Bethlehem, PA. — December 21, 2015 — Family fun is the name of the game at PEEPSFEST®, the annual two-day New Year’s Eve festival at the iconic SteelStacks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Each year, fans arrive from all over the country to enjoy family-friendly activities and marvel at the PEEPS® Chick Drop – a 4.5-foot tall, 85-pound lit PEEPS® Chick that descends at 5:15 p.m. on Dec. 31 to commemorate the beginning of an exciting new year.

This year is even sweeter than ever with more activities for families and more community organizations joining the fun. New for 2016 is the PEEPS® Chick Rising on Dec. 30 at 11:00 a.m. Everyone loves to see the PEEPS® Chick Drop on New Year’s Eve but now they can also see the PEEPS® Chick Rise out of its crate on Dec. 30 to take its place high in the sky with the iconic SteelStacks as its backdrop.

Other new and returning activities include: the PEEPS® diorama competition, PEEPS® S’mores making, vulture mask making, trivia games and plate rubbings. See live animals including a great horned owl, red tailed hawk, black rat snake and more with the Wildlands Conservancy. The family fun continues with Dutch Springs! Activities include: PEEPS® Chick Spaghetti Build, meet a Dog Sled team member and Rub a Dub Dub – Scuba in a Tub. Don’t forget to stop by and watch the amazing scientific demonstrations by the Da Vinci Science Center.

“Each year we look forward to celebrating the New Year and the fun surrounding our beloved PEEPS® brand with families from near and far,” said Matt Pye, Just Born Quality Confections Vice President of Corporate Affairs. “We are excited to partner with ArtsQuest to continue to make PEEPSFEST® the premier New Year’s Eve Family celebration.”

 

Kicking off the Celebration

On Dec. 30, PEEPSFEST® is hosting a series of events that will kick off with its newest attraction – the PEEPS® Chick Rising at 11:00 a.m.! Sponsored by Chick-fil-A, this memorable event will create traditions for families for years to come.

• Sponsored by Red Robin®, the PEEPFEST® Mascot Dash begins at 12:30 p.m. Parents are encouraged to cheer on their kids during the PEEPFEST® Kids Fun Run, beginning at 12:40 p.m.
• Magician, Ari Felber, will attend and put on a show at 10:40 a.m.
• Named ‘best party entertainer’ by New York Magazine, Danna Banana will be performing live in Creativity Commons.
• The feel-good, hand-clapping, toe tapping music of Alex and the Kaleidoscope Band will be heard live in the Musikfest Café.
• Community artwork activities with Mikayla’s Voice will commence from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. where children are invited to create tissue paper decoupage and handprint artwork. Stop by their inspiring wheelchair painting hands-on exhibit, where PEEPS® themed artwork will be created at 3:00 p.m.

 

The New Year’s Festivities Continue

The family fun carries on through Dec. 31 at PEEPSFEST® with even more community activities that are sure to please!

• Sponsored by St. Luke’s University Health Network and Red Robin®, parents are encouraged to participate in the PEEPSFEST® 5K which will kick off at 1:00 p.m.
• Popular kids band, Rolie Polie Guacamole will be performing live in the Musikfest Café.
• Appearances and demonstrations by the Bethlehem Mounted Police Horses will commence at 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
• Two-time Grammy nominees Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could will wow the crowd with their energetic, rockin’ live music at 4:30 p.m.
• The night concludes with the world famous PEEPS® Chick Drop, which will commence at 5:15 p.m. and is followed by a firework show

 

PEEPSFEST® is presented by Just Born Quality Confections and ArtsQuest. Festival hours are Dec. 30, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Dec. 31, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, although a few select activities, such as the family disco lounge and PEEPSFEST® 5K, require an admission ticket or additional charge.

For more information on this annual celebration and ways to get involved with the festivities, please visit www.steelstacks.org/peepsfest.

 

CONTACT:
Mark Demko, ArtsQuest, 610-332-1300, ext. 342, or mdemko@artsquest.org
Colleen Kebles, Coyne PR on behalf of Just Born, 973-588-2285 or ckebles@coynepr.com

About Just Born Quality Confections
Just Born Quality Confections is a privately owned company founded in 1923 and headquartered in Bethlehem, PA, where it manufactures PEEPS®, HOT TAMALES® and MIKE AND IKE® Brand Candies. GOLDENBERG’S® PEANUT CHEWS® Brand Candies are produced in Philadelphia, PA. All Just Born candies are made in the U.S.A.

About ArtsQuest
ArtsQuest™ is a Bethlehem, PA-based nonprofit dedicated to presenting music, arts, festivals, cultural experiences and educational and outreach programs that aid in economic development, urban revitalization and community enrichment. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest®; the Banana Factory® cultural arts and education center; and the ArtsQuest Center and SteelStacks™ arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.3 million people annually. For more information on ArtsQuest, visit www.artsquest.org or call 610-332-1300. Proceeds from PEEPSFEST® will help to support the festival and ArtsQuest’s other free programming for the region.