ArtsQuest announces “Weird Al” Yankovic as Musikfest 2026 headliner
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — ArtsQuest has announced “Weird Al” Yankovic will bring his internationally acclaimed comedy-rock show to Musikfest 2026 at the Wind Creek Steel Stage on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, joined by special guest Puddles Pity Party.
The show is presented with media partner 95.1 WZZO. Ticket access began Monday for ArtsQuest members, with sales opening to the general public Friday, Nov. 21.
Yankovic, the biggest-selling comedy recording artist in history, is a five-time Grammy Award winner known for his parodies of musical icons including Madonna, Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, Queen, U2 and Lady Gaga — all created with the artists’ blessings. His catalog includes hits such as “Amish Paradise,” “Eat It,” “Like a Surgeon,” “Smells Like Nirvana,” “Word Crimes” and the platinum-certified “White & Nerdy.”
His 2014 album, “Mandatory Fun,” became the first comedy album ever to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. For over four decades, Yankovic’s high-energy live performances have filled venues including Radio City Music Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, Red Rocks, Carnegie Hall, Wolf Trap, the Kennedy Center and Madison Square Garden.
In 2022, Yankovic produced and co-wrote the Emmy-winning film “WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story,” starring Daniel Radcliffe.
Joining him at Musikfest is Puddles Pity Party, the baritone-voiced, 7-foot-tall “sad clown” whose performances blend operatic vocals, surreal humor and theatrical melancholy. Puddles has earned acclaim from the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, The New York Times and musical comedy icons including Jack Black, Drew Carey and Nick Offerman.
Yankovic is the second confirmed headliner for Musikfest 2026. ArtsQuest previously announced that country star Bailey Zimmerman will perform on Aug. 6, 2026.
Zimmerman, a Louisville, Illinois, native, has risen to country-music stardom since his 2020 breakthrough on social media. His debut album, “Religiously. The Album.,” set the record for the biggest streaming debut for a country album and produced four consecutive No. 1 singles, including “Fall in Love” and “Rock And A Hard Place.” His 2025 follow-up, “Different Night Same Rodeo,” features a collaboration with Luke Combs.
More information about Musikfest 2026 is available at artsquest.org/musikfest.
