Freedom HS students take the reins to decide on and choose bands to play at this year’s Musikfest in a marketing class powered by ArtsQuest and the Bethlehem Area School District, called Marketing Musikfest.

As part of the Marketing Musikfest class, students ran the F.A.M.E. contest for the 5th consecutive year, setting up a bracket of student musicians to compete against each other in a vote on social media.

After finishing as last year’s runner-up, T’Byus Briggs made a strong comeback to win this year’s F.A.M.E contest. T’Byus has been singing for multiple years, mostly focusing on the R&B genre. When being interviewed by students in the class, he said some of his inspirations included Michael Jackson, Chris Brown and Usher.

The first band signed to play at Musikfest by the students is Ballistic Berry, a pop rock band from Asbury, New Jersey. The second band they signed would be Alter Ego, a hometown band with a classic rock and indie vibe. These bands were hand selected and carefully crafted to fit the themes and genres of Musikfest.

This year, the class worked diligently to piece together the perfect lineup with a combination of the F.A.M.E contest winner and booking small bands. The schedule consists of multitalented musicians that range from Ballistic Berries and Alter Egos classic rock all the way to T’Byus Briggs’ R&B style. To see the lineup this year’s class selected over the school year, visit Musikfest Saturday, Aug. 2, at the Plaza Tropical stage.

2025 Freedom HS Marketing Musikfest Band Lineup:

4 p.m. – T’Byus Briggs (F.A.M.E. Contest Winner)

5 p.m. – Ballistic Berry (Pop/Rock)

6 p.m. – Alter Ego (Classic Rock/Indie)

For additional information on Freedom’s Marketing Musikfest program, please follow us on our social media:

Instagram: @FHS_AtTheFest

Twitter: @FHS_AtTheFest

TikTok: @Marketing_Musikfest

Contributed article