August 4 – 13, 2017
Take a break from the heat and fest with Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites! Check out our full schedule of fun activities for kids and adults alike!
Musikfest
Have a blast with Historic Bethlehem during Musikfest & Fest at the Mill!
Schedule of Activities
Kid's Activities
STEM: America's First Industries
Test your engineering and science skills with these activities!
Where: 1st Floor of the Luckenbach Mill
When: Aug. 4-13 at 12:00- 4:00pm
- Use logs to build different types of sturdy cabins.
- Construct an arch to discover how strong stone buildings were made in early Bethlehem.
- Learn how the Moravian settlers in Bethlehem made all of their own clothing and were able to use certain natural materials to dye them different colors.
- Experiment with dying a piece of cloth and create your own unique dye colors using primary colors.
Lehigh Art Alliance Exhibit
82nd Annual Juried Art Exhibition
View the talent of local artists
Where: 2nd Floor of the Luckenbach Mill
When: Aug. 4-13 at 12:00- 4:00pm
- See the 82nd Annual Fall Juried Exhibition on display at the renovated Luckenbach Mill. Enjoy a variety of original two and three-dimensional works of art from regional artists, all available for purchase!
- The Lehigh Art Alliance was founded in 1935 by Garth Howland of Lehigh University and continues as an organization for amateur and professional artists in the Lehigh Valley as well as a cultural and educational entity for the people of the area.
Blacksmith Demonstrations
Watch a master craftsman make metalwork
Where: The Smithy
When: Aug. 4-13 at 11:00am- 7:00pm
What’s it like to be a blacksmith for a day? Come and find out at the 1750 Smithy where our professional blacksmiths will demonstrate how Moravians forged hooks, hinges, and door handles.
1762 Waterworks
A National Historic Landmark, Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, and an American Water Landmark, that was the first pumped municipal water system in America.
Where: 1762 Waterworks
When: Aug. 4-13 at 12:00- 7:00pm
Be wowed by the 1762 Waterworks in action, a National Historic Landmark and the first pumped municipal water system in America! This impressive waterwheel helped pump spring water 92 vertical feet to a tower, by gravity provided water to five locations, and is 18 feet in diameter – that’s the size of three 6-foot tall men standing one on top of each other.
Historic Bethlehem Springhouse Store
Where: Springhouse
When: Aug. 4-13 at 12:00- 7:00pm
Commemorate your 2017 Musikfest experience with great souvenirs from Historic Bethlehem.
Springhouse Exhibit
Where: Springhouse
When: Aug. 4-13 at 12:00- 7:00pm
Learn about the original Springhouse, built by the Moravians to enclose a high volume spring that was an essential natural resource for the colonists.
Mugshots: Oral Histories
Where: 1810 Goundie House, 501 Main Street
When: Aug. 4-13 at 11:00am- 7:00pm
- Participate in Mugshots: Oral Histories of Musikfest, a public history project that captures portraits and oral histories of Musikfest goers in a two-week, dynamic exhibition that will remain on view until September 1st. Through photography and oral history recording, Mugshots captures the impact of Musikfest, the festival that has transformed Bethlehem for 10 days each August since 1984.
- Volunteers trained in conducting oral history interviews will be stationed at the Goundie House during Musikfest to photograph and interview visitors to Bethlehem as well as members of the Lehigh Valley community.
- Share your memories or thoughts around Musikfest and have your account recorded and uploaded to a website where visitors can browse and listen.
- Then, get your portrait taken, formatted with a key quote from your interview, and printed.
- The printed “mugshots” will be posted to an evolving exhibition on the first floor of the Goundie House!
Musikfest Memorabilia
Where: Goundie House, 501 Main Street
When: Aug. 4-13 at 11:00- 7:00pm
- Browse Musikfest Memorabilia: a pop-up exhibition of Musikfest souvenirs.
- See posters, programs, pins, t-shirts lanyards, and, of course mugs from Musikfests past.
- Learn about the designers and artists who make Musikfest merchandise so vibrant while learning about the history of souvenirs as tokens of memory.
- Did you know that the earliest souvenir is believed to be amber beads from 980 BC?
Visitor Center
Where: 505 Main Street
When: Aug. 4-13 at 10:00am- 7:00pm
Get the cheapest water in town here! Plus, learn about all of Historic Bethlehem's activities and happenings during Musikfest and beyond!
Docent on Main
Where: 505 Main Street
When: Aug. 4-13 at 11:00am- 7:00pm
Snap a shot with our Docents on Main, dressed in colonial garb, and make your Musikfest experience historic!
Hoover-Mason Trestle Tour
Where: The Steel Stacks
When: Aug. 4-6 & 11-13
10:30am Film & 11:00am Walking Tour
Hear the incredible stories of the men of steel and learn about some of America's largest landmarks that were made of Bethlehem Steel on this walking tour.
Rise & Fall of Bethlehem Steel
Where: The Steel Stacks
When: Aug. 4-6 & 11-13
12:30pm Film & 1:00pm Walking Tour
Did you know that Bethlehem Steel was the second largest steel producer in the US and the largest shipbuilder in the world? Discover more on the Rise & Fall of Bethlehem Steel walking tour.
