9 Years of Sounds of Summer: How Quakertown Became Bucks County’s Concert Destination

Introduction

Tucked inside the park at 4th Street in the Borough of Quakertown, Pennsylvania, sits a venue that has quietly become one of Bucks County’s most beloved live music destinations—the Univest Performance Center. What started in 2017 as a modest community concert initiative has, over nine years, grown into the Sounds of Summer Concert Series, an annual event that now draws more than 12,000 attendees each summer.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How did Quakertown become a concert town?” or “What is the Sounds of Summer Concert Series?”—this is your story. It’s a story of community pride, smart programming, dedicated volunteers, and a borough that decided music could be the engine of revitalization.

For a town of roughly 9,000 residents, building a concert series capable of drawing over 12,000 people in a single summer is no small feat. It required vision from the Quakertown Borough Parks & Recreation Department, patience through a global pandemic, and a willingness to keep experimenting with lineups until the formula clicked. Nine years later, Sounds of Summer isn’t just surviving—it’s thriving, with the Univest Performance Center now recognized as one of the premier outdoor amphitheaters in Upper Bucks County.

This article walks through every season of Sounds of Summer, from its scrappy 2017 debut to the milestone 2026 lineup, and breaks down exactly what made this small-town concert series into a genuine regional destination.

Quick Answer: What Are Sounds of Summer?

The Sounds of Summer Concert Series is an annual outdoor concert series held at the Univest Performance Center in Quakertown, PA, organized by the Quakertown Borough Parks & Recreation Department. Since launching in 2017, it has hosted national touring acts across genres — from classic rock to country to pop — with a mission of promoting community pride, boosting tourism, and supporting local economic growth.

The Humble Beginning

Every great tradition starts somewhere, and for Quakertown, that somewhere was 2017. The inaugural lineup featured Blood, Sweat & Tears; Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone; and Chubby Checker—three acts with decades of chart history between them, giving the very first Sounds of Summer season instant credibility.

At the time, few could have predicted that this small-town concert experiment would still be running strong nearly a decade later. But the formula worked from day one: accessible ticket prices, an intimate outdoor setting, and legendary performers who still knew how to put on a show.

Building Momentum

The second year proved 2017 wasn’t a fluke. Quakertown brought in Tommy James & The Shondells; The Marshall Tucker Band; The Charlie Daniels Band; Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone (a returning favorite); and the Little River Band.

This lineup leaned heavily into classic rock and Southern rock, appealing to a slightly different crowd than year one while still keeping the throwback, nostalgic feel that would become the series’ signature. By this point, word was spreading beyond Quakertown’s borders—Bucks County residents and visitors from neighboring counties began marking their calendars.

A Lineup That Signaled Bigger Ambitions

By 2019, Sounds of Summer had matured into a genuinely competitive regional concert series. The year featured Foghat and The Guess Who; Kashmir and Classic Stones Live; Gary Puckett and The Grass Roots; Vince Neil and Lita Ford; and Trace Adkins.

This was arguably the moment the series proved its versatility—rock tribute acts, glam metal icons, and a country superstar all on the same seasonal bill. It showed organizers weren’t just booking “one type” of nostalgia act; they were building a diverse, broad-appeal concert calendar capable of pulling in multiple demographics across a single summer.

The Quiet Year

Astute readers will notice a gap in the venue history — there’s no dedicated 2020 lineup listed. Like countless live event venues across the country, Quakertown’s concert series was affected by the disruptions of that year, when outdoor gatherings, touring schedules, and public health guidance made large-scale concerts effectively impossible nationwide.

For many small regional concert series, a missed year like this can be fatal. Sponsorship dries up, momentum stalls, and audiences drift toward other forms of entertainment. But Sounds of Summer had already built something more durable than a single season’s ticket sales—it had built genuine community buy-in. The Borough’s Parks & Recreation Department, the volunteer base, and the local sponsor network stayed intact, setting the stage for a comeback rather than a quiet end. Rather than fold, the series came back stronger than ever in 2021, a testament to the community support behind it.

