This weekend in Allentown, PA

We Got Your Back Backpack Day marks its fourteenth year with new additions and a variety of activities being planned in collaboration with community partners. Additional updates will share details about the activities, participating partners, and other information as the day approaches.

The Allentown Art Museum presents the launch of Neighborhood Saturdays, celebrating community, creativity, and the cultural energy of the greater Lehigh Valley. Visitors can meet local artists, experience poetry and music, explore the galleries, and enjoy light refreshments in the Museum Lounge. Hands-on ArtVentures in the Crayola Classroom invites participants to try printmaking while learning about symbols from Taino culture across Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The program also features a poetry performance by Noble Quills in the Trexler Gallery and Kress Gallery. Families can take part in La Hora de Cuento en español in the Rodale Classroom, along with an English story hour with Veronica Moore. An English tour of the American Galleries begins at the front desk. The Rodale Classroom also hosts an art making workshop with artist Devyn Briggs.

Build community, practice new techniques, and swap miniature artworks at a recurring in-person club centered on Artist Trading Cards, also known as Artist Cards Editions & Originals. This gathering welcomes adults and teens ages 14 and up on the second Saturday of each month. Each meeting begins with a short lesson on a monthly technique for about 15 to 20 minutes, continues with 30 to 45 minutes of making time, and wraps with 30 to 45 minutes of trading and show and tell, with periodic themed swaps or guest demonstrations. Members receive a free starter kit, plus three free cards or a sheet of paper at every meeting. A shared table of supplies is available for use, or participants can bring their own materials. Optional add-ons include $5 packs of extra cards and $5 ephemera packs connected to the month’s technique or theme. Standard ATC bases are precut to 2.5 by 3.5 inches in heavy cardstock or watercolor paper. The shared toolkit may include scissors, glue, double-sided tape, washi tape, stamps, inks, markers, paint, brushes, collage scraps, sealers, and sleeves. Comfort items such as cutting mats, rulers, sample trays, drying racks, and card sleeves support the creative process. A small gallery board or binder pages are available to display recent sets, and optional mini zines, swap envelopes, and mailing labels can support remote trades. House guidelines keep the space welcoming. Cards are made to trade, not sell. Respect the materials and workspace by cleaning up and labeling personal tools. Credit the maker when trading or photographing. Participation in swaps is optional, and show and tell is encouraged without pressure. Inclusive language is expected, and accessibility adjustments are available on request. A typical session includes a brief welcome and announcements, instruction on the month’s technique, a short break with time to tidy, then trading and show and tell before closing with the next theme and sign ups.

ArtVentures offers a free, drop-in experience for all ages. Participants will craft unique prints with paint and crayon while exploring the meaning of Taino symbols in a hands-on workshop.

Now in its ninth year, this back to school giveaway at Bucky Boyle Park helps families prepare for the new school year. Families can bring children to receive assistance with school items. Vendors, sponsors, and volunteers are being accepted for the 2026 back to school event, and vendor opportunities remain available. For details or to get involved, call 484-619-8852 or email info@prculturepreservation.org.

Celebrate community at a family friendly festival in the Grace Church parking lot. Enjoy complimentary food, kid centered activities, face painting, bubbles, and plenty of outdoor play. Lawn games such as cornhole will be available, and there will be opportunities to connect with neighbors and longtime friends. This free community event is open to everyone.

Catch Waterfront Blue live at Musikfest for a jazz cabaret set on the Jazz Cabaret stage in the Artsquest building. The concert runs from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM and is free, with comfortable theater seating and air conditioning.

Sam Tinnesz is performing live at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown. The show gets started at 4:30 PM local venue time.

Yellowcard and Taking Back Sunday share the Wind Creek Steel Stage at Musikfest with special guest The Click Five. Yellowcard returns following a thoughtful farewell, renewed by the momentum of the Ocean Avenue 20th anniversary and a reconciliation that brought all four members back in step. Their first album in nearly a decade, Better Days, arrives on Better Noise Music, produced by Travis Barker, who also plays drums throughout. Centered on gratitude, forgiveness, perspective, and purpose, it marks a powerful new era for William Ryan Key, Sean Mackin, Ryan Mendez, and Josh Portman. Veterans of MTV, the Billboard Hot 100, and the Vans Warped Tour, with early releases that yielded double platinum and gold title tracks, the band moves ahead sounding fully reenergized. Taking Back Sunday continues its storied run with 152, the eighth studio album released in late 2023. The ten tracks deliver raw emotion with renewed ambition and clarity. What began as the hope to make one record has grown into millions of albums sold, multiple songs with streams in the hundreds of millions, world-spanning tours, and performances on major festival stages, all while staying focused on music that listeners can see themselves in. The Click Five appears as the special guest.

