ArtsQuest Center

Went to see Tony & Tina’s Wedding. Tickets were $ 65 + an $ 11 handling fee so 1 ticket was $ 76. I bought 6 for friends and I to have a fun Valentine’s Day Party.
This was my 4^th time to see this show but saw it in Las Vegas, Orlando and on a cruise ship (specialty dining). These tickets were by far the most expensive I had encountered.
Show was great. However, the way the tables were laid out, made the interactive part of it almost impossible to follow or hear. Unless an actor came by you, you could not hear their conversations so you lost part of fun of the show and fun. It would of been much easier if they did the tables in rounds and given you more space
Dinner was Caesar salad (romaine and croutons), breadsticks, ziti pasta and marinara. You did get one tiny slice of wedding cake for dessert. Really??? Everywhere else had some type of meat included and another type of pasta so it was a meal. When we went through the buffet lines, there was little salad left and I tried to use the pepper mills and were told they were only a prop.
Also, they recommended you hang up your coat. I think they could of included this with the ticket handling fee instead of charging you an additional $ 12. Seriously, I paid one whole ticket price for the handling fee!
I thought my group was the only ones grumbling but encountered another group on the elevators, who said this was their second time at Steel Stacks and they not think they would be back. Considering all of us (including the other group) are locals, do you want to lose our business???
I am not likely to go back!

I was not here to see a concert like many reviewers, so do take with a grain of salt. I was here for the Rise and Fall of Bethlehem Steel Walking Tour, sponsored by the ArtsQuest Center.
I was a little disappointed by the tour. I thought that for $ 17, I would be getting more out of it. But the documentary film was disappointing because it wasn’t cordoned off from the rest of the public space, so there were random people who roamed in and out of the film, and would talk – I take that back – yell. There were people who had wandered in in the middle of the film and have a conversation while sitting in the theater seats, with people who are outside of the theater. Yup.
I paid $ 34 for 2 tickets. So I’m not sure if I would recommend it again for that experience. The walk was interesting, Kathy was our guide, and was obviously very knowledgeable. But I was hoping for more I guess, more stories? More hearsay? More something that I can’t read off of a plaque?
I know my bar is high, but I had gone on a Seattle Pike Place market ghost walk, that was a blast. Surprise surprise, there were no ghost stories, and it’s been almost 2 years and I still remember some of the things our guide said, that was how good it was. And it wasn’t even $ 34 like this one was.

Recently came here for a wedding and I am shocked at the lack of food that was served. The room was very nice and had a great view of the Steel Stacks but how do you have a wedding with 150+ people and only serve carved turkey, mashed potatoes and tortellini? I’m not sure who’s decision that was but thank goodness I stayed at the Sands Casino down the street that had a 24hr cafeteria.

Can only give this place one star. I walked in last night to volunteer and the staff at the front desk was immediately rude. I then asked if they could fill out a volunteer form for my school just to prove I was there. They were very rude and condescending.

Visually– BEAUTIFUL
Space: easily overwhelmed with events like Musikfest
Hope to see it grow and prosper– it’s nice to have a trendy/​classy place on SouthSide

Great venue, there is not a bad seat in the house. Very cool building with a glass wall behind the stage and a view of the Steelstacks. I have been to many concerts here and love that it is so close to home.

On behalf of my wife and I, thanks to everyone who made our wedding and reception the best day of our lives. Adrienne did a fantastic job responding to all our high maintenance last minute issues. Would definitely recommend this venue.

Went here for fourth of July. Was a great time! Liked how the venue was set up, it had a good feel.
Only been once so far but plan on going back when we can.

We had our wedding here, it was AMAZING! The musikfest Café was the perfect place… Susan was so great to work with to make the details for the day perfect… the food was delicious, & the accommodated people with special dietary needs. It was a wonderful day & I love it there!

My wife and I came to the ArtsQuest Center recently to see a comedy show at the Musikfest Café. Not to be confused with the ArtsQuest center, I’ve already written a review specifically for Musikfest (it was awesome, by the way). This center is located about a mile past the Sands Casino and it has a free parking lot — definitely cool. The parking lot is definitely a bit of a walk especially on a freezing, cold winter night. The center does offer valet for $ 7.
Once inside, you kind of enter into the ticket area and a café area. We didn’t have tickets to the show when we entered but we called on our way and they assured us that there were plenty left. The ticket line moves incredibly slow and the girl that helped us out was incredibly sarcastic — not the greatest first impression. ArtsQuest also has a movie theater. If I lived in the area, I could definitely see myself coming here to catch a flick. We had a great time at the Musikfest Café and it’s an incredible venue. I’ll definitely be heading back.

Nice place to see an event and reasonably priced.

Beautiful building. Great sounds. One round of four drinks was $ 22. Close to casino.

