Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA. November 17, 2025 – ArtsQuest is thrilled to announce the second Musikfest 2026 headliner, “Weird Al” Yankovic, will be coming to the Wind Creek Steel Stage at PNC Plaza on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 with special guest Puddles Pity Party.
This concert is being presented with media partner 95.1 WZZO. Ticket access begins today, Monday, November 17 for ArtsQuest Members and Friday, November 21 for the general public at ArtsQuest.org. For more exclusive ticket access and advance purchase opportunities, become an ArtsQuest Circle Donor today.
“Weird Al” Yankovic is the biggest-selling comedy recording artist in history. A 5-time Grammy Award winner, he is best known for his parodies of the biggest musical artists over the last 4 decades, including Madonna, Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, Queen, U2 and Lady Gaga, all with their personal blessings. His many hits include “Amish Paradise,” “Eat It,” “Like a Surgeon,” “Smells Like Nirvana,” “Word Crimes,” and the platinum-selling “White & Nerdy.” His last album Mandatory Fun is the only comedy album in history to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Yankovic’s live shows have entertained audiences across the globe for generations, including appearances at such iconic venues as Radio City Music Hall, The Hollywood Bowl, Red Rocks, Carnegie Hall, Wolf Trap, The Kennedy Center and Madison Square Garden. In 2022, Yankovic produced and co-wrote the Emmy-winning biopic WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, starring Daniel Radcliffe in the title role.
A veritable “Pagliacci by way of Pee-Wee Herman and David Lynch” (The AJC), with “crooning comparable to any Grammy winner” (Los Angeles Times), Puddles Pity Party deftly combines melancholy with the absurd. A performer’s performer, Puddles has received endorsements and accolades from musical comedy legends like Jack Black, Michael McKean, Drew Carey, Nick Offerman, John C. Reilly, Paul Reubens and Maynard Keenan. His one-of-a-kind “textured voice laced with melancholy” (NY Times) has been hailed as “operatic” (Boston Globe) and his show both “life-affirming” (Herald Scotland) and “hysterical” (Rolling Stone).
About Musikfest
A total of 1,449,000 people attended Musikfest in 2025. The 11-day festival featured over 500 free performances across 16 stages located throughout both the north and south-sides of Bethlehem. The 43rd Musikfest is scheduled for July 31 – August 9, 2026. This year’s Musikfest 2026 poster artist is painter and illustrator Doug Boehm. The 2026 design holds added significance as the nation prepares to celebrate America 250, the semi quincentennial of the United States. Boehm’s artwork reflects both the joy of Musikfest and the unifying power of music during this historic moment. To see the poster and learn more about Boehm’s vision for it, along with information about the festival, visit artsquest.org/musikfest.
About ArtsQuest
ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, of which nearly 40 percent are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.