Flying to Allentown-Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) serves Pennsylvania's third-largest metro, 60 miles west of Manhattan and 55 miles north of Philadelphia. FareOptic compares Delta, American, and United for the cheapest fare into the Lehigh Valley.
Flights to Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE)
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Why Visit Allentown-Bethlehem?
Blast furnace ruins from the company that built America's iconic structures, a million-visitor free music festival in their shadow, a 1741 Moravian UNESCO World Heritage district, and Dorney Park's century-old wooden coasters
SteelStacks and the Bethlehem Steel Blast Furnace Ruins -- The Industrial Ruins of the Company That Built the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Alaska Pipeline, Now an Arts Campus on 10 Acres of Preserved Steel-Making Infrastructure
Five 19th-Century Blast Furnaces Standing 80 Feet Tall on the South Bank of the Lehigh River, the ArtsQuest Center Embedded in the Historic Ore Yard, Musikfest's Stage in the Shadow of the Furnaces, and a National Historic Landmark That Is One of the Most Dramatic Industrial Heritage Sites in North AmericaSteelStacks (101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA -- a 10-acre arts and events campus built within and around the preserved blast furnace complex of the former Bethlehem Steel Corporation's No. 2 plant, on the south bank of the Lehigh River in Bethlehem's South Side; the site of Bethlehem Steel's primary steelmaking operations from 1860 to 1995; now operated by ArtsQuest, a Bethlehem nonprofit arts organization, as an outdoor music venue, festival grounds, and cultural campus) is one of the most dramatically beautiful and historically significant industrial heritage sites in North America: five intact blast furnaces (each 80-100 feet tall, constructed in the 1860s-1890s, preserved as a National Historic Landmark by the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Office after Bethlehem Steel's 1995 shutdown and 2001 bankruptcy) rising from the south bank of the Lehigh River, visible from virtually everywhere in Bethlehem, and serving as the backdrop for the Musikfest outdoor music festival (the ArtsQuest outdoor stage, positioned directly in front of the northernmost blast furnace, is one of the most visually extraordinary concert venues in the eastern United States). Bethlehem Steel's historical resume: (1) Empire State Building (1930-1931 -- Bethlehem Steel supplied all the structural steel for the Empire State Building's 60,000-ton frame, fabricated and rolled at the Bethlehem plant and shipped by rail to New York City); (2) Golden Gate Bridge (1936-1937 -- Bethlehem Steel supplied the cable wire and structural steel for the bridge's towers and approach spans); (3) Alaska Pipeline (1974-1977 -- Bethlehem Steel provided pipe for sections of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System); (4) USS Arizona (battleship, sunk at Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 -- Bethlehem Steel built the USS Arizona's hull and armor plate); (5) Hoover Dam (1930-1935 -- Bethlehem Steel supplied penstocks and structural components); and (6) four generations of US Navy warships from the Spanish-American War through Vietnam. Bethlehem Steel was the second-largest steel company in the United States (after US Steel) from 1905 until its bankruptcy in 2001 and employed more than 30,000 workers at its Bethlehem plant at its World War II peak.
The Bethlehem Steel Shutdown -- How the Company That Armored America for Two World Wars Went Bankrupt in 2001 and What the Blast Furnace Ruins Mean for a City That Built Its Identity on Steel
Bethlehem Steel's collapse (the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 15, 2001 -- 140 years after Charles Schwab [the steel magnate, not the financial services company founder] reorganized it as Bethlehem Steel Corporation in 1904 under his leadership of US Steel) was the most consequential industrial closure in Pennsylvania's history and one of the most significant in American economic history. The collapse resulted from a convergence of: (1) foreign steel competition (European and Asian steel producers with newer equipment, lower labor costs, and government subsidies consistently undercut Bethlehem's prices from the 1970s onward); (2) legacy costs (Bethlehem Steel's pension and retiree health benefit obligations, accumulated over 140 years of operations and covering approximately 95,000 current and future retirees in 2001, exceeded the company's ability to fund them while also investing in equipment modernization); (3) technological transition (the electric arc furnace, which recycles scrap steel into new steel with dramatically lower capital and energy costs than blast-furnace steelmaking, captured the commodity steel market that Bethlehem had depended on); and (4) management decisions (Bethlehem's 1980s debt-financed diversification into shipbuilding and other industries, rather than modernizing its steelmaking equipment, left the company with aging blast furnaces that couldn't compete). The bankruptcy eliminated approximately 95,000 pension obligations (transferred at reduced amounts to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the federal pension insurance agency, which paid cents on the dollar to retirees), and closed the Bethlehem plant in 1995. The preserved blast furnace ruins were designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016 -- the most important industrial heritage designation in Pennsylvania.
