BETHLEHEM, Pa. — More than 400 different performers are playing at Musikfest this year, but tonight we’re hearing from one that calls Berks County home.<\/p>\n
69 News Reporter Kevin Zipay introduces us to Code 201<\/a>.<\/p>\n Code 201 spent two hours rocking the Main Street Stage at this year’s Musikfest, performing for the community they’re proud to call home.<\/p>\n “I went to high school actually at Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, so I grew up very much so infatuated with this area,” said Shannon Head, Code 201 vocalist. “To me, it means a lot because I know that people that are in the same exact spot that I was in two years ago are going to be standing in that crowd watching me.”<\/p>\n We caught up with four of the band’s six members just before they took the stage.<\/p>\n The six-piece band performed a mix of crowd-favorite classics\u00a0and their own original music.<\/p>\n But like many local bands, their journey started with small gigs.<\/p>\n Then, in February 2025, they submitted an application for a chance to perform at Musikfest. Months later, they got the news they had been hoping for: They were in.<\/p>\n “We all just kind of looked at each other. It’s like, let’s hop on a call. Let’s make sure we’re all on board with this to like, lock in like the next eight months and see it through,” said Ben Rothe, lead guitarist.\u00a0<\/p>\n Julaya Bridgett, one of the band’s lead vocalists, writes her own music and says she never let go of her dream of performing on a stage like this. Now, she has a message for anyone chasing a dream of their own.<\/p>\n “If you have a passion, just go for it. Just start it. Write that first lyric down. Write that first note down, and then take it to somebody who doesn’t have the qualities that you have and learn how to be a team,” Bridgett said. “And once you learn how to work with people, I promise, everything else just melts in and becomes like butter. It’s a really fun experience to write your own music, but you just have to start to start.”<\/p>\n After rocking the Main Street Stage at this year’s Musikfest, Code 201 says they plan to keep performing around the Lehigh Valley and hope to release their music on Spotify in the coming months.<\/p>\n Did we catch you at the festival on Saturday? Check out our photo gallery here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Visit 69 Newsplatz on Spring Street, located between Festplatz and Plaza Tropical at Musikfest 2026.<\/p>\n