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Downtown Allentown presents the 12th Annual Blues, Brews & Barbecue festival featuring an all-star lineup on Saturday, June 8th from 12 noon until 10 p.m. This festival is produced by the Downtown Allentown Business Alliance, a program of the Allentown Chamber, in partnership with the City of Allentown. Blues, Brews & Barbecue is presented by City Center Allentown. We are looking forward to another fantastic year.
Spanning SIX stages of music, the festival will stretch from Hamilton Street, 9th to 5th Street incorporating the LV Building Trades Stage at the PPL Plaza, Fegley’s Allentown Brew Works Biergarten Stage, The Hamilton Kitchen Stage, Queen City BBQ Stage, Bell Hall Stage and the Tacos Y Tequila Stage.
The extended musical lineup this year is the best the Lehigh Valley has ever seen, showcasing sixteen-year-old Blues phenom, Brandon “Taz” Niederauer as our headliner. In addition to Taz, we will feature the renowned 2019 Blues Music Award Winner for “Instrumentalist of the Year – Horn”, Vanessa Collier, and the former lead singer, lead guitarist and band leader for the legendary Grammy-nominated James Cotton, Slam Allen. Other featured artists include James Armstrong, King Solomon Hicks, Deb Callahan – all new to this year’s festival.
Returning favorites include, Craig Thatcher Band featuring Pete Fluck, The BC Combo, Supra Ayers Blues Band, The Groove Merchants, and Tavern Tan. For the complete lineup, see the schedule below.
Schedule of Entertainment:
LV Building Trades Stage at the PPL Plaza
2-3 p.m. – Nick Andrew Staver
4:30-6:00 p.m. – The Craig Thatcher Band
6:45-8:15 p.m. – Vanessa Collier
8:30-10 p.m. – Brandon “Taz” Niederauer
Fegley’s Biergarten Stage
1-2 p.m. – Norman Taylor
3-4:15 p.m. – Jack Adams Band
The Hamilton Kitchen Stage
1-2 p.m. – Chaz DePaolo
3-4:30 p.m. – The BC Combo
5:45-7:15 p.m. – King Solomon Hicks
Queen City BBQ Stage
2-3 p.m. – Pentley Holmes
4:30-5:45 p.m. – Supra Ayers Band
The Bell Hall Stage
1-2 p.m. – Phyllis Hopkins Trio
3-4:30 p.m. – Little Monkeys
5:45 – 7 p.m. – Tavern Tan
Tacos Y Tequila Stage
1:30-2:45 p.m. – The Groove Merchants
3-4:15 p.m. – Deb Callahan
4:30-6 p.m. – James Armstrong
6:30-8 p.m. – Slam Allen
Late night performances at downtown Allentown restaurants
starting at 9:30 p.m. to midnight include, Fillet of Soul Blues Band at Fegley’s Allentown Brew Works, The Groove Merchants at The Hamilton Kitchen, and The BC Combo at Queen City BBQ.
Of course, we also have a large array of excellent food and craft vendors joining the festival from across the region, Atomic Hogs, Baron Von Schwein, Grumpy’s BBQ, Kloby’s Smokehouse, Mr BBQ 911, among others showcasing their delicious barbecue and other foods including roasted corn, gyros, cupcakes, and even crab cakes will be available at the festival this year.
Additionally, several downtown restaurants will be part of the festivities bringing out their grills and smokers to join in the fun all day long – The Americus Hotel, Fegley’s Allentown Brew Works, Bell Hall, Bon Appetit, The Hamilton Kitchen, Culture Jam Jamaican Restaurant, The Dime, and Queen City BBQ.
There’s plenty to see and experience while you’re moving from stage to stage including awesome new vendors such as, Axecessive Force, a mobile axe throwing trailer; Georgia’s Flower Truck, a mobile flower truck offering fresh cut flowers with a vintage vibe; and Saint Obnoxious with hilarious beer themed t-shirts. We’re also bringing back crowd favorites such as: Kai’s Rock N Roll Bowls, Chocolate Moonshine and Broken Coconut.
For the kids, and the young at heart, stop by the Kids Art Zone presented by the Cultural Coalition of Allentown (CCA) at The Archive space located at 647 Hamilton Street. Kids can participate in a variety of activities including, a Book & Puppet Interactive Puppet Show, a CCA Craft Table, mural projects with artists, Rachel Jackson and Pedro LeDee, plus more!
And, for those over 21, there will be plenty of refreshing beverages to be enjoyed responsibly in four locations, including our local brewery, Fegley’s Allentown Brew Works and mead crafter, The Colony Meadery and beverage suppliers, Origlio Beverage, Penn Beer, and Stockertown Beverage. You can also purchase cocktails at two locations, one which will feature beverages made with Dr. McGillicuddy’s liquers. We are offering a large variety of beers and a blend of white, red and honey wines. Beers on tap will include both domestic and craft varieties with something for everyone!
Special thanks to our Presenting Sponsor – City Center Allentown and to all of our sponsors who help make this festival a huge success. Downtown Allentown is thriving because of the great partnerships The Chamber and the Downtown Allentown Business Alliance has with the business community.
For a complete list of all our sponsors and activities for Saturday, June 8, please visit our website, www.downtownallentown.com and follow the event on Facebook.
About The Downtown Allentown Business Alliance:
Right here in downtown Allentown you’ll find the commercial and cultural heart of the Lehigh Valley. Our unique ethnic restaurants, our historical arts district, our businesses – and our people – make this a vibrant center of activity. Here, visitors can discover a wide array of taste, culture, entertainment and history. The Downtown Allentown Business Alliance consists of the area from 5th Street to 12th Street, and from Walnut to Linden Streets, and is supported by adjoining city neighborhoods and the riverfront.
About The Chamber:
About the Chamber: The mission of The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce is to improve the economy and quality of life in the Lehigh Valley Metropolitan Area. We accomplish this through business-to-business networking events and marketing products, affinity programs and exclusive, money saving member benefits, training programs, government affairs initiatives and public policy advocacy, and community development enterprises. With nearly 5,000 members who employ more than 200,000, the Chamber is the largest in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in the top ten nationwide.
Information provided to TVL by:
Miriam Huertas, Sr. Vice President
Allentown Initiatives