The Comeback Season

Sounds of Summer returned in 2021 with one of its most memorable lineups yet: The Marshall Tucker Band, Chris Janson, The Happy Together Tour, The Hooters, and — for the first time — The Beach Boys.

This was a landmark year for two reasons. First, it marked the series’ resilience, proving that Quakertown’s appetite for live music hadn’t diminished. Second, it introduced The Beach Boys to the Univest Performance Center stage, beginning a relationship with the iconic band that would come full circle in the series’ milestone ninth year.

The Hooters also made their first series appearance in 2021, kicking off what would become one of the most consistent artist relationships in Sounds of Summer history.

Diversifying the Sound

The 2022 season doubled down on variety with The Happy Together Tour, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Scotty McCreery, Queensrÿche, and Great White; Rodney Atkins and Diamond Rio; and a returning The Hooters.

This lineup balanced rock legends (Pat Benatar and Queensrÿche) with contemporary country stars (Scotty McCreery and Rodney Atkins), reflecting an increasingly sophisticated booking strategy. The organizers weren’t just chasing nostalgia anymore — they were curating a season with something for nearly every music fan in the region.

Hooters Become a Hometown Staple

By 2023, The Hooters had performed at Sounds of Summer for the third consecutive year, cementing themselves as something of an unofficial house band for the series. Joining them were Blue Oyster Cult, Chris Lane, Switchfoot, and Clay Walker—another genre-spanning bill covering classic rock, country, and Christian rock/pop.

This consistency — mixing loyal returning acts with fresh names each year — became a defining strategic pattern for the series’ continued growth.

The Biggest Lineup Yet

2024 marked the largest single-season lineup in Sounds of Summer history, with nine acts across the summer: Let’s Sing Taylor, Scotty McCreery, Almost Queen, LOCASH, 38 Special, Blues Traveler, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, The Hooters (their fourth appearance), and Get The Led Out.

The inclusion of a Taylor Swift tribute act (Let’s Sing Taylor) alongside classic Southern rock (38 Special), jam band royalty (Blues Traveler), and a Queen tribute (Almost Queen) showed just how far the series had expanded its reach—appealing not just to longtime Bucks County residents but to younger fans and tribute show enthusiasts as well.

Sounds of Summer Comes Full Circle

Which brings us to the ninth season. In 2026, Sounds of Summer welcomes back two familiar favorites and one true legend:

• Air Supply — August 28, 2026
• Get The Led Out — September 4, 2026 (returning from 2024)
• The Beach Boys — September 25, 2026 (returning from their 2021 debut)

The 2026 return of The Beach Boys is especially significant. The band — led by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Mike Love — is using 2026 to celebrate both America’s 250th anniversary and the 60th anniversary of Pet Sounds, one of the most influential albums in music history. Having first played Quakertown during the pandemic-recovery season of 2021, their 2026 return effectively bookends nine years of Sounds of Summer with the same band that helped kickstart the series’ comeback.

Why Quakertown? The Ingredients Behind the Series’ Success

What actually made this small Bucks County borough into a genuine concert destination? A few consistent factors stand out across nine years of programming:

1. An Intimate, Scenic Venue

The Univest Performance Center sits inside the Park at 4th, a passive park that transforms into a full-scale outdoor amphitheater on show days—complete with reserved seating, food and drink vendors, and temporary fencing. Unlike massive stadium venues, the intimacy of the setting creates a genuinely different concert-going experience.

2. Community-Powered Operations

The series is run by the Quakertown Borough Parks & Recreation Department, supported by a team of more than 90 volunteers. This grassroots operational model has kept the series rooted in community pride rather than pure commercial interest — even as it has grown into a regional draw.