National Museum of Industrial History -- The Smithsonian-Affiliate Museum Embedded in the Former Bethlehem Steel Ore Yard, Telling the Story of American Industrial History Through the Machines and Products That Built the Modern World
Smithsonian-Affiliate Collections on Steam Engines, Machine Tools, the Pennsylvania Anthracite Coal Industry, and the Steel-Making Process, in a Museum Whose Building Is Itself a Piece of Living Industrial HistoryThe National Museum of Industrial History (530 East Third Street, Bethlehem -- a Smithsonian Institution affiliate opened 2016, housed in a restored 1913 machine shop building within the SteelStacks campus adjacent to the Bethlehem Steel blast furnace complex; the only museum in the United States dedicated specifically to the history of American industrial technology and manufacturing processes) interprets the history of American industry from the first Industrial Revolution through the 20th century, with particular depth in: (1) steam power (the museum holds one of the largest collections of operating and preserved steam engines in the eastern US, including a Corliss steam engine [the type that powered Philadelphia's 1876 Centennial Exhibition] and several industrial steam engines from 19th-century Pennsylvania factories); (2) machine tools (precision metalworking machines from the 18th century through the mid-20th century, representing the toolmaking tradition of the Lehigh Valley and the Connecticut River Valley that enabled American manufacturing's precision-parts revolution); (3) the Pennsylvania anthracite coal industry (the underground mining technology, breaker equipment, and miner's culture of the hard coal region that powered the Industrial Revolution in the Northeast); (4) the Bethlehem Steel production process (from iron ore to finished structural steel, using original Bethlehem Steel equipment and process documentation); and (5) the role of industrial patents and inventors in American manufacturing (exhibits on specific inventors and the patent system that incentivized their work). The museum building itself -- a 1913 steel-framed brick machine shop with sawtooth skylights that once housed Bethlehem Steel's machine repair and tool fabrication operations -- is an industrial building of significant architectural quality that contextualizes the collections within the physical environment of 20th-century industrial work.
The Lehigh Valley as America's Original Industrial Corridor -- Why the Valley That Runs from Easton to Allentown to Bethlehem Was the Cradle of American Heavy Industry and Railroad Construction
The Lehigh Valley (the 40-mile valley of the Lehigh River from its Pocono headwaters to its confluence with the Delaware River at Easton, PA) was the most important industrial region in the eastern United States during the period 1820-1880, for three converging reasons: (1) Anthracite coal -- the Lehigh Valley's proximity to the anthracite coal fields of Carbon County (20 miles north, in the Panther Creek and Nesquehoning valleys) provided the fuel that powered the iron furnaces and, after 1855, the Bessemer and open-hearth steel furnaces; the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company's 108-mile canal (completed 1829, connecting Mauch Chunk [now Jim Thorpe] to Easton at the Delaware River) was the primary coal transportation system for the early industrial Northeast; (2) Iron ore -- the Lehigh Valley's limestone ridge (South Mountain, the eastern continuation of South Mountain in Maryland) contains iron ore deposits in the form of magnetite in contact metamorphic deposits that were the primary iron ore source for the eastern Pennsylvania iron industry from 1742 (Durham Furnace) until the Mesabi Range's Lake Superior iron ore became available by Great Lakes and rail shipment in the 1880s; (3) Capital and entrepreneurship -- the Lehigh Valley's Moravian community in Bethlehem (founded 1741 by Count Zinzendorf's Moravian Brotherhood from Bohemia and Moravia) brought European craft traditions in metalworking and manufacturing that predisposed the region to industrial investment; Asa Packer's Lehigh Valley Railroad (1852) connected the anthracite fields to the Delaware River and provided the transportation infrastructure for industrial expansion. The concentration of coal, iron, limestone, and transportation in a single 40-mile valley produced the highest density of 19th-century iron furnaces, rolling mills, and machine shops in the United States, making the Lehigh Valley the direct predecessor of Pittsburgh's steel industry in the American industrial sequence.
