This year, Pride events will be held in downtown Palm Springs. Palm Canyon Drive will be closed to traffic and transformed into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly Pride Festival unique to Southern California with a diverse array of artists, entertainers, multiple beverage gardens and purveyors of all sorts, including jewelry, snacks and sweets. Add all that to great shopping, restaurants, clubs and entertainment venues located along world-famous Palm Canyon Drive and the result is like no place else – Greater Palm Springs Pride.
Category Archives: Events and Holidays
Comic Con Palm Springs
For the 2nd year, Comic Con Palm Springs has brought together some of the most passionate and talented people from the world of comic books and entertainment to produce an exciting new comic con in the desert.
For a full event list please visit
As home of the Comic Con Palm Springs, this 245,000 sq ft. convention center located in downtown Palm Springs. The Convention Center is less than 2 miles from Palm Springs International Airport and offers over 4,000 hotel rooms within walking distance.
Book your room now, at our favorite place to stay, INNdulge! to ensure you don’t miss out.
ALSO -Don’t miss out on their SUMMER SPECIAL happening now until September 15, 2017. Superior non pool view rooms are only $99 per night plus city tax, during the week (Sunday – Thursday) and discounted on weekends ( Friday & Saturday).All other rooms discounted accordingly
(not available during holidays or special events)
Gay Palm Springs- Food + Lodging Deals
Experience some of the most exciting eateries throughout the Coachella Valley during Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week. It’s the perfect time to dine out with friends and discover a new restaurant, or visit an old favorite. Restaurant Week offers something for everyone.
STAY @ INNdulge!
Gay Palm Springs – Summer Fun and Deals
Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to experience some of the best restaurants the Valley has to offer.
Restaurant Week is the perfect time to visit your favorite restaurant or try something new, as chefs prepare delicious 3 courses meals for your dining pleasure, priced at $26 or $38. JUNE 3-12th!
Desert area hotels and attractions are offering great rates too!
4th Annual Splash House Pool Party
Splash House heads back to the desert for this summer for its fourth year in Palm Springs, June 10-12 and August 12-14. The festival returns to the colorful crowd favorite of the Saguaro Hotel and checks in for the first time at the iconic multi-pool Riviera Resort & Spa. After Hours found its home at last year’s memorable Air Museum parties, and Splash House will host its biggest late-night program yet this summer on the tarmac.
Idyllwild Jazz in the Pines AUGUST 20-21
The Idyllwild Arts Foundation proudly presents the 23rd annual Jazz in the Pines Festival featuring over two dozen bands. Performers and fans of jazz, blues, and R&B have a breathtaking mountain campus to themselves after the departure of the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program’s thousands of arts-lovers and before the first semester of the Foundation’s residential high school, Idyllwild Arts Academy.
And as always – shop local!
Palm Springs VillageFest THURSDAY NIGHTS
Every Thursday evening in downtown Palm Springs, enjoy a diverse array of artists, artisans, entertainers, assorted fruits, vegetables, fresh flowers, jewelry, international cuisine, and don’t forget the sweets.
COD Alumni Street Fair SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MORNINGS
Open-air shopping at its best. Open from 7 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays all year. Bargains galore. A great way to start your day.
BEST PLACE TO STAY WITH THE BEST LOCATION ?? InnDulge!
Free Stuff from Puerto Vallarta
The start of winter in Puerto Vallarta is cause for celebration as December marks the beginning of the whale watching season, traditional pilgrimages in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe, free daily guided Artwalks in historic downtown, culinary treats all around town, the International Pro Am golf tournament, the release of baby sea turtles, perfect weather with temperatures in the low 80’s and a calendar full of holiday festivities and free activities.
The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board is inviting everyone to join in the celebration with the launch of a mega “12 DAYS OF WINTER” (#12DaysOfWinter) promotion and participate for a chance to win daily prizes during the first 12 days of December, including artworks, bottles of tequila and raicilla and trip getaways, with the top prize being a 12-day all-expense paid vacation for two in Puerto Vallarta.
To participate register at visitpuertovallarta.com/12daysofwinter and tell the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board what you would do on a 12-day all-expense paid holiday for two in the destination. All registrants will have a chance to win one of 12 prizes. Drawings will take place every day from December 1st to 12th. Following are the details of the prizes that will be awarded:
Winners of the getaway prizes to be awarded between December 5th through 12th will also receive a choice of 2 activities in Puerto Vallarta courtesy of Vallarta Adventures and Dolphin Discovery.
ENTER!
Lisa VanDerpump @ Holiday Parade
LISA VANDERPUMP
is this years Grand Marshall!
