What's Happening in Bethlehem This Week: November 30-December 6, 2026

The week of Monday, November 30 through Sunday, December 6, 2026 is the first full week of the Christmas City season in Bethlehem. Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem runs its December dates Thursday through Sunday at SteelStacks, Christmas City Village opens Friday on Main and Broad Streets, the Live Advent Calendar begins its nightly run in the Sun Inn Courtyard, Derek Hough, The Stray Cats, Jason Bonham and Chris Isaak line up at Wind Creek, and Lehigh and Moravian tip off their December home basketball slates. This roundup covers Hanover Township (where 3650 Stephen Crane Ln sits), the City of Bethlehem, Bethlehem Township, the Bethlehem Area School District, well-reviewed places to eat, Wind Creek Bethlehem, and Lehigh and Moravian universities. Everything below was checked against official and current sources this week.

Around Bethlehem: Hanover Township, the City, and Bethlehem Township

In Hanover Township, Northampton County, where 3650 Stephen Crane Ln sits, no Board of Supervisors meeting falls in this window; the board meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, so its next session is Tuesday, December 8 at 7:00 PM at the Municipal Office, 3630 Jacksonville Road. Agendas post ahead of each meeting at hanovertwp-nc.org. This is also the final week of the township's curbside leaf collection, which runs from mid-October through the end of November or the first week of December, weather permitting; once pickup ends, leaves must be held in approved yard-waste bags for the January pickup or dropped at the City of Bethlehem Compost Center. Community Center programming and holiday announcements post on the township's special-events page at hanovertwp-nc.org/special-events.

In the City of Bethlehem, the holiday season is fully lit. The city's Christmas tree went up at Payrow Plaza on Friday, November 27 and stays on display, and the historic district is dressed for Christmas City Village, the free outdoor holiday market of wooden huts on Main and Broad Streets, open Friday through Sunday, December 4-6 from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM (and every weekend through December 20). The Live Advent Calendar returns nightly December 1-23 at 5:30 PM in the Sun Inn Courtyard, with a new window revealed each evening. Downtown's holiday tours continue too: Trees of Historic Bethlehem at the historic sites, Christmas City Stroll, Bethlehem By Night motorcoach tours, and the Spirits of Christmas Pub Walking Tour, all listed at historicbethlehem.org.

At SteelStacks, Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem runs Thursday through Sunday, December 3-6 at the ArtsQuest Center, 101 Founders Way, with hours 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Thursday and Sunday and 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Friday and Saturday, and free entry Fridays from 5:00 to 8:00 PM courtesy of ArtsQuest. The market brings artisan vendors, food, live music, and St. Nicholas visits; see artsquest.org/christkindlmarkt for the full schedule. Also at SteelStacks, The Ledbetters and Superunknown, Pearl Jam and Chris Cornell tribute bands, play the Musikfest Café Friday, December 4 at 7:30 PM, and "An 'Old Fashioned' Christmas, presented by EDRINGTON" is scheduled at Christkindlmarkt on Sunday, December 6 at 2:30 PM. And note that December's First Friday lands Friday, December 4, this month in the SouthSide Arts District, the monthly 6:00 to 9:00 PM gallery walk centered on South Bethlehem's 3rd Street and the Banana Factory; downtown's historic district hosts it in other months.

Bethlehem Township holds no Board of Commissioners meeting in this window; the board meets the first and third Mondays, so the next regular session is Monday, December 7 at 7:00 PM in the Municipal Building, 3535 Orth Street. The township's curbside leaf collection program, running from the second week of October through mid-December, continues this week, weather permitting. Confirm the latest on the township calendar at bethlehemtownship.org.

Bethlehem Area School District, Freedom, and Liberty

The Bethlehem Area School District returns from Thanksgiving break this week. Monday, November 30 is the final day of the district's November 25-30 Thanksgiving closure, and students and staff are back for regular school days Tuesday, December 1 through Friday, December 4 per the published 2026-2027 calendar. No district-wide events appear on the calendar for this window; the full calendar is at basdschools.org.

Winter varsity sports are underway, and the one contest confirmed for this window on the published schedules is Liberty High School's boys varsity basketball team at Hazleton Area High School on Saturday, December 5 at 7:15 PM, a non-conference away game on the Hurricanes' 2026-27 schedule. No Freedom High School varsity winter contest is confirmed inside this window from current sources. For the definitive day-by-day schedules, check the district's high school varsity athletics page and the Freedom and Liberty athletics pages at basdschools.org.

