NEWS RELEASE
DATE: Jan. 25, 2011
CONTACT: Mark Demko, 610-332-1342 or mdemko@artsquest.org
BETHLEHEM POPULAR WITH VISITORS DURING 2010 HOLIDAY SEASON
Nearly 60,000 people attend Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem® Holiday Marketplace
BETHLEHEM, PA—Quality shopping, heartwarming musical and theatrical performances, dozens of family-friendly attractions and excellent weather conditions made Bethlehem a prime destination for visitors during the 2010 holiday season.
From Nov. 26-Dec. 31, thousands of people visited downtown Bethlehem to enjoy the more than 50 different holiday events and attractions taking place in Christmas City USA. At Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem®, the family holiday marketplace that ran Thursdays-Sundays from Nov. 26-Dec. 19, attendance was up more than 25 percent over 2009, with 59,063 people attending the event. The 2010 attendance was the third-highest in Christkindlmarkt’s 18-year history and included a new one-day attendance record of 7,673, set on Sat., Dec. 11.
"The great weather throughout much of December provided people with ample opportunity to enjoy Christkindlmarkt and the many other holiday events and attractions taking place in the city," said Jeff Parks, president of ArtsQuest, which presents Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem. "This year’s strong attendance is an excellent way to build on the excitement for 2011, when Christkindlmarkt will move to the SteelStacks campus and add a fifth weekend, opening on Nov. 17, the week before Thanksgiving."
Other events taking place in Bethlehem during the 2010 holiday season included Historic Bethlehem Partnership’s Bethlehem by Night Bus Tours and Old Bethlehem Historic Walking Tours; Bach Choir of Bethlehem’s annual Christmas Concert; Lehigh and Keystone Valley Model Railroad Museum’s annual open house; and Pennsylvania Playhouse’s performances of "White Christmas." David Landis, president of the Live Bethlehem Christmas Pageant, which attracted approximately 650 guests Dec. 11-12, said that Bethlehem has become a prime destination for people who enjoy the holiday season.
"People contact us in June and July for the dates of the pageant because they want to plan and come for the entire weekend," Landis said. "We have visitors who stay overnight at the Hotel Bethlehem and other area hotels because they also want to experience Christkindlmarkt, the Central Moravian Church Christmas putz and Bethlehem’s other holiday activities."
The week between Christmas and New Year was a very popular one with visitors in 2010, as kids of all ages came out for PEEPS® Fest, the PEEPS®-themed music and arts festival that took place Dec. 29-31. The event, presented by Just Born Inc. and ArtsQuest, welcomed 4,450 people, including 2,694 who came out Dec. 31 to enjoy the new Mascot Day and free PEEPS® Chick drop and fireworks display. In addition, more than 675 people rocked in the New Year at Countdown in Downtown, ArtsQuest’s new New Year’s Eve party featuring popular Musikfest act Igor & the Red Elvises, comedy troupe The N Crowd, glassblowing demonstrations and more.
"Each year it seems like more and more people are discovering the magic of Christmas in Bethlehem," said Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan. "The city’s rich history, unique shopping experiences on its North and South Sides, and its wide variety of holiday attractions make it one of the premier destinations in the Northeastern United States during the holiday season."
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