Rolie Polie Guacamole is a new children's band performing at Musikfest. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
There are plenty of kid-friendly musical acts, art activities, new rides, games and food at Musikfest, which opens Friday.
Most of the fun is at Kinderplatz, the children's area, adjacent to Lehigh Street on the north side of Bethlehem. Although it doesn't have a dedicated stage for children's music, children's performers ranging from local favorites to Grammy-nominated artists will play daily at noon at nearby Plaza Tropical.
Playing for the first time at Musikfest on closing day is Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, a hip-hop musician who describes himself as "equal parts Dr. Suess and Dr. Dre" and plays family funk with a group made up of dancers, singers and a DJ. His CD "The Perfect Quirk" was nominated for a 2015 Grammy.
Opening the family series Saturday is Steve Pullara & His Cool Beans Band of Philadelphia. Pullara won a Grammy for his work on the album "All About Bullies ... Big and Small."
Also returning to Musikfest is Mr. G, a 2014 Latin Grammy nominee who sings bilingual songs; he will perform Tuesday.
Local performers include folk singer Dave Fry, who will do his children's show Wednesday, and yoga teacher and musician Kira Willey, who plays Aug. 15. Both are from Bethlehem.
The rest of the musical lineup is The Cat's Pajamas, Sunday; We Kids Rock, Monday; StarFish, Aug. 13 and Rolie Polie Guacamole, Aug. 14.
New this year, kids will be able to ride a zip line at Kinderplatz
The 200-foot-long zip line lets riders fly over Kinderplatz. It's one of five rides. Others are an inflatable playground, kiddie swings, mini train and combination spider climb with slide, rock wall and bungee trampoline.
An all-day pass for $20 is available noon-4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, which includes one zip line ride and unlimited use of the other rides. Individual zip line rides are $10, or two rides for $15. Other prices vary.
Kids can do crafts at The Creativity Tent noon- 8 p.m. on daily themes ranging from space to mad scientists. On Wednesday, Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley will host a "Make Your Own Bug Box" noon-6 p.m.
A treasure hunt challenges kids to find all ABC and Utz snacks logos around Musikfest and bring back a completed map to get a backpack filled with snacks.
Returning is PNC's "Grow Up Great" station, at which kids can dress up and get photos taken noon-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The giant video game trailer returns to the Festplatz area daily with PlayStation's "On the Road To Greatness" tour. Kids can try out dozens of new and unreleased PS4 and PS Vita games for free.
At Handwerkplatz, kids can bring huge bread crumbs to giant ants in Polyglot Theatre's "Ants," an interactive performance at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Saturday to Monday.