Over the past 22 years, the parade has featured a host of marching bands, performing groups as well as the Budweiser Clydesdales, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Snoopy and the Gang – and of course Santa and Mrs. Claus!
Yet more than anything else, it is the parade’s signature floats adorned in thousands of colorful holiday lights and huge Macy’s-style balloons that keeps the crowds coming back for more!
Consistently voted one of the best local events in the Coachella Valley, the parade was also voted one of the Top Ten Holiday Parades in the country in an AOL survey. “Over the years, the Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade has become a beloved holiday tradition in downtown – bringing thousands of Coachella Valley residents and their families as well as tourists from all over the world to come see the twinkling floats while celebrating the joy of the holiday season,” says to Mayor Steve Pougnet. “There’s no other special event in the Coachella Valley quite like it!”
DETAILS HERE
EARLIER this year, Lisa Vanderpump received a STAR on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
Holiday Lights and Music in Palm Springs
You take a million lights, sprinkle in holiday music and you have party. Wild Lights at the Living Desert in Palm Desert is the perfect place to get in the holiday spirit.
The minute you walk through the official entry, you find yourself in a wonderland. White lights strung through the trees with gigantic snowflakes provide the perfect photo opt. Then a turn in the pathway brings you to an area with blue lights stretching out on the ground before you.
If you want a real holiday jolt of fun and laughter, this is the place to come. For adults, there is much to see and experience, including being able to see the latest in holiday lights—one display kept us all guessing about how in the world they created the look.
WILD LIGHTS AT THE LIVING DESERT
47900 Portola Avenue
Palm Desert, CA
(760) 346-5694
www.LivingDesert.org
Admission: Adults $10 Members/Children/Military (with ID) $8
Hours: 6 to 9 p.m. December 4-6, 11-13, 18-31 (Closed Christmas Day) Free Parking
Palm Springs Gay Pride
.Palm Springs Pride 2014, Nov. 7-9, is offering free festival admission as it moves to a new location in downtown Palm Springs.
PS Pride will also introduce a new parade route and is offering an unprecedented number of performers and attractions with a diverse lineup of performers gathered to celebrate equality, freedom and diversity in the desert’s LGBT community.
Parties Parties Parties! Beach Party, 5k Walk, Pool Parties, ladies parties – it’s all here this year!
Music, celebrities and more!
GET THE WHOLE SCHEDULE HERE
Palm Springs Gay Pride Events
Greater Palm Springs Pride is Southern California’s popular and longest running LGBT festival in the Coachella Valley. Considered to be one of the most scenic Pride parades in the world, the Greater Palm Springs Pride Celebration marks its 28th Anniversary, November 7-9, 2014, with block parties, a free two-day festival and parade in Palm Springs.
Two-Day Pride Festival: November 8 and 9
(11 a.m. – 10 p.m., November 8, and 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., November 9)
Enjoy the rainbow mile in downtown Palm Springs! The Pride festival is free and open to all. Festival highlights include: US Bank Stage, Pride Stage at the Hyatt, theBig Top Cabaret and Palm Springs Gay Rodeo Association Country Dance tent. The festival will feature live performances from electro-hop superstars to eclectic musical and new wave techno-pop bands. Features include an Authors’ Village, Children’s Headquarters (CHQ), Safe Schools Youth Xone and specialty lounges and multiple Bud Light and cocktail gardens. More than 125 exhibitors and non-profit organizations, farmers’ markets and food vendors will participate.
– See more at: http://www.visitgreaterpalmsprings.com/articles/greater-palm-springs-pride-celebrates-28th-anniversary-new-downtown-location-events#sthash.ivmqxgKz.dpuf
GET A ROOM! INNdulge!
Palm Springs Gay Pride
Provincetown sensation Miss Richfield 1981 headlines Pride Weekend at Purple Room Restaurant and Stage in Palm Springs with her new show Play With My Poodle for two performances only, Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8. Also performing Pride Weekend will be award-winning singer-songwriter Bobby Jo Valentine on Thursday, November 6 and Michael Holmes in his hysterical parody The Judy Show on Sunday, Nov 9.
Miss Richfield 1981’s live performances have received critical acclaim, with The New York Post declaring the show “the must-see act in Provincetown.” A P-town icon, Miss Richfield 1981 has been performing there for the past 12 summers and fills the Paramount Theater at the Crown & Anchor nightly.
Many have seen Miss Richfield 1981 in the TV ads for Orbitz online travel and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Miss Richfield has also appeared on Today on NBC, Cake Boss on TLC, and Weekends With Samantha Brown on Travel Channel. She tours nationally and sells out shows in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Atlanta, South Florida and Minneapolis. She is also television spokesperson for the City of Philadelphia.