Good Places to Eat in Bethlehem

Fresh picks for a weekend of Christkindlmarkt and holiday strolling, all real, verifiable places and a short drive from Hanover Farms:

• The People's Kitchen at 639 Linden Street serves casual, scratch-cooked breakfast and lunch with a 4.6-star average across more than 230 reviews.
• Machs Gute Pub and Grille at 713 Linden Street is a neighborhood pub with a 4.4-star average across about 78 reviews.
• Tre Scalini Ristorante at 221 East Broad Street serves Italian fare in a warm dining room, with a 4.4-star average across more than 100 reviews.
• Apollo Grill at 85 West Broad Street remains a long-running downtown favorite with a 4.6-star average across more than 1,000 reviews, a fitting choice before a Christkindlmarkt evening.

Downtown tables fill fast on Christkindlmarkt and Christmas City Village weekends, so call ahead; many spots take reservations for the holiday season.

Events at Wind Creek Bethlehem

Four shows anchor the first week of December at the Wind Creek Event Center at 77 Wind Creek Boulevard:

• Thursday, December 3, 8:00 PM: Derek Hough presents "Dance For The Holidays", a festive live dance and music production for the season.
• Friday, December 4, 8:00 PM: The Stray Cats bring their rockabilly catalog to town on their U.S. tour.
• Saturday, December 5, 8:00 PM: Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening, the tribute revue fronted by Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham's son.
• Sunday, December 6, 7:00 PM: Chris Isaak performs his holiday show, blending seasonal favorites with his classic hits.

Tickets for all four run through the venue's official channels at windcreekeventcenter.com.

Lehigh University and Moravian University

It is a busy hoops week on the south side. At Lehigh University, the men's basketball team hosts Penn State Scranton Wednesday, December 2 at 7:00 PM and Monmouth Saturday, December 5 at 2:00 PM, both at Stabler Arena. No Lehigh women's basketball home game is confirmed inside this window on the published schedule, and no public performance is yet dated on the Zoellner Arts Center calendar for these dates; check lehighsports.com and zoellner.cas.lehigh.edu for the latest.

At Moravian University, the women's basketball team hosts two Landmark Conference games at Johnston Hall this week: University of Scranton on Wednesday, December 2 and Susquehanna on Saturday, December 5. The men's team has no home game in this window; it next hosts Penn State Abington on Saturday, December 12. Payne Gallery at 346 Main Street keeps free public hours Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 4:00 PM, with "Bill Needs: A Visual Journey Through the History of the Moravian Church" on view through December 18. And the university's Christmas Vespers, the candlelight choral tradition, typically fills six nights in the first two weeks of December; exact dates post at moravian.edu/music/concert-schedule. Athletics schedules are at moraviansports.com.

The Week Ahead in One Glance

• Mon Nov 30: BASD closed, final day of the Thanksgiving break; no township meetings.
• Tue Dec 1: Schools reopen; Live Advent Calendar begins its nightly 5:30 PM run in the Sun Inn Courtyard.
• Wed Dec 2: Lehigh men's basketball hosts Penn State Scranton 7:00 PM; Moravian women host Scranton.
• Thu Dec 3: Christkindlmarkt opens 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Derek Hough: "Dance For The Holidays" at Wind Creek 8:00 PM.
• Fri Dec 4: Christkindlmarkt 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM with free entry 5:00 to 8:00 PM; Christmas City Village 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM; First Friday in the SouthSide Arts District 6:00 to 9:00 PM; The Ledbetters and Superunknown at Musikfest Café 7:30 PM; The Stray Cats at Wind Creek 8:00 PM.
• Sat Dec 5: Lehigh men host Monmouth 2:00 PM; Moravian women host Susquehanna; Liberty boys basketball at Hazleton Area 7:15 PM; Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening at Wind Creek 8:00 PM.
• Sun Dec 6: Christkindlmarkt 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM; "An 'Old Fashioned' Christmas" at 2:30 PM; Christmas City Village 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM; Chris Isaak at Wind Creek 7:00 PM.

As always, event details, times, and lineups can change, so confirm directly with the township, city, school, venue, or university before heading out. I research this roundup fresh every week from official and current sources, and I never publish an event I cannot verify.

While you are out enjoying the Christmas City season, remember that 3650 Stephen Crane Ln in Hanover Farms is listed at $414,900, with 3 bedrooms plus an office or possible 4th bedroom, 1.5 baths, an in-ground pool, and a covered patio. To arrange a private tour, call Tim Tepes at (484) 275-0056 or use the contact page.