3. Consistent, Strategic Booking

Looking across the nine-year history, a clear pattern emerges: organizers balance returning fan favorites (The Hooters four times; Scotty McCreery twice; Get The Led Out; and The Beach Boys both returning in 2026) with fresh, genre-diverse acts every season. This keeps the lineup exciting without alienating the loyal base that built the series’ reputation.

4. A Mission Bigger Than Music

According to the venue’s own mission statement, Sounds of Summer exists to promote community pride, boost tourism, stimulate economic growth, and support revitalization efforts—turning Quakertown into a genuine destination town through music. Sponsorship from organizations like Univest, Sands Auto Group, St. Luke’s, and local media partners has reinforced this economic development angle.

5. Local Business Integration

The concert series doesn’t exist in a bubble. Visitors are directed toward Quakertown’s own dining and lodging scene—spots like The Trolley Barn Public Market, The Proper Brewing Company, Dominick’s Pizza, and the SpringHill Suites by Marriott Quakertown—extending the economic benefit of concert nights well beyond the venue gates.

6. A Genuine Concessions and Vendor Ecosystem

Beyond directing visitors to nearby restaurants, the venue itself has built a self-contained hospitality experience. Sounds of Summer partners with Spinnerstown Hotel for beer, wine, and cocktails and with Brick Concessions along with rotating local food vendors for each show. This means every concert night effectively functions as a small local food-and-beverage festival, giving area vendors direct exposure to thousands of attendees per event.

7. A Growing Sponsor Network

Nine years of consistent programming have attracted an increasingly impressive list of sponsors and partners, including Univest (the venue’s namesake financial partner), Sands Auto Group, St. Luke’s University Health Network, Herr’s, Servpro, regional radio stations like 99.9 The Hawk and 102.9 MGK, and The Morning Call Media Group. This sponsor growth is itself a signal of the series’ credibility—regional and national brands don’t commit marketing dollars to events without a proven, growing audience.

The Regional Ripple Effect: More Than Just a Concert Series

It’s worth stepping back to appreciate just how unusual Quakertown’s trajectory has been. Plenty of small Pennsylvania boroughs host a summer concert or two in the park. Very few turn that idea into a nine-year institution with a purpose-built performance center, a 90-plus-person volunteer corps, and a lineup that regularly includes Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-level talent.

The economic logic behind this is straightforward but powerful. Every concert night brings thousands of visitors into the borough—many of whom are visiting Quakertown for the first time. Those visitors need parking, food, and often lodging. They walk past local shops on Broad Street. Some of them, per the venue’s own stated mission, become repeat visitors who return to Quakertown outside of concert season entirely. This is exactly the kind of tourism-driven revitalization strategy that small towns across the country have tried to replicate, and Quakertown’s version—anchored by genuine grassroots community involvement rather than a purely corporate concert promoter—is a notable case study in how it can work.

Sounds of Summer Lineup History at a Glance 

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Sounds of Summer Concert Series start? The series began in 2017 with a lineup featuring Blood Sweat & Tears, Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone, and Chubby Checker.

Who organizes Sounds of Summer? The series is organized by the Quakertown Borough Parks & Recreation Department, with support from other borough departments and a volunteer team of more than 90 people.

How many people attend Sounds of Summer each year? The series attracts over 12,000 attendees each summer.

Where is the Univest Performance Center located? The venue is located within the park at 4th at 301 W. Mill Street, Quakertown, PA 18951.

Which artist has performed the most times at Sounds of Summer? The Hooters hold the record, having performed in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024—four consecutive appearances.

What is happening for the 2026 season? The ninth season features Air Supply (August 28), Get The Led Out (September 4), and The Beach Boys (September 25), who are also celebrating the 60th anniversary of Pet Sounds and America’s 250th anniversary during their tour.

Is Sounds of Summer a rain-or-shine event? Yes. All concerts at the Univest Performance Center are rain or shine, and tickets are non-refundable except in specific cancellation circumstances.