Her new show, Play With My Poodle, is a truly original performance and leaves audiences in hysterics with its off-the-page humor, twisted sing-alongs and audience interaction.
The Miss Richfield 1981 show starts at 7:00pm. Tickets for the show are $25 and are available at www.purpleroompalmsprings.com or by calling 760.322.4422.
Kicking off Pride Weekend at Purple Room on Thursday, November 6, will be singer and recently named “Songwriter of the Year” by the West Coast Songwriter’s Association Bobby Jo Valentine with his brand of hopeful folk/pop and infectious vocal melodies. San Francisco area-based Valentine’s music was featured in the television commercial for the 2013 Ford Fusion.
A master lyricist, Valentine also received two West Coast Songwriters Association “Best Song” awards for his songs Somedays and Fly, both on his new album, A Place to Belong. Valentine’s other two albums are Home and By My Side.
Alexa Spieler of A-List Music gives Valentine 5 out of 5 stars and writes, “If Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz and Regina Spektor combined forces, you would have Bobby Jo Valentine. Soulful and uplifting, soothing and calming, Valentine’s music is the perfect blend of indie and modern pop/rock.
“Witty wordplay, clever melodies…the nicest guy to ever pick up an acoustic guitar,” saysLA WEEKLY
The Bobby Jo Valentine show starts at 7:30pm, Tickets for the show are $15 and are available at www.purpleroompalmsprings.com or by calling 760.322.4422.
Michael Holmes’ Hilarious The Judy Show, Sunday, November 9
The fun Pride Weekend entertainment continues on Sunday, November 9 with Michael Holmes’ The Judy Show. The spirit of Judy Garland is alive and well in this blend of hysterical comedy and outstanding music that explodes into an evening of nonstop belly laughs, glamour and high camp. With a killer wardrobe and razor-sharp wit, Holmes plays and nails them all, singing your favorite songs and thrilling the audience with charm, zingers and stories. The Judy Show’s guests are always changing, so audiences never know who will surprise and delight them on stage on any given evening. Be on the lookout for Carol Channing, Mae West, Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, Pearl Bailey, Peggy Lee and Tallulah Bankhead.
The Judy Show starts at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the show are $20 and are available at www.purpleroompalmsprings.com or by calling 760.322.4422.
Palm Springs Gay Pride and Parade to be moved this Fall
Pride in Palm Springs will never be the same. We’ve worked several years to get to this point and on Wednesday night the Palm Springs City Council unanimously approved moving the Pride Festival to Palm Canyon Dr. in Downtown.
This year’s event logo featuring the palm tree lined Palm Canyon Drive leading directly to Palm Springs Pride couldn’t be more fitting. We are beyond thrilled with the news.
The road would close at 11 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, and reopen at 3 a.m. Monday, Nov. 10.
Additional road closures would be held for the Pride Parade, which will be held on Nov. 9.
Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet said the event has a “fabulous, wonderful energy” and that it would inevitably provide a boost to the city’s shops and restaurants.
“The move downtown will have a bigger impact than we realize,” Pougnet said.
Jeffery Sanker Announces ICON Awards
In celebration of his 25th Anniversary, White Party Founder and Producer Jeffrey Sanker has created the WHITE PARTY PALM SPRINGS ICON AWARDS. These awards recognize a select group whose unique and varied achievements have stood out and best embody the spirit of White Party.
“We are thrilled to present our special Icon Awards to individuals who have exemplified White Party’s defining principles of unity & celebration, commitment to excellence and leading edge creativity,” said Sanker. “I look forward to presenting those attending recipients their awards on the White Carpet at this year’s Saturday main event.”
WHITE PARTY PALM SPRINGS ICON AWARD RECIPIENTS INCLUDE:
ARTIST:
Carmen Electra- Artist, Activist
Cher- Pioneer for LGBT Community; Activist
Jai Rodriguez- Actor, Activist
Kathy Griffin- Comedienne, Philanthropist, Activist
Lady Gaga- Pioneer for LGBT Community, Philanthropist, Activist
Lance Bass- Actor, Activist
PHILANTHROPIST:
Aaron Walton- Philanthropist, Activist
Bryan Singer- Director, Activist
David Cooley- Founder of Abbey, Philanthropist
Fred Arens & Jason Duguay- Philanthropist, Activist
Roland Emmerich- Director, Philanthropist
Sir Elton John & David Furnish- Philanthropist, Activist
ACTIVIST:
Adam Bouska & Jeff Parshley- NoH8 Campaign, Activist
Bruce Vilanch- Actor, Writer, Activist
Lisa Vanderpump- Reality Star, Activist
Paul Katami & Jeff Zarrillo- Prop 8 Activists
Ron Oden- Former Mayor of PS, Activist
Ronnie Kroell- Activist
Todd Saporito- Philanthropist, Activist
PIONEER:
Andy Cohen- BRAVO TV personality, Activist
Candis Cayne- Pioneer of LGBT Community, Activist
David Stern- Former Publisher of Frontiers, Activist
DJ Abel Aguilera- Deejay, Activist
Reza Farahan – BRAVO TV personality, Pioneer of LGBT Community
Congratulations to all WHITE PARTY PALM SPRINGS ICON AWARDS recipients!