Musikfest -- America's Largest Free Music Festival, 10 Days in August, 500 Performances on 15 Stages Across Bethlehem with the Blast Furnaces as the Backdrop for the Main Stage
Half a Million Attendees Over 10 Days, Free Admission to 15 Outdoor Stages with Regional and National Acts, Pennsylvania Dutch Food, and an ArtsQuest Membership That Gets You into the Air-Conditioned Indoor Venues -- All Against the Backdrop of 80-Foot Blast Furnace RuinsMusikfest (presented by ArtsQuest, held annually for 10 days in early August across multiple venues in Bethlehem, PA -- the SteelStacks campus, the Northside Historic District, Broad Street, and the Wind Creek Steel Ice Center; running since 1984; attendance approximately 1.1 million annually -- making it one of the three largest music festivals in the United States by attendance, alongside Stagecoach and Lollapalooza, and the largest free admission music festival in the US) is the defining annual event of the Lehigh Valley and the event that established Bethlehem as a cultural destination beyond its industrial heritage. Musikfest's format: (1) free admission to all 15 outdoor stages (an ArtsQuest wristband or day pass, typically $5-12, provides entry to the festival grounds but is not required for public street venues); (2) the Main Stage at SteelStacks (the outdoor amphitheater positioned directly in front of the blast furnace complex -- ticketed, with national headlining acts; past headliners include Foo Fighters, Lady Antebellum, Hootie and the Blowfish, Chris Stapleton, and hundreds of others); (3) food vendors specializing in Pennsylvania Dutch and Lehigh Valley regional specialties (funnel cake, shoofly pie, chow-chow, scrapple, and the sausage sandwich tradition of the Lehigh Valley's German-heritage community); (4) Festplatz (the beer garden stage in the Northside Historic District, reflecting the Lehigh Valley's German-immigrant heritage); and (5) the indoor Musikfest Café at the ArtsQuest Center (air-conditioned, ticketed intimate venue for national-level acts who perform smaller-capacity shows as part of the festival). Musikfest was founded in 1984 by Jeff Parks and the ArtsQuest organization (then known as the Bethlehem Musikfest Association) as a response to the beginning of Bethlehem Steel's decline and a deliberate effort to build a cultural economy to replace the industrial one.
Bethlehem's Moravian Heritage -- The 1741 Settlement That Built One of Pennsylvania's Oldest Communities and Left Bethlehem with a European Historic District Distinct from Any Other Pennsylvania City
The Moravian Church's settlement at Bethlehem (established December 24, 1741, by Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, the Moravian Brotherhood's leader, who named the settlement 'Bethlehem' during a Christmas Eve worship service in a log structure on the south bank of the Lehigh River) created one of the most architecturally and culturally distinctive communities in colonial America: the Bethlehem Moravians built a communal settlement (a 'General Economy' in which all property was held collectively and members contributed their labor to the community) that by 1760 included the oldest continuously operating residence in Pennsylvania (the 1741 Gemeinhaus, still standing on Church Street), a waterworks system (1762 -- the first public waterworks in North America), a tannery, a pottery, a gunsmith shop, a pharmacy, and a school for girls (the Bethlehem Female Seminary, 1742 -- one of the oldest women's educational institutions in North America, predecessor of Moravian University). The Moravian Church's European architectural tradition (half-timbered and Germanic masonry construction) produced a historic district in Bethlehem's Northside (the area between Church Street and the Lehigh River) that is architecturally distinct from any other colonial Pennsylvania town: 18th-century Germanic limestone and brick buildings in a compact urban pattern, 14 of which are on the National Register of Historic Places and 5 of which date from the 1741-1760 founding period. The Historic Moravian Bethlehem District was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, as part of the transnational 'Moravian Church Settlements' designation that includes Herrnhut (Germany) and Christiansfeld (Denmark) -- making Bethlehem one of the few US communities with UNESCO World Heritage designation.
Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom -- One of Pennsylvania's Largest Theme Parks with 11 Roller Coasters and a Waterpark, 10 Miles West of Allentown in South Whitehall Township
Steel Force (the 9th-Tallest Wooden Roller Coaster in the World When Built in 1997), Hydra the Revenge (Lehigh Valley's Only Floorless Coaster), Wild Mouse (the Old-School Kiddie Coaster That's Been Running Since 1938), and a Wildwater Kingdom Waterpark Attached to the Theme ParkDorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom (3830 Dorney Park Road, Allentown -- 10 miles west of downtown Allentown via US-222 west; a Cedar Fair [now part of Six Flags Entertainment] property operating on a site that has hosted amusement attractions since 1884, when it was a fish hatchery turned picnic grove served by the Allentown-Kutztown trolley line; now a 200-acre amusement and water park complex with 11 roller coasters, a full-service water park, and approximately 1.2 million annual visitors) is the Lehigh Valley's primary entertainment destination and one of the most storied amusement parks in the Mid-Atlantic. The park's roller coaster collection: (1) Steel Force (1997 -- a 5,600-foot Morgan Manufacturing steel track hypercoaster with a 200-foot first drop and 8 minutes of ride time; when built it was the longest steel roller coaster in the world and the 9th-tallest wooden-profile steel coaster built; still ranked among the top steel coasters in regional enthusiasm polls); (2) Hydra the Revenge (2005 -- a 95-foot Bolliger & Mabillard floorless coaster with 7 inversions, replacing Hercules [a 1989 wooden coaster on the same footprint]); (3) Talon: The Grip of Fear (2001 -- an inverted B&M coaster with 4 inversions, consistently rated among the best inverted coasters in the Northeast); (4) Wild Mouse (1938 -- one of the oldest continuously operating roller coasters in the eastern United States, a classic Wild Mouse style with sudden right-angle turns near the top of the structure before descending through switchbacks; an Amusement Park enthusiast landmark for its original-ride-experience preservation); and (5) Thunderhawk (1923 -- a Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters wooden coaster, one of the 10 oldest continuously operating wooden coasters in the United States). Wildwater Kingdom (the attached waterpark) includes a wave pool, river ride, and 15 water slides.
Cedar Fair's Dorney Park Acquisition and the Regional Amusement Park Industry -- How a 140-Year-Old Lehigh Valley Amusement Ground Became Part of the Modern Theme Park Consolidation Wave
Dorney Park's history reflects the evolution of American regional amusement parks from trolley-line picnic destinations to corporate-owned theme parks: (1) 1884-1923 -- a privately operated picnic grove and fish hatchery at Cedar Lake in South Whitehall Township, served by the Kutztown-Allentown trolley, adding rides incrementally as the patronage grew (the 1923 Thunderhawk wooden coaster represents this era); (2) 1923-1985 -- a family-operated regional park (the Plarr family, then the Dorney family) that added rides, games, and the first water attraction in 1985; (3) 1985 -- acquisition by Cedar Fair LP (the Sandusky, Ohio-based regional theme park operator whose flagship property is Cedar Point, consistently rated the world's best amusement park for roller coasters); (4) 1985-2023 -- Cedar Fair investment program: Steel Force (1997), Talon (2001), Hydra (2005), and multiple waterpark expansions brought Dorney to its current configuration; (5) 2024 -- Cedar Fair's merger with Six Flags Entertainment Corporation created the largest regional theme park company in North America (Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, post-merger, owning 42 parks including Cedar Point, Great America, Kings Island, and Dorney Park). The Dorney Park story illustrates a broader pattern in American regional amusement parks: the 1970s-1990s consolidation of independently owned regional parks into corporate chains that could invest in major capital improvements (large coasters, water parks) that individual family operators could not afford, while preserving enough of the original park's character (old coasters like Wild Mouse and Thunderhawk) to maintain the regional loyalty that defined the parks' customer bases.
How to Find Cheap Flights to Allentown-Bethlehem PA
ABE Is 60 Miles from NYC and 55 Miles from Philadelphia -- Often Cheaper Than Flying Into EWR, JFK, or PHL
Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) is 60 miles west of Manhattan and 55 miles north of Philadelphia. For travelers whose destination is the Lehigh Valley, Allentown, or Bethlehem, flying into ABE often saves significantly over EWR, JFK, or PHL -- both in airfare and in ground transportation costs (no $50+ taxi into the city). Rental cars are available at ABE.
