest.<\/p>\n
With construction occupying the PNC lot and the area around the Visitor\u2019s Center, there simply isn\u2019t enough room to safely host hundreds of cars and thousands of spectators.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe safety of our guests, staff and participating vehicles remains our top priority,\u201d ArtsQuest wrote. Both ArtsQuest and the Cars & Coffee Lehigh Valley page emphasized the pause is not permanent, with organizers stating they are \u201cactively looking ahead and exploring opportunities to bring Cars & Coffee back in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
A community staple goes dark<\/p>\n
The Cars and Coffee format was born in 2003 in a Southern California parking lot near Newport Beach, where a loose gathering of enthusiasts met over coffee with no entry fee, no awards, and no rules about what you could bring.<\/p>\n
The concept eventually spread to more than 200 cities. The Lehigh Valley\u2019s version launched in 2013 at the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley, founded by Dan Kendra and Dr. Johnny Chung, before outgrowing that home and moving to SteelStacks.<\/p>\n
By its 10th season in 2025, the series was drawing more than 20,000 visitors to the shadow of the old Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces each spring and summer.<\/p>\n
Following the announcement, many local residents described the event as one of their favorite monthly traditions.<\/p>\n
Attendees commented on the loss of both the cars and the community atmosphere that the event fostered. \u201cWe were driving an hour to it every month,\u201d wrote one commenter.<\/p>\n
Others shared stories of bringing young children who had grown up attending the show, with one parent noting her six-year-old daughter photographs every car that catches her eye and builds a seasonal photo gallery from her favorites.<\/p>\n
The event was known for its inclusive, all-cars-welcome format, which allowed participants to bring any type of vehicle. \u201cThe reason that Cars and Coffee got so popular is that you could bring anything \u2014 your daily driver or your mom\u2019s minivan \u2014 and put it in the show,\u201d noted one longtime attendee.<\/p>\n
Community brainstorms alternatives<\/p>\n
Within hours of the announcement, fans flooded the comments with suggested alternative venues, with ideas ranging from the Lehigh Valley IronPigs\u2019 Coca-Cola Park parking lots and Cabela\u2019s in Hamburg to the Allentown Fairgrounds, Palmer Park Mall, Lehigh University\u2019s Stabler Arena lots, and Mahoning Valley Speedway.<\/p>\n
Blue Mountain Resort even responded directly to the post, expressing interest in hosting.<\/p>\n
For those looking for something to fill the void in the meantime, a similar event called Cruise-Ins & Coffee is already running every Saturday at the former Kmart location at 400 N. Best Ave. in Walnutport, open to all cars from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Main Line Cars and Coffee is scheduled to return to Chesterbrook Corporate Center in Wayne, with dates including April 12, May 3, and multiple dates through November.<\/p>\n
Cars & Coffee Lehigh Valley has not announced a timeline for its potential return, but with the new Turn & Grind Shop scheduled to open in mid-2027, a return is likely no earlier than the 2027 season\u2014though ArtsQuest has not stated this explicitly.<\/p>\n
Organizers promised to share updates with the community as plans develop.<\/p>\n
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