A 400-pound Peeps chick leads the array of entertainment highlights slated for local and regional venues over the next few weeks.
The two-day PeepsFest, set for the SteelStacks campus in Bethlehem, includes the 4-foot, 9-inch chick’s descension for the New Year’s countdown. Mauch Chunk Opera House, Wind Creek Event Center and Mount Airy Casino Resort will also host New Year’s events.
Sherman Theater, meanwhile, goes punk with a show by Patent Pending and a punk-rock-themed flea market. In addition, a number of tribute acts will perform throughout the area.
PENN’S PEAK
325 Maury Road, Jim Thorpe
866-605-7325, pennspeak.com
• Dead on Live, 8 p.m. Dec. 27. The act, paying tribute to rock band Grateful Dead, will perform the Dead’s fourth and fifth albums, 1970’s “Workingman’s Dead” and “American Beauty.” The sets — whose songs include “Uncle John’s Band,” “Casey Jones,” “Box of Rain” and “Sugar Magnolia” — fused rock, blues, bluegrass, folk and country music.
• The Machine: All Request Show, 8 p.m. Dec. 28. The act, a tribute to English rock band Pink Floyd, takes part of its name from Pink Floyd’s 1975 song “Welcome to the Machine.”
• Double Vision, 8 p.m. Jan. 11, 2025. The tribute act, performing the music of rock band Foreigner, takes its name from Foreigner’s 1978 album and song of the same name.
MAUCH CHUNK OPERA HOUSE
14 W. Broadway, Jim Thorpe
570-325-0249, mcohjt.com
• B-Street Band, 8 p.m. Dec. 27. The group, founded in the Scranton/Hazleton area in the 1970s, performs the music of Bruce Springsteen. B-Street Band, whose name take a cue from Springsteen’s E Street Band, moved to Asbury Park, New Jersey, in the summer of 1978.
• Hunkajunk New Year’s Eve Dance Party, 9:30 p.m. Dec. 31. Hunkajunk, formed in 2015 and based in northeast Pennsylvania, performs retro hits, modern classics and original jams.
• Unforgettable Fire, 8 p.m. Jan. 10, 2025. The band, a tribute to Irish rock band U2, debuted on New Year’s Day in 1995. In 2015, U2’s The Edge and Adam Clayton played two songs with UF during a New York City show. UF, which won a 2021 episode of E! series “Clash of the Cover Bands,” takes its name from U2’s 1984 album and song “The Unforgettable Fire.”
• Awaken, 8 p.m. Jan. 11, 2025. The tribute act performs the music of English progressive rock band Yes. Awaken takes its name from the same-titled 1977 Yes track.
SIGNATURE EVENT CENTER
137 Erin Lane, Brodheadsville
570-872-1444, secpoconos.com
• Rock God Radio, 7 p.m. Jan. 10, 2025. The act will perform a tribute to “big-hair” 1980s music.
• Militia, 7 p.m. Jan. 11, 2025. The hair metal band will perform hits from artists such as Poison, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Journey Quiet Riot and Twisted Sister. IntoXXXication, an Easton-based metal band, will also perform.
WIND CREEK EVENT CENTER
77 Wind Creek Blvd., Bethlehem
610-297-7414, windcreekeventcenter.com
• New Year’s Eve Laser Party, 9 p.m. Dec. 31. The event will feature dance music from DJ Smith, party favors for the first 200 people and a laser light show at midnight.
• Matt Fraser, 8 p.m. Jan. 9, 2025. The author and purported psychic medium starred in the E! reality series ”Meet the Frasers,” which premiered in 2020.
STEELSTACKS
101 Founders Way, Bethlehem
610-332-1300, steelstacks.org
• Steal Your Peach, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 27, Musikfest Café. The tribute act fuses the music of rock groups The Allman Brothers Band and Grateful Dead.
• The Sofa Kings All-Stars Reunion Show, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 28, Musikfest Café. The group performs genres such as dance, Motown, R&B, classic rock and current Billboard chart hits.
• Philadelphia Funk Authority, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 29, Musikfest Café. The band performs dance and party music.
• PeepsFest, 3 p.m. Dec. 30 and 31, SteelStacks. ArtsQuest and Just Born Quality Confections present the 16th annual event, set to include games, crafts, music, and interactive shows by the Wildlands Conservancy and the Da Vinci Science Center. Other highlights: “Peeps in the Kitchen” with PBS39, an ice rink and a “Sneak-Peep” tasting of the new Peeps marshmallow flavor. A 400-pound, 4-foot, 9-inch Peeps chick will descend for the New Year’s countdown at 5:35 p.m. both days, with a fireworks display following.
• The Weekenders, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 30, Musikfest Café. Formed in 2018 and hailing from the Lehigh Valley, The Weekenders plays a mix of upbeat music spanning decades and genres.
• haZy cosmic jive: Bowie Birthday Bash, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 3, 2025, Musikfest Café. The act performs a David Bowie tribute, including 1970s-Ziggy Stardust-era classics, deep cuts and more.
• Yacht Lobsters, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 10, 2025. Musikfest Café. Established in 2022, the band performs soft rock of the 1970s and early 1980s. Yacht Lobsters covers artists such as Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, Toto, and Hall & Oates, and also performs some original music.
• Broken Arrow, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11, 2025. Musikfest Café. The act pays tribute to singer-songwriter Neil Young.
STATE THEATRE
453 Northampton St., Easton
800-999-7828, statetheatre.org
• “Dear Evan Hansen,” 7 p.m. Jan. 7 and 8, 2025. The musical, which debuted on Broadway in 2016, features music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book Steven Levenson. “Dear Evan Hansen” follows a socially anxious high school senior’s journey of self-discovery and acceptance following a classmate’s suicide. The musical, adapted into a 2021 film, includes songs such as “Waving Through a Window” and “You Will Be Found.”
SHERMAN THEATER
524 Main St., Stroudsburg
570-420-2808, shermantheater.com
• Patent Pending, 8 p.m. Dec. 28. The pop-punk band, formed in 2001 in Mount Sinai, New York, released a number of EPs prior to 2006 debut album “Save Each Other, the Whales Are Doing Fine.” Sophomore set “Second Family” arrived in 2011, with most recent album “Other People’s Greatest Hits” out in 2017. Patent Pending released the singles “Punk Rock Songs” and “Wobble” in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
• Poconos Punk Rock Flea Market, 1 p.m. Jan. 11, 2025. The event, set to include live music all day at the Sherman Showcase next door, will feature handmade crafts and jewelry, vintage clothes and T-shirts, stickers, vinyl, tattoo artists and more. The flea market runs through 7 p.m., at which time a concert will begin.
MOUNT AIRY CASINO RESORT
312 Woodland Road, Mount Pocono
877-682-4791, mountairycasino.com
• New Year’s Celebration, 9 p.m. Dec. 31. The party will include the beats of Into the Spin and DJ Craig McCollu, plus light hors d’oeuvres and an open bar until midnight.
POCONO CINEMA & CULTURAL CENTER
88 S. Courtland St., East Stroudsburg
570-421-6684, poconocinema.org
• Jason Bishop, 7 p.m. Dec. 27, 28 and 29. The magic show features illusions, sleight of hand, audience participation and Bishop’s dog Gizmo. Bishop has appeared on television and in theaters from 42nd Street in New York City to the Magic Castle in Los Angeles.
The B-Street Band will perform at The Mauch Chunk Opera House on Friday. FILE PHOTO
Unforgettable Fire
