Lehigh Valley this week · 2026-09-18
What's on in the Lehigh Valley: the week of September 21
By Tim Tepes, pa licensed associate broker and realtor®
This week's roundup around 4021 Pine Hurst Drive: a new film opens today at the Roxy Theatre in Northampton, the Celtic Classic and Lehigh Valley Space Fest fill the September 26 calendar, the Fall Wine Festival and Allentown's West End Block Party round out Saturday, Dave's Hot Chicken celebrates its grand opening on Route 248, and the Borough and school district head into October meeting season. Details below were checked against official sites and local reporting the week of September 18, 2026.
At the Roxy Theatre right now
Northampton's single-screen Roxy Theatre starts a brand-new engagement today, Friday, September 18: Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey (rated R, 172 minutes). Evenings play daily at 7:00 PM, with matinees on Wednesday at 1:00 PM and Sunday at 2:00 PM. Tickets stay at $3 and are sold only at the box office, which opens about 25 minutes before showtime, with free parking behind the theatre.
The R-rated title makes this one a grown-ups' night out rather than a family matinee. The Roxy runs one film at a time, so if you have seen this one, watch the theater's site for the follow-up title once the next engagement posts. Confirm showtimes on the site before you go.
In Northampton Borough this week and next
Borough Council held its September meeting Thursday, September 17 at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers at Borough Hall (1401 Laubach Avenue), streamed on the borough's YouTube channel, so the next regular meetings are Thursday, October 1 and Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 PM, with agendas posted to the borough site ahead of each meeting. The Planning Commission meets the second Wednesday of the month (October 14) and the Zoning Hearing Board the second Thursday (October 8), both at 7:00 PM at Borough Hall. In borough news, the My Northampton app is the new place the borough is using for updates, and vendor registration for the 2026 Hometown Holiday is open for those planning a booth.
Because the October 1 agenda has not been posted yet, check northamptonboro.com closer to the date for the item list and public-comment details. Council has been reviewing park and pool operations through the summer, so those threads are likely to stay active into the fall.
The big weekend: September 25-27
The Celtic Classic Highland Games & Festival returns for its 39th year September 25-27 in Bethlehem's Colonial Industrial Quarter, a free weekend of Celtic music across five stages, sanctioned highland games, pipe bands, Irish dance, and food, running Friday 4:00 to 10:00 PM, Saturday 9:30 AM to 10:00 PM, and Sunday 9:30 AM to 7:00 PM. Families should also circle Lehigh Valley Space Fest, Saturday, September 26 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Lehigh University's Mountaintop Campus (111 Research Drive, Bethlehem), a free family STEM festival with exhibitors, an inflatable planetarium, solar astronomy, an astronaut photo station, and food trucks.
Saturday is a full day across the valley. The Fall Wine Festival marks its 10th year at the Lehigh Valley Zoo in Schnecksville, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with pours and ciders from Lehigh Valley wineries, live music, and animal visits (21+, so plan accordingly). Allentown's West End Block Party & Food Festival takes over 19th and Liberty Streets from noon to 10:00 PM with food vendors, beer and wine tents, live music, and kids' crafts, and the Easton Farmers' Market hosts its Hot Pepper Showdown the same morning. At the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, Tom Jones plays Thursday, September 24 and Black Veil Brides Saturday, September 26.
Looking a week further out, Oktoberfest at SteelStacks returns October 2-4 and 9-11 on the ArtsQuest campus in Bethlehem, free with German food and beer in the biergartens, live music, wiener dog races, and stein-holding contests, plus the Yuengling Oktoberfest 5K on Sunday, October 4. Halloween-adjacent farm season also gets going, with Grim's Orchard & Family Farms in Breinigsville running its Fall Festival weekends through November 1.
Northampton Area School District
The Northampton Area School District has no school board meeting this week; the next regular meeting on the approved Monday schedule is October 12 at 6:30 PM in the boardroom at the Northampton Area Education Center on New Seemsville Road, streamed on the district site. Agendas and minutes are published at nasdschools.org, along with the district calendar for the rest of the 2026-27 year.
On the field, the Konkrete Kids varsity football team returns to Al Erdosy Stadium on Friday, September 25 for a 7:00 PM home game vs. Parkland, then hosts Pleasant Valley on Thursday, October 1 before heading to Easton on October 9. Fall sports schedules are posted districtwide at nasdathletics.org, so check there for game times and any date changes.
Places to eat out this week
The food news of the week is right up the road: Dave's Hot Chicken holds its grand opening today, Friday, September 18 at the Nazareth Crossing shopping center, 3812 Easton-Nazareth Highway (Route 248) in Lower Nazareth Township, in the former SaladWorks space. It is the chain's first Lehigh Valley location, serving spicy Nashville-style tenders and sliders, and it is a short drive from Northampton. They ran a soft opening Thursday, so expect a lively (and possibly long) first weekend.
On the horizon: Jersey Mike's Subs and Bubbakoo's Burritos are both headed to Bethlehem Square at 3926 Nazareth Pike in Bethlehem Township, reported for later this year with no firm dates published, and the all-you-can-eat AYCE Chinese & Japanese Cuisine at 1420 Jacobsburg Road in Plainfield Township was reported in the spring to be nearing opening, so check before making the trip.
For the everyday rotation near 4021 Pine Hurst Drive, these local spots remain easy picks: Taylor Roasted CoffeeHouse on Main Street in Northampton Borough for coffee, Nazareth Diner for a full-menu classic, Sicily Pizza for pizza, Los Compadres for Mexican, Catty Corner in Nazareth for pub fare and pie, Pizza Joe's for Italian, and Mad J's BBQ for a smokehouse option. If you are out Saturday, the food trucks at Space Fest and the vendors at the West End Block Party make for an easy lunch-and-dinner plan.
Event and dining details were verified the week of September 18, 2026 against official sites and local reporting and can change without notice. Confirm dates, showtimes, event hours, and meeting agendas with the venues and the borough, district, and theater directly before heading out. Restaurant openings and showtimes in particular tend to shift.