At 5 p.m. this evening, the 10-day 34th annual Musikfest will kick off in Bethlehem. The annual arts and music festival, which usually brings about $60 million in revenue to the region each year, aims to go big this year with a record number of performances and a record setting number of three sold-out Main Stage shows.
Mark Demko, spokesman for ArtsQuest, the organization that runs Musikfest, said that while those sellouts – Chicago, Santana and Toby Keith – will be big draws, the festival will have 419 music and art acts from 29 states and eight countries that also will attract a variety of fans.
New this year is the Martin Guitar Jam Stage, where performers scheduled to appear elsewhere at the festival will go to play short acoustic sets and where festival-goers can participate in open mic sessions.
Also new is Architects of Air, an art installation where people can walk through and photograph. It has been a popular attraction, having toured the world the last 20 years.
While the festival generates a great deal of spending from tourists visiting the area, it also earns money for local vendors and artists, Demko said.
He noted that 55 percent of the food vendors and 40 percent of the artists hail from the Greater Lehigh Valley.
“We started out as a grass roots organization. We’re about supporting the local community,” Demko said.
Musikfest runs through Aug. 13 at various sites around Bethlehem.