The best thing to happen to Bethlehem!!!
I love this place so much I became a member!!!
They have awesome shows and a beautiful movie theater.

Absolutely loved it! During MusikFest it was the best place to see a band. A/​C was on, cash bar and great food, and no fee to see a great band! The café on the 3^rd floor is awesome. Enjoy yourself! We did!

I’ve been here a few times during Musikfest (
), and always enjoyed it. The Stacks make for a cool backdrop and the ArtsQuest center just has a really unique feel to it. This is about an hour from home, but I intend to catch a show or two before the ’13 Musikfest.
I’ve had beer and snacks here and have not been disappointed.

We drove from lower Westchester (NY) to Musikfest Café at ArtsQuest to see Conor Oberst. The facility is straight-​up awesome; it doesn’t get much more dramatic then the backdrop of the Steel Stacks lighting up different colors after dark through giant glass windows behind the stage. Skip eating dinner here though — the food was overpriced and underwhelming.
The venue is tiny, boasting that no seat is more than 60 feet from the stage. This is true, but their seating chart is deceptive. The side sections don’t offer a view of the artist if he/​she chooses to be seated while performing due to stage setup. The most frustrating part of this was that a little rearranging could have solved the issue. Minus one star for not being clear enough that the last row in the middle section is better than any seat in the side sections.
I’d definitely return here to see a favorite artist, but I’d pick my seat more carefully. Parking is free and abundant. Ticket prices were more than reasonable. Just FYI, this listing is the same as
.

This is a lovely intimate space for a concert. I saw Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shaw Colvin there last night (4÷29÷2012). The sound quality is excellent. It was very easy access for my large electric wheelchair. Roomy elevators and bathrooms.
They lose one point for noise level. We could hear the staff talking and rattling bottles throughout the concert. I’m sure that wouldn’t be a problem if the artist was loud and rocky but this concert was fairly quiet with a folk/​country/​singer-​songwriter atmosphere. The noise was distracting.

The venue is extremely nice to watch a show at the concert venue in the building.
They have a reasonable menu and bars at either end to get your fill.
The backdrop of the venue is its most appealing aspect. Behind the stage are large windows that open the venue to the backdrop of the glowing steel stacks behind it.
ArtsQuest presents a variety of shows at the location. If you sign up for their e-​mail updates or visit their website you can see the upcoming shows to check out at the venue.

Have had a few chances to drop by the new ArtsQuest Center… to see a movie at the cinema, to enjoy the free music & to see a ticketed concert at the Musikfest Café. Every time I visit, I leave remembering how lucky we are to have it in the Valley.
Everyone may give ArtsQuest a lot of crap about crazy ticket & beer prices at Musikfest each year, but it allows them to provide the many free & low cost events held here at the center. Check their website to see what interests you… but there’s a little bit of everything.
The cinema is comfortable & clean. The Musikfest Café is a great place to see live music — the lit up stacks behind the stage make a great view. Plenty of room even with SRO tickets. Plus ticket prices are very reasonable. We’re going to a cabaret seating show in April and look forward to table service. Prices are very reasonable for food & beverage as well (the last concert it was $ 2-​$ 3 for a 16 oz beer).
Employees & volunteers are always insanely friendly. I hope it stays that way!

This arts complex has been open since April of 2011. The multi-​level space houses a cinema, an art gallery, several bars and cafés, and a cabaret for live music. There is also an outdoor plaza for concerts and events, in season. This place is very easy to get to from central NJ and NYC via Rte. 78, and parking is free. The backdrop for it all is the looming, immense, but now defunct Bethlehem Steel smelting plant, which is dramatically illuminated at night.
I saw singer/​songwriter Chris Smither play here this evening, and then met him after the show in the lobby, where he autographed CD’s. The performance space is very comfortable and open, yet initimate, and the sound quality is excellent.
The café food wasn’t too good – I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with parmesan garlic fries. The kitchen omitted both the bacon and the parmesan garlic seasoning for the fries, even though they were on the ticket, and I was charged for them. The burger was dry, unseasoned, and tasteless, even with cheese, onion, lettuce, and tomato on it. However, the bar had a decent selection of booze and soft drinks. 16 oz. cans of Pabst Blue RIbbon beer were only $ 3.00. So, come to enjoy the music and the bar, but don’t expect much from the food.

