Omar Courtz

September 5, 2026 · Downtown Hamburg · Free

The Taste of Hamburg-er Festival is the pun Hamburg, Pennsylvania was born to make: a one-day burger festival that takes over four blocks of the borough's historic downtown on the Saturday after Labor Day. Restaurants, food trucks, and fire companies compete for burger bragging rights while bands play and the streets fill shoulder to shoulder. The festival started in 2004 as a block party for what organizers billed as the hamburger's 100th birthday, and it stuck. Now in its 23rd year, it draws tens of thousands of visitors to a borough of about 4,000 people - organizers put an average year around 30,000 - making it the biggest single day in northern Berks County. Every booth fee supports the Our Town Foundation, the nonprofit behind Hamburg's Main Street revitalization, so the funnel cake money goes back into the town. Admission is free; the burgers are not, and the lines for the famous ones move fast. Go hungry, go early, and expect to park a few blocks out.

September 5, 2026 · Boyertown Community Park · $10 adults; free under 12

Duryea Day is Berks County's oldest car show tradition: the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles' annual antique and classic car show, filling Boyertown Community Park on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. The 2026 show is the 60th annual. The name honors Charles Duryea, who with his brother Frank built America's first commercially marketed gasoline automobile in the 1890s - and who later built cars right in Berks County. Duryea vehicles from that era sit in the museum's collection inside the former Boyertown Auto Body Works factory, and the show's proceeds keep that collection running. Expect rows of antique and classic cars and trucks across the park, a large automotive flea market, and food all day. Admission is $10 for adults with kids under 12 free, and the museum itself - a few blocks away on South Walnut Street - is worth the add-on visit if you haven't been.

September 6, 2026 · 7:30 PM · 136 N 6th St

Blackberry Smoke brings its Southern rock to the Santander Performing Arts Center on Sunday, September 6, 2026, at 7:30 PM. The Atlanta band, led by singer and guitarist Charlie Starr, has spent its career blending classic rock, country, blues and gospel-tinged harmonies into a sound rooted in Georgia musical tradition. On stage the group leans into twin guitar lines, organ and piano textures, and a rhythm section with room to stretch out. Songs such as "One Horse Town," "Pretty Little Lie" and "The Whippoorwill" have made them a favorite among fans of roots-driven American rock, and the theater setting in downtown Reading suits a band that puts the playing front and center. Doors open at 6:30 PM. The Santander Performing Arts Center is located at 136 North 6th Street in Reading, with a Dinner on the Mezz pre-show buffet offered as an upgrade for this performance.

Hosted by Santander Performing Arts Center

September 8, 2026 · 6:45 PM · 1950 Centre Ave

The Fightin Phils host the Erie SeaWolves at FirstEnergy Stadium for an Eastern League matchup under the lights. Reading is the longtime Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, while Erie fills the same role for the Detroit Tigers, so both dugouts are stocked with prospects working their way toward the majors. FirstEnergy Stadium, known around town as Baseballtown, keeps its classic ballpark character with a brick exterior and arched entryways. The main gate on the first base side opens into a plaza with concession stands and a stage where the team's costumed Mascot Band turns up to play rock covers between the baseball. With the season winding toward its close in September, this is a good evening to catch Double-A ball close to home. Bring the family, settle in along the baselines, and see which names from the Reading and Erie rosters you spot on a big league roster down the road.

Hosted by Reading Fightin Phils

September 9, 2026 · 7:00 PM · 136 N 6th St

Actress and author Candace Cameron Bure brings her live tour to the Santander Performing Arts Center for an evening built around conversation, storytelling, and faith. Known to television audiences from decades of family comedy and holiday films, she keeps the tone of the night close to catching up with a friend, mixing laughter with encouragement. The program runs about two hours and includes interactive games with prizes, personal stories, and reflection meant to send the audience home motivated. Joining her is Dr. Tabatha, a triple board certified physician whose work focuses on helping women connect body, mind, and soul. Doors open at 6:00 PM, an hour before the show begins. The theater sits at 136 North 6th Street in downtown Reading, within walking distance of area restaurants and parking, and a pre-show Dinner on the Mezz buffet upgrade is offered for performances at this venue.

Hosted by Santander Performing Arts Center

September 11–12, 2026 · William DeLong Memorial Park, Bowers · $4 admission

The Chile Pepper Food Festival in tiny Bowers is one of Berks County's strangest and most beloved traditions: two days each September when a village of a few hundred people becomes Pennsylvania's capital of heat. The 2026 festival is the 30th annual. Vendors from across the region pack William DeLong Memorial Park with hot sauces, salsas, pepper-infused everything, and pepper plants by the thousands, most of it available to sample before you buy. The centerpiece is the jalapeno eating contest, scored by the weight of peppers eaten in thirty seconds, with cash prizes for the bravest stomachs. Admission is $4, parking is in a farm field, and the crowd is a mix of serious chiliheads chasing rare varieties and families who came for the food and stayed to watch someone regret the eating contest. It sells out nothing and hurries nowhere - that's the charm.