Sanker announced this year’s 25th Anniversary plans include a completely redesigned White Party, boasting the most innovative and elaborate video displays ever experienced. Chart-topping remix production team BENT COLLECTIVE (Danny Verde & Steven Redant) will also make their live DJ performance debut. And media sponsor SiriusXM is on board to broadcast on-site from the Convention Center White Carpet for this historic event.
White Party will also offer lots of new photo opportunities, such as Instagram “selfie moments” and a special photo set up where groups can get instant pics emailed for free.
Additionally, to benefit DESERT AIDS PROJECT and fund raising auction efforts, Sanker has enlisted the talents of internationally recognized conceptual photographer Duke Shoman to create beautiful, striking photographic tableaus. In keeping with the WPPS 25th “Silver Anniversary” theme, a sleek, sexy and modern chamber of shining, brilliant silver will be the setting that stars and VIP guest will step into – following their arrival on the White Carpet – to commemorate this twenty-five year milestone.
The following afternoon, at the Sunday T-Dance, you can double your pleasure with two giant 100 foot high Ferris wheels, and the day will culminate with the biggest fireworks display in White Party history, choreographed to the music of DJ/Producer Wayne G.
Sanker also revealed the exciting new addition of Uber as the official transportation provider for White Party. Why drive when you can Uber? Services will be available all weekend long for White Party attendees. Uber lounge stations will be set up at White Party locations manned by special Uber concierges. Uber will also have stretch limos for White Party guests to get around in style. New users can download the app and enter the code WP25 for a free first ride! Sign up at: www.uber.com/GO/WP25. Both new and existing users can also enter the code whiteparty to unlock a flat rate from LA to Palm Springs and back!
White Party Palm Springs is the largest gay dance music festival in the world, celebrating its 25th Anniversary April 25-28, 2014. For more information, hotel reservations and tickets, visit: www.jeffreysanker.com.
Palm Springs November Fun
Leather Pride will once again be held the
2nd weekend
in November following the Greater
Palm Springs Pride Festival so that
guests who
wish to may bookend their vacation to
Palm Springs and enjoy BOTH
celebrations.
2nd weekend
in November following the Greater
Palm Springs Pride Festival so that
guests who
wish to may bookend their vacation to
Palm Springs and enjoy BOTH
celebrations.
GET A ROOM NOW at INNdulge
DesertLeatherPride info Nov 7-11
Greater Palm Springs Pride Festival Nov 2-3
FALL in Beautiful Palm Springs
Gay Palm Springs is getting ready for fall fun!
It starts with Halloween, which is on a Wednesday 31st this year.
The city
celebrates Pride the following Saturday and Sunday, November 3-4.
celebrates Pride the following Saturday and Sunday, November 3-4.
And Leather
Desert Pride follows the next weekend, November 8-11.
Desert Pride follows the next weekend, November 8-11.
For Halloween, a street party and costume contest takes place on Arenas
Road, the Castro Street of Palm Springs. Entertainment begins at 6:30 p.m.
hosted by Palm Springs drag celebrity Bella Da Ball. Drag performer “Nicky,”
as Carol Channing, hosts the 8-10 p.m. costume contest.
Palm Springs Pride starts on Pride eve with the Broadway in
Drag pageant on Friday, November 2, at 8 p.m. at the Palm Canyon Theatre. The
Pride festival is on Saturday and Sunday. Arenas Road will host a block party
on Saturday night, November 5, from 6 to 11:30 p.m. Coinciding with Pride, the
2012 AIDS Walk will celebrate its 25th year on Sunday, November 4, at 8:30 a.m.
and will join with the Pride Parade, which heads down Palm Canyon Drive
starting at 10 a.m.
