Event is largest fundraiser benefitting cinema program at ArtsQuest’s Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas

Wegmans is partnering with ArtsQuest to present a dynamic experience on Oscars^® night as the community comes together to watch the 88^th Academy Awards^® during a Red Carpet Party at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks Feb. 28, 6:30 p.m. The evening will include delicious food, the opportunity for guests to stroll the red carpet at the ArtsQuest Center and a multiple-screen telecast of the 2016 Academy Awards^® in the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas at 8:30 p.m.

Tickets for Red Carpet Party presented by Wegmans, which is the primary fundraiser supporting the film program at the Alehouse Cinemas, are $35 for ArtsQuest Members and $39 for the public. They can be purchased at steelstacks.org and 610-332-3378.

This year’s Red Carpet Party has a distinct Hollywood feel as the staff of Wegmans serves up delicious hors d’oeuvres and desserts including sushi, fresh fruit and veggie platters, French brie, pan-Asian dumplings, Swedish meatballs and more. Specialty-themed drinks, as well as beer, wine and soda, will be available for purchase at the Mike and Ike Bistro; in addition, one complimentary beer, wine, rail drink or soda is included with each ticket purchased.

The party starts at 6:30 p.m. with a simulcast of the Red Carpet arrivals at the Oscars^®.  Watch your favorite celebs walk the red carpet as raffles for framed posters of this year’s Oscar-nominated films are given away by ArtsQuest Staff. Though wearing special attire is not required, ArtsQuest encourages guests to dress up for the party, with prizes for Best Dressed Couple, Best Dressed Male and Best Dressed Female to be awarded during the evening. There will also be an Oscar Pool where participants try to predict the winners in several award categories, with the person who comes closest in his or her predictions earning two Season Passes to see films at the Alehouse Cinemas throughout 2016.

A two-screen arthouse cinema, the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas showcase award-winning independent, foreign and documentary films, as well as dynamic repertory programming, the annual LGBT Film Series and the Greater Lehigh Valley Filmmaker Festival, which features the work of the region’s talented filmmakers. Proceeds from the Red Carpet Party will go to support the cinemas’ film screenings, educational programs for the region and the filmmaker festival, as well as much-needed equipment upgrades for the independent cinema.

“We are so proud to partner with ArtsQuest, which helps fund and present concerts, art exhibits and festivals in Bethlehem,” says Wegmans Bethlehem Store Manager Mike Manlove.  “Besides making a real difference in our community, this event will be fun for everyone.”

Starting at 8:30 p.m., the telecast of the 88^th Academy Awards^® will be shown on the Alehouse Cinemas’ screens and in the ArtsQuest Center’s Creativity Commons. In addition, SteelStacks’ SmartsQuest Quizmaster, Steve Bost, will host movie-themed trivia during the telecast, with contestants competing for tickets to a variety of ArtsQuest Center programs and events.

The Red Carpet Party presented by Wegmans is not sponsored by or affiliated with the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences or the Oscars^® . For more information, visit www.steelstacks.org or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/steelstacks.