What's Happening in Bethlehem This Week: December 7-13, 2026

The week of Monday, December 7 through Sunday, December 13, 2026 is the second December week of Christmas City season in Bethlehem. Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem runs its December dates Thursday through Sunday at SteelStacks, Christmas City Village stays open Friday through Sunday on Main and Broad Streets, the Live Advent Calendar continues its nightly run in the Sun Inn Courtyard, Neil Forever and Karen As Dolly bring holiday tributes to Wind Creek, and Moravian men's basketball hosts Penn State Abington on Saturday. 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, the Board of Supervisors holds its December session Tuesday, December 8 at 7:00 PM at the Municipal Office, 3630 Jacksonville Road, following the board's second-Tuesday meeting pattern. Agendas post ahead of each meeting at hanovertwp-nc.org. This is also the likely 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 holiday programming and announcements post on the township's special-events page at hanovertwp-nc.org/special-events.

In the City of Bethlehem, the holiday season stays fully lit. Christmas City Village, the free outdoor holiday market of wooden huts on Main and Broad Streets, is open Friday through Sunday, December 11-13 from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and runs every weekend through December 20. The Live Advent Calendar continues nightly through December 23 at 5:30 PM in the Sun Inn Courtyard, 564 Main Street, 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. Christmas carriage rides from Church and Main Streets also keep running through the season.

At SteelStacks, Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem runs Thursday through Sunday, December 10-13 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. German-inspired artisans, food, music, and St. Nicholas visits anchor the market; see artsquest.org/christkindlmarkt for the full schedule. Also at SteelStacks, the Musikfest Café hosts comedian David Cross Friday, December 11 at 7:30 PM and Celtic roots band Scythian Saturday, December 12 at 7:30 PM. Note that December's First Friday already took place on Friday, December 4 in the SouthSide Arts District, so the next monthly gallery walk is January's.

Bethlehem Township holds its Board of Commissioners regular meeting Monday, December 7 at 7:00 PM in the Municipal Building, the first of the board's two December sessions; the next follows Monday, December 21. Meetings are also streamed online, and agendas post ahead. The township's curbside leaf collection program, running from the second week of October through mid-December, continues this week, weather permitting; leaves must be loose at the curb, free of branches and debris, and not bagged. Confirm the latest on the township calendar at bethlehemtownship.org.

Bethlehem Area School District, Freedom, and Liberty

The Bethlehem Area School District runs a full five-day school week in this window, Monday, December 7 through Friday, December 11, ahead of the winter break that closes schools Monday, December 21 through Friday, January 1 per the published 2026-2027 calendar. On the governance calendar, Monday, December 7 hosts the BASD Board of Directors Reorganization and Combined Committee Meeting, with Wednesday, December 9 set as its snow date; the next regular board meeting follows Monday, December 14. The full district calendar is at basdschools.org.

Winter varsity sports remain in full swing, with boys' and girls' basketball, wrestling, swimming, and indoor track schedules all posted on the district's High School Varsity Athletics calendar, which runs Freedom and Liberty schedules through Arbiter. No Freedom or Liberty varsity contest inside this window was confirmed from current sources at research time, so check the day-by-day calendar at basdschools.org (and fhsathletics.net) for the definitive game list, since schedules can shift with the weather this time of year.

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:

• Billy's Downtown Diner at 10 East Broad Street is a breakfast and lunch standby, with a 4.3-star average across about 255 reviews, a good warm start before a cold morning at the market.
• Aqui Es: A Taste of Mexico at 821 Linden Street serves Mexican classics with a 4.4-star average across about 22 reviews.
• Edge Restaurant at 74 West Broad Street offers contemporary American dining, with a 4.2-star average across more than 260 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 an evening at Christkindlmarkt.

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

Two ticketed shows anchor this week at the Wind Creek Event Center at 77 Wind Creek Boulevard:

• Friday, December 11, 8:00 PM: Neil Forever, a tribute to Neil Diamond, bringing the singer's holiday classics and greatest hits to the Event Center stage.
• Saturday, December 12: Karen As Dolly, "A Hollyest Dollyest Christmas Tribute", a tribute to Dolly Parton with a festive holiday set; showtime should be confirmed on the venue's official channels.

Tickets for both run through the venue's official channels at windcreekeventcenter.com. The casino's free lounges, including the Molten Lounge, post their live-band and DJ lineups week by week at windcreek.com/bethlehem.

Lehigh University and Moravian University

It is a quiet and festive week on the south side. At Lehigh University, fall final exams keep the campus on an academic schedule, and neither the men's nor women's basketball team plays at home this week; the men's next game is December 22 at Auburn, with Patriot League home play beginning in January, and the women's team is on the road Monday, December 7. At the Zoellner Arts Center, ticket listings show Pennsylvania Youth Ballet's The Nutcracker at Baker Hall on Saturday, December 12 (12:00 PM and 4:00 PM) and Sunday, December 13, with final performance times best confirmed on the official calendar. Check lehighsports.com and zoellner.cas.lehigh.edu for the latest.

At Moravian University, the men's basketball team hosts Penn State Abington on Saturday, December 12 at Johnston Hall, its final home game before finals; exact tip time should be confirmed on the schedule. No women's basketball home game is confirmed inside this window. On the academic calendar, Friday, December 11 is the approximate last day of fall classes and fall final exams begin Monday, December 14. 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. 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. Athletics schedules are at moraviansports.com.

The Week Ahead in One Glance

• Mon Dec 7: School week begins; BASD Board Reorganization and Combined Committee Meeting; Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners 7:00 PM.
• Tue Dec 8: Hanover Township Board of Supervisors 7:00 PM, Municipal Office on Jacksonville Road; Live Advent Calendar 5:30 PM in the Sun Inn Courtyard.
• Wed Dec 9: Snow date for the BASD board meeting; schools in session.
• Thu Dec 10: Christkindlmarkt opens 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM at SteelStacks.
• Fri Dec 11: 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; David Cross at Musikfest Café 7:30 PM; Neil Forever, Neil Diamond tribute, at Wind Creek 8:00 PM.
• Sat Dec 12: Moravian men host Penn State Abington at Johnston Hall; The Nutcracker listed at Zoellner 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM; Karen As Dolly at Wind Creek; Scythian at Musikfest Café 7:30 PM.
• Sun Dec 13: Christkindlmarkt 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Christmas City Village 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM; The Nutcracker at Zoellner, final showtime to confirm.

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.