They came from Europe and the Caribbean, Manitoba and Michigan, New York and New Mexico, as well as throughout the Lehigh Valley. By the time the last note was played at Musikfest 2013, nearly 1 million people visited Bethlehem for the festival's 30th year, enjoying more than 500 performances on 14 stages over 10 days.

The estimated attendance for Musikfest 2013 is 993,000, up approximately 8 percent from 2012's attendance of 920,000. In addition to attracting visitors from throughout the region, the festival welcomed guests from 40 other states, seven Canadian provinces, Puerto Rico and even Germany. Among the attendees were people traveling to the Lehigh Valley from as far away as California, Washington and Hawaii, as well as Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

"This year's Musikfest lineup was probably one of the most diverse in our history, and while rain had an impact on a few days, the weather was definitely more favorable than the past two years," said ArtsQuest President Jeff Parks. "These two factors, coupled with the minor changes we made to enhance the festival, resulted in a great experience for our guests and a good year for the festival overall."

Complete financial information will not be available until mid to late October.

Musikfest, the largest free, non-gated music festival in the nation, offered concerts and performances by 340 artists, including 13 performers from abroad.

Highlights

Among the many highlights were expanded rides and attractions at the Mutual of Omaha Banana Island family venue that drew large crowds; street performers who entertained guests at SteelStacks for the first time; the dedication of Third Street in south Bethlehem as "Linny's Mile" in honor of the late Marlene "Linny" Fowler; and the Aug. 11 wedding of a couple who originally met at Musikfest.

Other attractions included the new Oasis hospitality area at the Sands Steel Stage; a Color Me Rad race Aug. 3 that attracted 7,000 participants; and the inaugural Musikfest Volunteer Photography Exhibition, showcasing the work of eight photographers who lend a hand at the festival each year.

Approximately 41,000 people attended Musikfest's 10 Sands Steel Stage concerts, enjoying sold-out shows by Darius Rucker and STYX & Foreigner, as well as dynamic performances by Ke$ha, Carly Rae Jepsen, Avenged Sevenfold, Peter Frampton and B.B. King, OneRepublic and more.

Free stages

ArtsQuest Vice President of Performing Arts Patrick Brogan said attendance at the free stages at SteelStacks and the late-night comedy performances at the Arts Quest Center continues to increase.

At the same time, the original Musikfest venues, such as Wells Fargo Festplatz and Pennsylvania Lottery Volksplatz, drew large crowds for shows by artists such as Buckwheat Zydeco, Philadelphia Funk Authority, Start Making Sense, Strawberry Fields and The Red Elvises.

Local talent

"One of the main focuses of ArtsQuest's mission is presenting opportunities for local and regional artists to perform," Brogan adds. "This year's festival included 98 performers and groups from the Lehigh Valley and surrounding region, accounting for approximately 29 percent of the overall lineup. From these talented local artists to the nationally touring acts who visited the festival, there was definitely something for everyone's musical tastes."

Volunteers

Helping to make Musikfest a memorable experience for the nearly 1 million guests were 1,800 volunteers and 125 corporate partners. The volunteers, who included two dozen 30-year volunteers and 50 corporate volunteer groups, donated 33,000 hours, with volunteers coming from Pennsylvania as well as Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Ohio.

On Aug. 2-3 and 6-7 the festival also had 32 Tunisian students lend a hand through Northampton Community College's participation in the Community Colleges for International Development program.

"Two of our most amazing resources are our dedicated volunteers and the many national and local businesses and corporations that support Musikfest year in and year out," says ArtsQuest Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advancement Kassie Hilgert. "Without their help, we simply would not be able to present this festival every year.

Local impact

Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan said that from the city's perspective this year's Musikfest was a resounding success.

"The festival is a great opportunity to showcase Bethlehem to a national and even international audience," Callahan said. "It is an enormous undertaking to host the largest non-gated festival in the country, and I thank everyone – from police to the volunteers and all of the sponsors – who helped make it happen."

In addition to the 500 music performances, Musikfest featured 60 food vendors and 45 artisans from throughout the region and around the nation.

Proceeds from Musikfest will go to support ArtsQuest's free programming for the community year-round at SteelStacks and the Banana Factory community arts center.

Musikfest 2014 dates are Aug. 1-10, 2014. For more information, visit www. musikfest.org.