Musikfest was founded in 1984 by Jeff Parks, a Bethlehem attorney serving on the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce's tourism committee. The committee wanted to honor Bethlehem's musical and cultural history, as well as draw tourists to the city during the summer months. Parks drew inspiration from festivals in the U.S. and Europe, such as Oktoberfest. Each venue, called a "platz" (a nod to Bethlehem's Moravian/German history), was thoughtfully placed throughout downtown and historic Bethlehem to highlight the city and encourage attendees to explore. The first Musikfest was incredibly successful, bringing in roughly 182,000 visitors.

Over the years, the festival has evolved and spread across Bethlehem and now consistently brings in over a million visitors. Following the development of the ArtsQuest Campus at SteelStacks in 2011, Musikfest expanded into the South Side. Some stages were relocated to the ArtsQuest campus, including the headliners' venue and Americaplatz.

In 2020, Musikfest went virtual in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. ArtsQuest streamed and televised 90 concerts for fans to enjoy at home and hosted five sold out in-person performances. A handful of food vendors offered takeout for those who still wanted to enjoy their favorite festival eats.

Nearly 1.5 million people (a record!) attended Musikfest in 2025. It is currently the largest free, non-gated music festival in the United States.

This digital exhibit contains photographs from Musikfest 1996, as well as digitized program booklets from 1984-1999 (more years to come soon!) 

Please contact info@bapl.org with any questions.