Musikfest (Early August) Books Hotel Rooms Solid -- Reserve 3-4 Months Ahead
Musikfest's 1.1 million attendees over 10 days fill every hotel room in the Lehigh Valley and spill into Allentown, Easton, and the Poconos. If your visit coincides with Musikfest (typically August 1-10), book hotel and airfare 3-4 months in advance. Outside of Musikfest, Bethlehem's hotel market is moderate and rooms are available with shorter notice.
SteelStacks Is Free to Walk Through -- The Blast Furnace Ruins Are Always Accessible
The SteelStacks outdoor campus (the blast furnace ruins, the outdoor stages, and the ore yard grounds) is free and open to the public during daylight hours year-round. The National Museum of Industrial History and ticketed concerts require admission. The best time to photograph the blast furnaces is at golden hour (roughly 1 hour before sunset) when the western light hits the iron-stained furnace surfaces from the side.
Bethlehem Has Two Distinct Districts Worth Visiting -- the Northside Moravian Historic District and the South Side SteelStacks Area
Bethlehem's two main visitor districts are on opposite sides of the Lehigh River: the Northside (the Moravian Historic District, Church Street, the 1741 Gemeinhaus, and the colonial-era commercial streets -- 2-3 blocks from the Bethlehem Area Visitor Center) and the South Side (SteelStacks, the National Museum of Industrial History, and the ArtsQuest Center). Allow a full day to see both; it's a 10-minute drive or 30-minute walk between them.
Airlines Flying to Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE)
Delta Air Lines
ATL Hub Connections to ABE -- Delta's Southeastern US and National Network Access to the Lehigh Valley via AtlantaDelta Air Lines connects Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) to Delta's Atlanta (ATL) hub with nonstop and connecting service, providing southeastern US and national network access to Pennsylvania's third-largest metro area. ATL-ABE service is operated by Delta Connection carriers (typically SkyWest Airlines on CRJ-700 or CRJ-900 equipment) and enables efficient routing from Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, and New England through Delta's ATL hub. Delta also connects ABE from MCO (Orlando) for Florida-to-Lehigh Valley leisure travel.
Key Routes
ATL to ABE (2h 10m nonstop; MCO to ABE (via ATL; JFK to ABE (via ATL; BOS to ABE (via ATL; MSP to ABE (via ATL; LAX to ABE (via ATL; DTW to ABE (via ATL
American Airlines
CLT, DFW, LAS, and PHX Hub Connections to ABE -- American's Southern, Texas, and Western US Routing to Allentown-BethlehemAmerican Airlines serves Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) through Charlotte (CLT), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Las Vegas (LAS), and Phoenix (PHX), providing broad network coverage for travelers from the Southeast, South, and West. CLT-ABE is the most efficient American hub connection for East Coast routing, while DFW-ABE provides Texas-to-Lehigh Valley service and PHX/LAS connections handle Western US travelers. American's ABE service is operated by regional partners on smaller aircraft reflecting the market's mix of business and leisure demand.
Key Routes
CLT to ABE (1h 40m nonstop; DFW to ABE (via CLT; PHX to ABE (via CLT or DFW; LAS to ABE (via CLT or DFW; MIA to ABE (via CLT; ORD to ABE (via CLT; LAX to ABE (via CLT or DFW
United Airlines
ORD and DEN Hub Connections to ABE -- United's Midwest and Western US Access to the Lehigh Valley via Chicago and DenverUnited Airlines connects Lehigh Valley International (ABE) to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) and Denver (DEN), providing Midwest and Western US coverage for the Allentown-Bethlehem region. ORD-ABE nonstop service gives Chicago-area travelers a direct connection to Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley without routing through Philadelphia or New York. United's ABE capacity is secondary to American and Delta but provides useful schedule alternatives, particularly for O'Hare connections to United's international network.
