Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA, December 15, 2025 – ArtsQuest is so excited to share that Yellowcard and Taking Back Sunday, with special guest The Click Five, are rocking their way to Musikfest! The bands will hit the Wind Creek Steel Stage at PNC Plaza on August 8, 2026, becoming the festival’s seventh headliner to be revealed!
This show is presented with our media collaborator, 95.1 ZZO. ArtsQuest Members can begin purchasing tickets today, December 15 at 12 p.m., with sales opening to the general public on Friday, December 19 at 10 a.m. at ArtsQuest.org. Want early access and special ticket opportunities? Join the ArtsQuest Circle Donor today!
Yellowcard meant it when they said goodbye. The lights dimmed on one of the most beloved pop-punk and alt-rock bands of the 2000s with intention and authenticity. Wrapping things up with a farewell tour, Yellowcard exited the “right” way, with grace, appreciation and finality.
But the story wasn’t complete. Legacy cracked the door. Healing blew it wide open. Riding a resurgence that saw the global Ocean Avenue 20th anniversary tour featured in Forbes and a reconciliation that put all four members at peace with their legacy and each other, Yellowcard just made the most ambitious and emotionally resonant record of their career. Better Days, the band’s first album in nearly a decade, was produced by blink-182’s Travis Barker, who also played drums on every track.
Better Days is an unflinching reflection on gratitude, forgiveness, perspective and purpose. Once ubiquitous on MTV and the Billboard Hot 100, the Vans Warped Tour veterans, whose first two albums produced double-platinum and gold title tracks, sound fully recharged and revitalized in 2025. William Ryan Key, Sean Mackin, Ryan Mendez and Josh Portman have never sounded stronger.
Their first release with powerhouse label Better Noise Music, Better Days is Yellowcard’s testimony that healing is a process, growth is nonlinear and sometimes the best chapter opens after the supposed ending. This isn’t just a return. It’s a reckoning. And this time, Yellowcard is ready.
Taking Back Sunday, who released their eighth studio album 152 in late 2023, often refer to themselves as the ‘luckiest guys you will meet’. The new album, featuring 10 intensely vulnerable and absorbing new tracks, was delivered with fresh ambition and a newfound purpose. It stands among the most genuinely reflective and emotionally pure efforts of Taking Back Sunday’s illustrious career.
Starting out just hoping to release at least one album and go on tour, the band has since sold millions of albums, has multiple tracks with streams hitting the multiple hundred million mark, toured the world several times over, performed at all of the biggest festivals and are still always looking forward.
Never ones to rest on their prior accomplishments or impressive back catalogue, they are always striving to make something that they hope folks can find a little piece of themselves in.
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 drivers of economic development in our urban communities. ArtsQuest supports this mission through performing and visual arts, film, arts education and outreach, youth programming and a wide range of cultural events, anchored by signature venues and initiatives including its flagship event, Musikfest; the ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL, a centerpiece for the Valley’s artistic communities; the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks; and the LVHN, part of Jefferson Health Turn & Grind Shop, an adaptive reuse project expanding space for programming, festivals, private events and nationally touring exhibits. ArtsQuest welcomes more than 1.9 million people annually, with nearly 40 percent of its programs free to attend, generating a regional economic impact of more than $143 million annually. ArtsQuest’s Re-Imagine That! Capital Campaign supports the continued growth of its mission to make the arts accessible for all.