Weekend highlights include bull riders, local theater, Bob Marley tributes [Events roundup]

The following events are planned for the week ahead throughout the region:

• PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour returns to Santander Arena, Reading, on Friday and Saturday. For two nights only, some of the best bull riders in the world will battle the sport’s rankest bovine athletes in the ultimate showdown of man vs. beast. The bull riding action begins with Round 1 at 8 p.m. Friday, followed by Round 2 and the championship round at 7 p.m. Saturday. All 40 competing bull riders will get on one bull each in Round 1. The Top 36 riders from Round 1 will advance to Round 2 Saturday evening. The riders’ individual two-round scores will be totaled with the Top 10 advancing to the championship round for one more out and a chance at the event title. Tickets start at $20 at santander-arena.com. Elite Seats are available for fans who want a VIP experience. These tickets, available in three tiers, offer premium seats, personal on-site concierge at the PBR fan loyalty booth, and more.

• SteelRiver Playhouse, Pottstown, presents the new comedy “The Cake,” under the direction of Leena Devlin and written by Bekah Brunstetter, writer for the NBC hit “This Is Us,” starting Friday and running through Feb. 18. Della’s North Carolina bakery is legendary. She is overjoyed when her best friend’s daughter returns from New York to get married and asks Della to make her wedding cake. Della, a sweet-natured Christian, is forced to re-examine her deeply held beliefs and her own marriage when she realizes there is not one bride, but two. “The Cake” contains strong language and adult themes and is for mature audiences. This weekend’s show times are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $29 for adults, $24 for ages 65-plus and $17 for students at steelriverplayhouse.org.

• The Newtown Theatre will celebrate Bob Marley’s 79th birthday with its second annual “Best of Bob Marley…and More” concert on Friday at 8 p.m., and Ardmore Music Hall offers Luciano’s 10th Annual Bob Marley Birthday Bash with special guests Jah People, The Exaltations, Luv Smith and a DJ set by Solomonic Sound on Saturday at 8 p.m. The Newtown concert will feature Crucial, a Philadelphia-based band known for its original style of roots, rock and reggae. The concert will feature songs celebrating the music and legacy of Marley, reggae-inspired covers, and select original songs culled from the band’s nearly 20-year history. Tickets cost $32 at thenewtowntheatre.com. Born in Jamaica, Luciano was drawn to Marley’s positive “One Love Movement.” As he got older and embarked on his own professional singing career, he began to influence the lives of others around the world with his own spiritual interpretation of the movement. Since then, he has reigned as the “King of Conscious Reggae Music” and is now one of the most iconic figures representing roots reggae today. Tickets start at $40 at ardmoremusicalhall.com.

• The acclaimed Irish tenor Emmet Cahill of Celtic Thunder and soprano Chloe Agnew of Celtic Woman will perform together at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Schaeffer Auditorium, as part of Kutztown University’s KU Presents! series. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, this one-time concert will feature songs from Broadway and beloved Irish music, as well as a few love songs, and will be preceded by a “Sup Like a Singer” dinner 6 p.m. in Schaeffer Little Theater (reservation required). The duo will be accompanied by pianist Seamus Brett, assistant music director of Celtic Thunder. “This is a one-off show,” Agnew said. “It’s pretty special. Emmet and I have done shows together many years back, but between COVID and me being back touring on the 15th anniversary tour with Celtic Woman and him back with Celtic Thunder, our paths haven’t aligned. I’m thrilled that this opportunity came up with this particular venue. He is one of my favorite voices in the whole world — an amazing talent. I hope it’s the first of many to come.” Tickets are $36; $32 for students and seniors and can be purchased at www.KutztownPresents.org.

• The Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville, presents the Philadelphia-based Van Halen tribute band Van Halen Nation on Saturday at 7 p.m. The band revisits Van Halen’s classic lineup of the David Lee Roth era, capturing every nuance of the original lineup, from the 1984 stage plot to Eddie Van Halen’s groundbreaking guitar riffs and iconic striped guitars, David Lee Roth’s multi-octave screams, gymnastics and flamboyant stage wear to the massive drum kit, high pitch vocal harmonies and earth shaking rhythm section. Tickets start at $19.50 at thecolonialtheatre.com.

• The Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, 85 S. Walnut St., Boyertown, will host Fastnacht Day, one of the museum’s most-loved events, on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors are invited to gather in the museum’s beautifully preserved Fegely’s Reading Diner to enjoy coffee (5 cents) and homemade fastnachts (25 cents). Fastnachts are traditionally made by kitchens in southeastern Pennsylvania just once a year before the start of Lent. In addition to the classic fried treats and coffee, visitors will have full access to the museum’s historic collection. Docents will be on hand to answer questions about the vehicles and provide insight into the rare machines on display. Visitors will also have the opportunity to watch live blacksmithing demonstrations and machine shop demonstrations in the original Jeremiah Swinehart Carriage Factory, which is part of the museum’s galleries and is open to the public daily. The museum is open seven days a week, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contribution rates are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and AAA members, and free for ages 15 and younger. For more information, call 610-367-2090 or visit www.boyertownmuseum.org.

• The Reading Fairgrounds Racing Historical Society will present the Reading Fairgrounds Nostalgia Racecar Show And Reunion at The Classic Auto Mall, Morgantown, on Friday from 3 to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Legendary cars and drivers from the Reading Fairgrounds racetrack will be on hand. All racecars, new or vintage, are welcome. Admission is by donation.

• The Keswick Theatre, Glenside, presents rockers Mr. Big, out on their The Big Finish Tour, on Friday at 8 p.m., comedian Vic DiBitetto on Saturday at 8 p.m. and Cat Power Sings Dylan on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Mr. Big will be playing their second studio album, “Lean Into It,” containing the chart-topping hit “To Be With You,” in its entirety. DiBitetto is known for his many viral video characters, such as Tony Gaga, That Guy, Frankie Pentangelli, Scarface, Rocky, Fool by the Pool and Ticked Off Vic. Cat Power is touring in support of her November live album on which she recreated Bob Dylan’s show at the Manchester Free Trade Hall in May 1966, which was bootlegged and mistakenly labeled as having been recorded at the Royal Albert Hall. For tickets and more information, see keswicktheatre.com.

• “Tick, Tick… Boom!,” the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning composer of “Rent,” opens Friday and runs through Feb. 18 at Genesius Theatre, Reading. This weekend’s show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range from $15 to $32.50 at genesiusdifference.org.