Photo By Scott Piccotti
Apple Days Returns to Historic Burnside for 12th Fun-Filled Year
Expanded Family Programming, Live Music, Apple Desserts & More Highlight Event Sept. 20-21
BETHLEHEM, PA—Families are invited to celebrate autumn’s arrival with the return of Apple Days, featuring more family programming and hands-on activities than ever before. The festival, presented by Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS), takes place at Historic Burnside in Bethlehem Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 20-21, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Early-bird tickets are on sale now at historicbethlehem.org and 610-691-6055.
Designed for all ages, Apple Days features live music, artisans demonstrating 18th and 19th-century trades, children’s activities, delicious food, apple desserts and more. New for 2025 is a Family Hour on both days from 10-11 a.m., with special programs geared toward younger children. Highlights include an interactive “Narrative Medicine” storytime with the Story Doctor, the opportunity to create 18th-century souvenirs with Quotes & Quills and hands-on activities in the Burnside Farmhouse. In addition, children can feed and cuddle the cute, family-friendly goats of Sunset Boarding Stables and enjoy pony rides.
Established in the mid-1700s, the Historic Burnside farm provides a chance to discover what life was like in Bethlehem in years gone by. The event includes blacksmithing, tinsmithing and candle dipping demonstrations; opportunities to see HBMS guides cooking historic dishes on the hearth or baking in the beehive oven in the summer kitchen; and a full day of historic programming in the Johnson Barn. Guided farmhouse tours are offered at 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m.
Live music fans will be able to get their fix with a lineup that includes everything from zydeco to acoustic sounds. Performers include Big Squeeze Zydeco and The Masons on Saturday, while Andrea Carlson & the Love Police, Lockman & Purcell and Dr. Doctor will take the stage on Sunday.
Food vendors confirmed so far include Couchpotata-doh, which serves up delicious Ecuadorian cuisine, and Philadelphia’s Pasta Eva, which puts its own spin on traditional Italian favorites. Both days will conclude with a Moravian Love Feast, including complimentary refreshments, led by Nazareth Moravian Church.
Market to Go
It wouldn’t be Apple Days without a bounty of apple desserts, and this year’s lineup is filled with treats for any sweet tooth including apple pie, apple crumb cake, apple strudel, apple cider donut holes and fresh cider. In 2024, all desserts sold out during the festival, so anyone who wants to ensure they get their favorites should pre-order at historicbethlehem.org. Pre-ordered desserts can be picked up Friday, Sept. 19, from 4-7 p.m., or any time during festival operating hours (festival admission required).
Apple Barrel Tavern
Local beers, ciders and autumn-inspired beverages take center stage at the Apple Barrel Tavern featuring beverages from Christmas City Spirits, Hawk Mountain Distillery, Blue Mountain Vineyards and Banko Beverage. Tavern tickets, which include festival admission, are $25 and on sale now.
Donut Eating & Baking Contests
Indulge your sweet tooth while fending off fierce competition during Apple Days’ Donut Eating Contest. Adult and children’s competitions take place both days starting at 1 p.m., with the winners earning prizes for their efforts.
Individuals who want to showcase their baking skills are invited to enter the Great Bethlehem Apple Dessert Baking Contest. The contest, which has both children’s and adults’ divisions, is judged by culinary professionals, with the winners taking home great prizes courtesy of King Arthur Flour. Kids’ Division (ages 15 and under) winners will be announced Sept. 20 at 1:45 p.m., while Adult Division winners will be revealed Sept. 21 at 1:45 p.m.
Historic Burnside is located at 1461 Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem. Proceeds from Apple Days support Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, the nonprofit that maintains and interprets 20 historic buildings in Bethlehem, including the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, one of only 15 decorative arts museums in the country; and the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, housed in the 1741 Gemeinhaus, the oldest building in the city. Tickets for the festival are $10 in advance for adults and $5 in advance for ages 17 and under, and $12 for adults and $6 for ages 17 and under at the gates. Kids 3 and under are free.
Anyone interested in volunteering, sponsoring or vending at Apple Days should contact HBMS Events Manager Beth Beatty at bbeatty@historicbehlehem.org or apply online at historicbethlehem.org.
Editor’s Note: Attached are photos from previous Apple Days. Please credit the photographer, whose name is in the file name.
ABOUT HISTORIC BETHLEHEM MUSEUMS & SITES
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) is a nonprofit institution that brings to life three centuries of American history. HBMS tells the story of a small town of great influence, home to some of our nation’s earliest settlers, America’s first municipal water pumping system and one of the world’s greatest industrial companies. HBMS is located in eastern Pennsylvania, only a one-hour drive north of Philadelphia and two hours west of New York City. The nonprofit is a partner in Moravian Church Settlements-Bethlehem, the United States’ 26th World Heritage site; an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution; and part of Historic Moravian Bethlehem, which is a National Historic Landmark District. For more information, visit historicbethlehem.org.
Information provided to TVL by:
Mark Demko
