This year's Musikfest 'successful' despite storms, organizers say at rescheduled ceremonies

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Organizers declared this year’s 41st Musikfest a success during a closing ceremony Sunday, despite the effects of rough weather.

“I think this year is the most successful year we’ve ever had,” said ArtsQuest President Kassie Hilgert, pointing to the difficulties organizers had to overcome.

During the ceremony, ArtsQuest board of trustees Chairman Orville Trout presented this year’s Marcincin Awards, for helping grow Musikfest, to representatives of Moravian University, Wind Creek Casino and Provident Bank.

Another Marcincin Award honoring the work of the late Bishop C. Hopeton Clennon, a former senior pastor at Central Moravian Church, was accepted by his wife, Shelia.

Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds praised the contribution volunteers, city workers and first responders make to the 10-day festival.

“This is a difficult 10 days for the city of Bethlehem. We have firefighters, we have paramedics, we have police officers working overtime, working a lot of shifts to keep us safe, which is no small thing in 2024,” he said.

Sunday’s event originally was an opening ceremony set for Aug. 2 before being rescheduled because of storms.

The postponement was perhaps a fitting start to this year’s Fest, auguring the coming impacts of inclement weather brought in large part by the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby.

That brought challenges for organizers, Hilgert said, as they tried to work around the worst of the weather.

“It’s one thing to put on an event when it’s easy,” she said. “It’s an entirely different thing when everyone comes together and continues to support the festival and all the small businesses and all the performers during the difficult times.”

The soggy weather meant this year's Musikfest attendance figures will not break any records, Hilgert said, but are far from disastrous. An official tally will be released in a few days.

“This is, by far, not going to be the worst festival at all,” she said.

“Just trend wise, the fact that we’re even potentially in the Top 10, to me, is an enormous accomplishment and just a testament to all the ‘Festers that came out to support us.”

The most responsible move

Attendees felt the weather’s impact most acutely on Saturday, Aug. 3, and Monday, Aug. 6, when weather forced Musikfest to shut down and attendees to seek shelter.

Saturday’s two closures lasted more than 3.5 hours in all, prolonged by the discovery of a “commercial grade firework” near SteelStacks, according to Bethlehem police.

Monday saw country music band Old Dominion’s headline show begin hours earlier than originally scheduled before it was cut short, with ArtsQuest ending the performance after only about 30 minutes because of the risk of severe weather.

The festival's decision to go ahead with the show before cutting it short without offering refunds drew criticism from some ‘Festers.

ArtsQuest only issues refunds for performances that are canceled before they begin, their policy dictates, not for shows that are shortened.

Hilgert defended the decision as the responsible move to protect staff, performers and attendees.

Old Dominion "went on, they played seven songs, and that is a show,” she said. “We moved doors up two hours. We thought we had that window to get it in, and the weather literally developed right over our heads that night.”

By Musikfest’s final day, at least, the clouds had given way to sun.

Despite the bad weather, three of the festival's 11 headline shows were entirely or functionally sold out — Greta Van Fleet on preview night, rock band Shinedown on Aug. 3 and the Old Dominion show.

Musikfest has never had more than three sold-out main stage shows in a single year in its history. It had three sellouts last year.