Lehigh Valley acoustic duo Dynamite Hairdo, featuring Nick Lindsay and Emily Owens, delivers close-knit vocals and stripped-back arrangements with inviting onstage energy. Their set reimagines well loved songs from multiple decades, offering familiar favorites with a fresh twist.

Maria Woodford & The Wheel bring an evening of earthy, soul-steeped live music to Musikfest on the Leiderplatz Stage. Their set blends bluesy grit with folk storytelling, Americana textures, and sparks of improvisation, creating a show that feels timeless yet alive in the moment. Expect commanding vocals, rich musicianship, and an intimate energy that draws listeners in instead of fading into the background. The spirit behind it all is clear... the human voice is sacred, and it deserves to be heard.

The Party Animals bring a playful, high-energy spin to baseball in a matchup with The Firefighters. Look for imaginative on-field stunts, surprise moments, and plenty of fan participation that keep the pace lively regardless of the scoreboard. Hosted at Coca-Cola Park, the experience blends competition with showtime flair, creating an atmosphere that is equal parts ballgame and live performance.

Nite Liters and friends bring vinyl-driven sets to Okatshe in Allentown, shaping a soundtrack that reflects Iron Chef Jose Garces’s vision of a Tokyo izakaya. Performances rotate between solo, duo, and trio formats, with Big Sir, ARM 18, and e-roc among the selectors alongside possible special guests. Look forward to soulful selections, reconnections with familiar faces, and new introductions in an atmosphere where strangers quickly become friends.

This event takes place in the courtyard of the Sun Inn.

inkwell. Run Club 5K Sunday brings together people who run, jog, or walk at any pace for a friendly and encouraging 3.1 mile run centered on community and active living. After the run, participants can enjoy Well Water, inkwell.'s coffee offerings, and mingle with others while light music sets a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. This free inkwell. community event offers an easy way to connect with fellow exercise enthusiasts and make positive, healthy choices together.

Set at Cut The Scrap in Allentown, this one day scrapbook retreat offers a small group experience for adult scrapbookers and beginners. The schedule pairs brief, instructor led lessons with generous open cropping time, and handpicked vintage materials add creative inspiration. A welcoming atmosphere, lively music, and ample table space make it easy to spread out and complete pages. Short demonstrations explore techniques such as layered layout design, photo matting, and decorative stitching, followed by long, uninterrupted stretches to apply what you learn. Instructors move through the room with tips, one on one guidance, and idea prompts so participants leave with finished layouts and new approaches to try. It is a relaxed, social day for makers who want focused time, conversation, and polished pages, along with a refreshed sense of creativity.

This welcoming jam and open mic invites musicians to take part in an easygoing session. Performers can bring their own instruments, and a drum kit and amplifiers are provided. Sign-ups are available for solo acts or full bands. Everyone is welcome, and food and drinks are available.

Triple Dog Dare takes the stage at The Steel Pub for a Musikfest finale featuring a blend of classic rock and dance rock, paired with great food, drinks, and a fireworks show. The set includes brand new additions alongside past TDD favorites, all geared toward keeping the dance floor moving.

An outdoor punk showcase takes over the alley outside Homebase Skateshop as Tape Swap Radio teams up with the shop for a stacked lineup. The bill includes The Holy Mess, longtime eastern Pennsylvania punk veterans, Incendiary Device delivering NYHC intensity with a connection to Bridge Nine Records, and Pipe Snake, the Valley’s newest scuzzy upstarts. The entire show will be recorded for a video release. Food and drinks will be available courtesy of Deja Brew, vendors will be on hand, and there will be a chance to browse Homebase’s wares. In case of rain, the bands will perform inside the shop.

AJR performs at the Wind Creek Steel Stage at Musikfest. The trio of brothers Adam, Jack, and Ryan has amassed billions of streams since 2012 and earned milestones that include a triple platinum single, a double platinum single, four additional platinum singles, and a platinum album. Neotheater delivered their strongest debut to date, entering the Billboard 200 at number 8 and reaching number 1 on both the Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts. Their music has drawn broad recognition, with Sober Up featuring Rivers Cuomo named among Spotify’s best rock songs of the 2010s and Weak highlighted by Apple Music as one of the decade’s standout alternative tracks, and they rank among Spotify’s 500 most-listened-to artists. In 2020 they released Bang!, a platinum hit that became their first Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 while climbing across multiple radio formats. Their latest album, The Maybe Man, arrived in 2023, built around a larger than life, introspective hero whose heavy feelings aim to lift the weight from listeners. On stage, Adam plays bass and sings, Jack sings and plays guitar, and Ryan performs on ukulele, piano, and vocals. Gate and show schedules may change.

Closing night at Musikfest brings a performance at Musikfest Café in a beautiful, air-conditioned room with views of the historic Bethlehem Steel Blast Furnaces. Fireworks follow afterward.