The SouthSide Arts & Music Festival is going big in 2017.
For its third year, the two-day event is undertaking a major expansion with a lineup full of workshops, nationally touring musicians, comedy, dance and more coming to Bethlehem April 28 and 29.
The festival fills the South Side with visual art and performances in an easily walkable area, surrounded by the district's galleries, restaurants and shops. The eclectic Pittsburgh rock band Rusted Root will headline a lineup of more than 30 artists playing across five different venues. The band will take the stage at SteelStacks Musikfest Cafe on Saturday, April 29 at 10 p.m. Friday's musical headliner is yet to be announced.
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The event launched in 2015 as a street art festival, broadening its purview last year to include a wider array of creative programming.
The latest expansion is reflected in the festival's price. This year, the formerly all-free festival will require tickets to attend the music and comedy performances. Single-day passes cost $30 and two-day passes are $50. In addition, several of the workshops this year will be ticketed, ranging from $5 for air-brushed face painting to $50 for hot glass blowing.
But many free events and programs will still be available, including a skateboarding tournament, artist demonstrations, and "Art Wars," where local artists compete to create a piece on a given theme within two hours.
The diverse lineup also includes former Bethlehem resident and Latin musician Pablo Batista, singer-songwriter Steve Forbert, indie band Ceramic Animal, folk-rockers The Ballroom Thieves, and improv comedy troupe Associated Mess.
The SouthSide Arts Festival will run from 5 to 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 28 and noon to 11 p.m Saturday, April 29. Tickets are on sale now at www.bananafactory.org and 610-332-3378.
For a full lineup and schedule, head to bananafactory.org.
Andrew Doerfler may be reached at adoerfler@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @adoerfler or on Facebook.
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