We went to see *The Universe of Keith Haring* (with a discussion afterwards) as our excuse to check out the resplendent new ArtsQuest facility, which is pretty much unbelievably impressive in its scope and vision. The theater was full of artists, teachers, and people who had known Keith (as one of my good friends did, another reason for my interest in him). Excellent inspiring discussion of art as activism by a Moravian professor and the director of the New Arts Program in Kutztown.
How wonderful it was to see Keith making art to Devo, the B-​52s, the Flying Lizards and so on, and we longed to time travel back to 1980s NYC when it was still cheap enough for a normal person to live there — actually, both my bf and I did for a time, but as poor working slobs who did not know about Paradise Garage (or each other, too bad). :-)
Now, you would be wise to grab up some Southside row homes — because this area is going to be groundbreaking in terms of what you can do with a massive campus of decaying industrial buildings.
Note: None of the new things including the casino are in actual Bethlehem Steel buildings, but they are all on the grounds of the former steel giant. I was disappointed to hear this, but I do understand, having worked on public building projects and seen the prices of large-​scale renovation. (CORRECTION: The new Visitors Center *will* be in a restored building, a really cool one with stone arches.)
There is a short walk from the parking lot to the ArtsQuest building, which we can see some people complaining about in weather that is not perfect. Much of the grounds area is not yet finished, but we got a tour after the film from the Arts Director, who reminded me of supercool Ann Magnuson and who was full of energy and passion for the new facility (even though it was getting pretty late by then, so we know we were very lucky — she is dedicated!).
So we got to see the music venue upstairs modeled after the wonderful and intimate World Café Live in Philly, the outside deck, the VIP area, and a variety of rentable and free meeting spaces, all with the backdrop of the huge smelter stacks lit with changing colored lights, now regarded as works of art. I bet my steelworker dad who slaved there more than 30 years would find amusement in this, as well as a small gift shop fill with key chains and t-​shirts with the vintage Bethlehem Steel logo (I wanted some, but let it pass). There is going to be a glass sculpture — NOT a Chihuly, she said, because that is what every asks — several stories tall, within the spiral staircase. They are still assembling it.
As we walked in and bought our (reserved seats only) tickets, there was a marimba player filling the large main floor with music. This area is called the Creativity Commons. The art film was in the smaller theater; a second bigger one is next door. *Jane Eyre* was playing there.
A snack shop called Mike & Ike’s (Just Born of Peeps candy fame is a sponsor) offers not-​so-​exciting fare so far, but I am hoping for the «healthier» choices that I read about in the Morning Call. We stopped by Vegan Treats beforehand — oh, imagine a VT dessert bar there! A small counter bar features Yuengling drafts (another sponsor), Sam Smith, and a Belgian, as well as wine ($ 7, pedestrian) and spirits. We saw people hanging out there after the film — great to have a place right there to talk about what you just saw. The area outside the theater is filled with tables and chairs. Aramark will be providing food for the cabaret-​style dinners that will be offered in the music café.
There is going to be an outdoor stage backed against the stacks with a grassy area around it for 50 free concerts a year. In an era of diminishing public space, it is nice to know that ArtsQuest kept in mind that not everyone has the cash for expensive concerts and that some people are just looking for public hangout space. This is definitely going to be the spot, with so much to attract families of all types.
Some of MusikFest, a longtime festival of the North Side, will be here this summer, great idea! I am really hoping for acts that appeal to GenXers (punk rock, New Wave, ska, reggae), not just Boomer music from the 60s and 70s. There are plenty of us who were young in the 80s and 90s — we are now in our prime, ready to throw our money around, haha, and would love to see music offerings that take us into consideration.
I wondered who was footing the bill for all this (thinking of my town and its revitalization needs), and learned that, although the Sands Casino donated the land, ArtsQuest raised the $ 26 million itself, during a recession, hence the corporate sponsors. Now that is pretty impressive dedication to the restoration of one’s city, both from dedicated arts workers and local business.

I went here with my Hubby and son today to see a free music show and take a tour. WOW this is going to be amazing when it is completed. Also there is orange EVERYWHERE!!! I love orange so it was very exciting :)
First the music show. There is a free show for kids every Saturday. They have a complete schedule on their website. The kids show is on the 1^st floor right when you walk into the building. There is a mini stage and lots of floor seating and café tables. There is a Mike and Ike café right there so you can eat and watch the show.
On the first floor there is a movie theater where you can bring your food, drinks, beer into the theater and they have trays that hook onto the cup holders on the seats. There is also a kids connect space that isn’t completed yet but right now is a cool lounge with seating. There is also a gift shop where you can get some cool Lehigh Valley goods.
The second floor has gallery space and seating that overlooks the stage on the first floor. There is a private room for parties and the sands deck that overlooks the blast furnaces of Bethlehem Steel.
On the 3^rd floor there is the Musicfest Café which is a cabaret style performance space. They have 2 bars and tables that face the stage. The entire back wall behind the stage is windows that overlook the blast furnaces of Bethlehem Steel.
This building is unbelievable. They are not completed with the whole campus yet, there is still an outdoor amphitheater that is set to open by July 1^st. They are going to have 50 free shows there! I can’t wait to go to the movies and see more free kids shows. What a great way to use the former Bethlehem Steel Property. I added a bunch of pics from my tour, hopefully that helps you visualize the awesome space better :)