BETHLEHEM, PA—Upper Macungie Township, South Italy Imports and ArtsQuest are partnering to take SteelStacks’ popular SangriaFest on the road when SangriaFest Upper Macungie makes its debut at the Township’s Grange Park, 360 Grange Rd., on June 8. Tickets for the new event, which is presented by Service Electric Cable TV & Communications, go on sale starting today, noon, at steelstacks.org and 610-332-3378.
At SangriaFest Upper Macungie, attendees can sample 10 different sangrias all made with light and refreshing wines imported by South Italy Imports from family-owned vineyards throughout Italy. A sampling includes the Strawberry Sangria made with Italian Rosato wine, Cocchi Americano, Cointreau, peaches and garnished with strawberries, as well as Limoncello Sangria featuring Pinot Grigio, limoncello, water, club soda and assorted fruit. The event will also feature live music by popular regional acts Billy Bauer and Jimmy and the Parrots, as well as Bocce courts, volleyball and food available for purchase from vendors and food trucks including Clubhouse Grille and Mr. Bills Poultry.
“Upper Macungie Township is looking for innovative ways to raise awareness of the township’s parks and recreation facilities,” says Upper Macungie Township Supervisor Sean Gill. “With its track record of community engagement and presenting unique experiences that draw people from all over, ArtsQuest is the ideal partner for a new event in our park system. Offering a festival featuring live bands, fun and games provides a new way for us to attract the attention of patrons, businesses and other partners who may not be aware of the facilities that we offer. This partnership is a great way to raise the profile and visibility of our growing township.”
Similar to SangriaFest at SteelStacks, SangriaFest Upper Macungie will feature two sampling sessions: The first takes place from noon-3 p.m., with a limited access VIP experience from 11 a.m.-noon (VIP Access Ticket required), while the second runs from 6-9 p.m., with a VIP experience from 5-6 p.m.
“ArtsQuest is excited to partner with Upper Macungie Township to present this new cultural event for our region,” says ArtsQuest Chief Operating Officer Curt Mosel. “When the township supervisors approached us about hosting a festival, we discussed several different options. We selected SangriaFest because of its past success at SteelStacks and the impact it has had on exposing new audiences to our campus.
“ArtsQuest is committed to Bethlehem and growing its programming and festivals in the Christmas City. At the same time, presenting a SangriaFest at Grange Park provides excellent cross-marketing opportunities for both the township and our organization. From our perspective, SangriaFest Upper Macungie will allow us to reach a new audience, which will hopefully help us attract additional patrons to our festivals here in Bethlehem. As a nonprofit that focuses on using arts and culture to support economic development in our region, this fits in very well with our mission.”
Proceeds from SangriaFest Upper Macungie support the nonprofit ArtsQuest’s free music, arts and education programming for the region. Ticket prices for SangriaFest are below; every guest who attends the event will receive a commemorative wine glass upon exiting the event.
| Tickets | Advance | Day of |
| ArtsQuest Member VIP Access | $ 65.00 | $ 75.00 |
| Public VIP Access | $ 69.00 | $ 79.00 |
| ArtsQuest Member Regular Admission | $ 30.00 | $ 35.00 |
| Public Regular Admission | $ 34.00 | $ 39.00 |
VIP Access Tickets, which are available in limited quantities, include early access to the event, access to awesome appetizers and the opportunity to sample handcrafted sangria cocktails designed by mixologists from popular Lehigh Valley restaurants. All VIP ticketholders also receive an official SangriaFest VIP gift and have the opportunity to vote for their favorite drink as the “Best Sangria of SangriaFest Upper Macungie.” In addition to Service Electric Cable TV & Communications, other sponsors helping to make the event possible include Boyle Construction, East Penn Insurance and Bear Creek Resort.
“As the nation’s first cable television company, Service Electric has a strong history of covering and promoting community events,” says Service Electric TV2 General Manager Andy Himmelwright. “We’re excited to partner with ArtsQuest, South Italy Imports and Upper Macungie on this new festival, which will undoubtedly draw even more people to the Lehigh Valley. As a bonus, we’ll be re-broadcasting the concerts – complete with interviews with some of the partners on this event – and some of the fun and games that take place at SangriaFest Upper Macungie at a later date, providing a great programming element for Service Electric patrons. While the snow isn’t gone yet, we’re already looking forward to summer.”
The popular SangriaFest SteelStacks, now in its fourth year, will take place at SteelStacks on July 13. Tickets for that event are already on sale. For more information on the event, visit www.steelstacks.org.
Information and image provided to TVL by:
Mark Demko, ArtsQuest
http://www.artsquest.org/