Desert Leather Pride begins on Thursday, November 8, with a
meet and greet event at Hunter’s Nightclub. The event will be packed with
activities all weekend. The Palm Springs Convention Hall will host the Mr. Palm
Springs Leather contest from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 10.
read more at Bay Area Reporter
Gay Jazz Artist Dave Koz Brings Christmas Tour To Palm Desert December 12th
COMING OUT,
DOES NOT HURT ONES CAREER,
contrary to popular belief!
Just ask Dave Koz.
When he came out in The Advocate in 2004, Dave Koz instantly expanded his already large fan base and shattered a lot of myths about gay men and music.
In a career that spans twenty years and a dozen albums, saxophonist Dave Koz has established himself as one of the most prominent figures in contemporary music. But for as noteworthy as his body of recorded work and as entertaining his live performances and other past accomplishments might be, Koz finds himself in an era of dramatic and sweeping change where everything once taken for granted is suddenly up for grabs. For Koz – and for all of us in this first decade of the new century – it’s a new day, full of new challenges and opportunities, and new rules that are still being written.
Koz embraces this era of change – and even the uncertainty that comes with it – on Hello Tomorrow, his debut on Concord Records (released on October 12, 2010. “Put The Top Down,” the breezy lead single from the album, rocketed to #1 at Radio after just three weeks!). Produced by Grammy winners John Burk and Marcus Miller (who also appears on most tracks), the album features a diverse army of high-profile guests: Herb Alpert, Jonathan Butler, Brian Culbertson, Sheila E., Boney James, Jeff Lorber, Keb’ Mo’, Ray Parker, Jr., Lee Ritenour, Christian Scott and others. Each of the thirteen tracks – most of them written by Koz and his collaborators, others penned by friends and legends – focuses on being open to new beginnings, and trusting that the future is unfolding in all the right ways for all the right reasons.
Looking back on the Advocate Coming Out interview, he says, “I think everyone makes that leap at the right time in their own lives—there is no absolute rule, and thus I tend to shy away from giving anyone else advice on how to do this. In my own experience however, I never had a master plan to come out…that moment shocked me when it came—I sort of knew it instinctively and I said to myself, “It’s time”. Up until that point it was something I was either too worried, or too freaked out to do. I wasn’t willing to risk it…but then something surprising happened.
I was doing an interview for another gay publication—and the interviewer initially said it was just to speak on the music, no personal questions. His editors had a different agenda and he came back to me saying that in order for the article to run I would have to address my sexuality. Well, I noticed the way this information made me feel…and for the first time ever, it didn’t scare the &*%# out of me! I went to my managers with the idea of coming out—they were super supportive, having helped Melissa Etheridge along her journey. But they said if you’re going to do it, do it with The Advocate. And that’s exactly what happened—a few months later, just about in sync with my turning 40, it was done. This little piece of information that I’d been guarding so preciously all my adult life was finally out there for the world to see. Of course at the time I was freaking out…but I haven’t looked back since. By far, the very best thing I’ve ever done for myself. “
LAST WEEK, Dave added his effort to the Dan Savage It Get’s Better Project. You can watch his video and listen to his growing up gay story . And he reveals how his music got him through the struggles of growing up gay. Music – and more specifically, the saxophone – have been Koz’s primary survival tools since his childhood and adolescence in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. “The saxophone became my best friend, my most trusted ally, because it enabled me to communicate feelings that I didn’t have the words for. In many ways, it saved my life.”
This is shows 13th Anniversary! And this year’s run will feature special guests South African singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler, keyboardist Brian Culbertson and Dutch saxophone star Candy Dulfer. It will mark Dulfer’s first tour with Koz while Butler and Culbertson are back by popular demand.
The artists will perform hits from their respective catalogues and join together on a variety of holiday standards for an inspirational, high-energy show that has become a cherished tradition for many fans. The tour will take them from coast to coast and include three Los Angeles area shows (December 17th & 18th at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and December 19th at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live). The festivities will conclude with a show at Modesto’s Gallo Center for the Arts on December 20th.
DAVE KOZ AND FRIENDS… A SMOOTH JAZZ CHRISTMAS
2010 TOUR COMES TO Palm Desert, CA 7:00pm
Dec. 12, 2010, McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts !
“Holiday music is like comfort food – when you hear these songs, they transport you,” says Dave, who has three classic holiday albums to his credit (December Makes Me Feel This Way, A Smooth Jazz Christmas Dave Koz & Friends, Memories of a Winter’s Night). “It’s like when you smell a fresh apple pie, and it conjures up memories of your grandmother’s baking and all the traditions that make this such a special time of year.”
Tickets for the Palm Desert show ON SALE NOW!
