This roundup was published September 21, 2026 and its events have been superseded. For current events, see the latest What's Happening in Whitehall: Late September into Mid-October.

What's Happening in Whitehall: Into Early October

A Whitehall township park in the last week of September with early fall color, vendor tents, and a food truck near a low stage

Whitehall is turning fully to fall this week: the township's annual Fall Festival lands at Whitehall Parkway on Sunday, the Zephyrs host Bethlehem Liberty under the lights Thursday night, and early October opens with haunted hayrides, the Celtic Classic in Bethlehem, and two weekends of Oktoberfest at SteelStacks. This roundup, researched Monday, September 21, covers things to do in Whitehall, what is on at the Whitehall-Coplay School District, good places to eat in and around town, and a dated list of current events to plan around.

Things to Do in Whitehall Right Now

The township's centerpiece lands this weekend: Whitehall Township's Fall Festival on Sunday, September 27 at Whitehall Parkway (4689 South Church Street). It is the township's annual fall festival with free admission: a DJ plays the park 2:00 to 4:00 PM, The Castaway Band takes the stage 4:00 to 7:00 PM, and food and beverage trucks and local vendors line the parkway. It is listed on the Whitehall Township Parks and Recreation event calendar, and it is the late-September date to put on the family schedule.

Looking right past it, the spooky season starts early at the same park: haunted hayrides return to the Whitehall Parkway on Fridays and Saturdays through October, with the first Fridays and Saturdays of the month, October 2, 3, 9, and 10, up first per the township recreation programs listing. The township's full fall recreation lineup stays on the parks and recreation pages, so it pays to bookmark the calendar, as more dates and programs get added through the season.

A fall evening festival on a historic Pennsylvania downtown street with string lights, a striped vendor tent, and food stalls

Around the Lehigh Valley This Weekend and Next

This weekend, the valley's biggest festival weekend of the fall lands in downtown Bethlehem: the Celtic Classic Highland Games and Festival, Friday through Sunday, September 25 to 27, in the Colonial Industrial Quarter (305 Conestoga Street). Now in its 39th year and billed as the largest free Celtic festival in North America, it packs in highland games, pipe bands, and Celtic music across five stages, with free admission. Get there early if you have never caught it; it draws crowds from across the region.

October stacks up quickly after that. Oktoberfest at SteelStacks runs October 2 to 4 and October 9 to 11 at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks (101 Founders Way, Bethlehem), with free admission, German food and beer, live music, dachshund races, and a stein-holding competition, plus an Oktoberfest 5K on Sunday, October 4. The weekend after, Harvest Fest 2026 fills Historic Downtown Bethlehem Saturday, October 10 from 12:00 to 5:00 PM with food trucks, crafters, and vendors. And for a classic pick-your-own day trip, Grim's Orchard and Family Farms in Breinigsville, about 10 miles from Whitehall, runs its Fall Festival weekends through October 25 with hayrides, a pedal-cart track, pumpkins, and fall harvest activities.

Whitehall-Coplay School District: What's On

The district's classroom schedule is steady this week and next, with conferences and a home game before a professional learning day closes the month. On the district calendar:

  • Tuesday, September 22: secondary parent/teacher conferences, per the district calendar.
  • Thursday, September 24: varsity football hosts Bethlehem Liberty at 7:00 PM at Zephyr Stadium, an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference league game under the lights.
  • Monday, September 28: professional learning day, so schools are closed for students; that evening, the regular school board meeting convenes at 7:00 PM in the Board Room at the Education Center, 2932 Zephyr Boulevard, and is streamed live on the district website.
  • Thursday, October 1: picture day at Zephyr Elementary, with other building calendars possibly differing, so check the school pages.
  • Friday, October 2 and Friday, October 9: varsity football on the road at Louis E. Dieruff and then at Emmaus.
  • Friday, October 9: end of the first term for students and staff.
  • Monday and Tuesday, October 19 to 20: fall break, no school, a natural long weekend for a family trip.
  • Monday, October 26: committee meetings at 5:00 PM followed by the regular board meeting at 7:00 PM, both in the Education Center Board Room. Under the revised schedule effective October 12, committee meetings moved from the second to the fourth Monday, so this is the new rhythm for watchers of the board.

Fall soccer, field hockey, cross country, golf, tennis, and volleyball teams are all in season across the district. The district calendar at whitehallcoplay.org and each school's own calendar page are the authoritative sources for early dismissals, picture days, game times, and special events, so confirm there before making plans.

Good Places to Eat in and Around Whitehall

Festival weekends call for easy dinners, and the area around Whitehall is well stocked. A current lineup of local favorites:

  • Angel's Pizza & Italian Restaurant, 5511 MacArthur Rd, Whitehall: a long-running slice-and-Italian spot right on the corridor.
  • Whitehall Diner, 3026 MacArthur Rd, Whitehall: the all-hours standby on the corridor, easy before or after a game.
  • Maraschino Diner, 1162 MacArthur Rd, Whitehall: the family-run newcomer that opened in 2024 in the former Lehigh Valley Diner building, worth trying if you have not yet.
  • Northampton Diner and Family Restaurant, 1205 Main St, Northampton: dependable family-style breakfast and lunch a few minutes up the road.
  • Main Street Family Restaurant, 2023 Main St, Northampton: solid family-style fare, a dependable stop on the way to a festival.
  • Samuel Owens Restaurant & Bar, 128 Chestnut St, Coplay: a proper sit-down dinner in the neighboring borough for a relaxed evening out.
  • Assante Ristorante Italiano, 2050 Main St, Northampton: Italian dining with a comfortable room right up Main Street.
  • Santa Fe Taco Co, 2022 Main St, Northampton: tacos and street-style Mexican food, quick and reliably good.

The Quick List: Current Things to Do

Zephyr Stadium field lights glowing over the turf on a late-September evening

"The last week of September is when the fall calendar really fills up around Whitehall: the township's own Fall Festival on Sunday, the Zephyrs under the lights Thursday, the Celtic Classic across the river in Bethlehem, and a string of October weekends at SteelStacks and the township parks right behind it. It is a wonderful stretch to be out and about in the Lehigh Valley."

Tim Tepes, Associate Broker

If you are house hunting in the Lehigh Valley, this is an ideal few weeks to visit Whitehall: festivals nearly every weekend, the schools in their fall rhythm, and the parks at their prettiest. 4365 Spruce St sits a few minutes from the township parks, Zephyr Stadium, the schools, and the MacArthur Road dining corridor. Come see the neighborhood while the calendar is full, and let's talk about whether it is the right fit for you. Event dates and times can shift, so confirm details on the township, district, and venue pages linked above before you make plans.

Tim Tepes
Tim Tepes
Associate Broker · PA AB062628L

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