Key Routes
ORD to ABE (1h 35m nonstop; DEN to ABE (via ORD; SFO to ABE (via ORD or DEN; LAX to ABE (via ORD or DEN; EWR to ABE (via ORD; IAD to ABE (via ORD; Houston to ABE (via ORD or DEN
Allegiant Air
Ultra-Low-Cost Nonstop Flights from ABE to Florida and Sunbelt Leisure Markets -- Allegiant's Budget Service for Lehigh Valley Travelers Heading SouthAllegiant Air operates nonstop service from Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) to Florida leisure destinations (Orlando-Sanford [SFB], Punta Gorda [PGD], Fort Lauderdale [FLL]) and other Sunbelt markets, targeting Lehigh Valley residents seeking the lowest base fare to warm-weather destinations. Allegiant's no-frills model charges separately for carry-on bags, checked bags, and seat selection -- add these fees when comparing total cost against Delta and American. Check Allegiant.com for current ABE seasonal route availability.
Key Routes
SFB (Orlando-Sanford) from ABE nonstop; PGD (Punta Gorda) from ABE nonstop; FLL (Fort Lauderdale) from ABE nonstop; PIE (St. Pete-Clearwater) from ABE nonstop; check Allegiant.com for current seasonal destinations
Things to Do in the Lehigh Valley
Essential Info for Your Lehigh Valley Trip
Region / State
Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. Allentown (pop. 126,000) + Bethlehem (pop. 75,000) + Easton (pop. 28,000) = ~700,000 metro. Pennsylvania's 3rd-largest metro area.
Airport
ABE -- Lehigh Valley International Airport, Hanover Township, 3 miles east of Allentown. Airlines: Delta (ATL, MCO), American (CLT, DFW, PHX, LAS), United (ORD, DEN), Allegiant (seasonal FL routes).
Currency
USD -- US Dollar
Time Zone
EST (UTC-5) / EDT (UTC-4) in summer -- Eastern Time, same as New York and Philadelphia
SteelStacks
101 Founders Way, Bethlehem. Free outdoor access year-round. National Museum of Industrial History: Wednesday-Sunday 10-5, admission ~$10. ArtsQuest Center: event-ticketed.
Musikfest
Early August (typically August 1-10 annually). Free outdoor stages with wristband ($5-12/day). Main Stage at SteelStacks: separate concert tickets. Hotel rooms book out 3-4 months early.
Moravian Historic District
Church Street, Bethlehem Northside -- walking distance from downtown Bethlehem. Self-guided walking map at the Bethlehem Area Visitor Center (20 W. Broad Street). UNESCO World Heritage Site 2023.
Emergency Number
911
Most Popular Airlines
Best Airlines for Domestic & International Routes
Frequently Asked Questions on Flights to Allentown-Bethlehem
Airport info, Musikfest dates, SteelStacks access, and travel planning for the Lehigh Valley
What airport serves Allentown and Bethlehem Pennsylvania?
Lehigh Valley International Airport (IATA: ABE) serves Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. It's located in Hanover Township, 3 miles east of downtown Allentown. Airlines: Delta (via ATL, MCO), American (via CLT, DFW, PHX, LAS), United (via ORD, DEN), and Allegiant (seasonal Florida leisure routes). Philadelphia (PHL) and Newark (EWR) are both about 60 miles away and serve more destinations.
What is Bethlehem Pennsylvania known for?
Bethlehem is known for: (1) Bethlehem Steel -- the company that built the Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, and armed America in two World Wars (blast furnace ruins preserved as a National Historic Landmark at SteelStacks); (2) Moravian heritage -- the 1741 Moravian settlement with 18th-century architecture, recently designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site; (3) Musikfest -- America's largest free music festival (August, 1.1 million attendees); and (4) Christkindlmarkt -- one of the best Christmas markets in the US.
Is Musikfest free?
Musikfest's 15 outdoor stages are free to attend with a festival wristband ($5-12 for a daily pass). The Main Stage at SteelStacks (national headlining acts) requires a separate concert ticket. The ArtsQuest Center indoor venue (Musikfest Café) requires tickets for each show. Wristband/ticket prices and the full schedule are on the Musikfest.org website. Hotel rooms in the Lehigh Valley book out months in advance for Musikfest.
How far is Allentown from New York City and Philadelphia?
Allentown is approximately 60 miles west of Manhattan (about 1h 15m by car via I-78 west, longer in rush hour traffic) and 55 miles north of Center City Philadelphia (about 1h via I-476 north). Flying into ABE instead of EWR, JFK, or PHL can save significantly on ground transportation costs for travelers whose destination is the Lehigh Valley.
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