BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Arrests at Musikfest more than doubled this year, and total police incidents reached a five-year high, even as attendance at the festival declined from last year’s record, according to statistics released Thursday by the Bethlehem Police Department.
Officers made 37 arrests during the 2026 festival, up from 17 in 2025 — an increase of about 118 percent — while logging 178 total incidents, up from 113 last year. Both figures are the highest in at least five years, according to department data going back to 2022.
The numbers come from a year in which Musikfest drew 1,260,630 attendees, the third-highest total in the festival’s 43-year history but down from the record of about 1.45 million set in 2025, according to ArtsQuest, the nonprofit that runs the event.
Police characterized the festival as safe despite the increases…