Rock Hudson died nearly 40 years ago of AIDS, having lived a ‘double life’ that is documented in ‘Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed’ from HBO. He’s one of many LGBTQ+ notables on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars who will be “outed” in a good way this National Coming Out Day.
We’re continuing to recognize and remember the terrible toll that HIV & AIDS took on the gay community four decades ago. The Palm Springs AIDS Memorial is being created to do just that, and this weekend you’ll have a chance to support the fundraising efforts in the Arenas District.
Many Arenas District businesses are displaying a model of the memorial at various times this weekend (see the schedule on our calendar) to help raise money for the completion of the project.
Hudson is purported to have told a close associate upon allowing to make his diagnosis public, “God, what a way to end a life.” What he could never know is how much his going public did to help garner federal funding and slow acceptance of HIV & AIDS in the world.
Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide on KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs
For the latest, follow our socials @GayDesertGuide and @KGAY1065 and listen to KGAY Palm Springs wherever you may be!
#ILoveGayPalmSprings #ILoveGayCatCity #ILoveGayTravel #ILoveGay #SayKGAY #FindYourOasis
Cirque du Soleil: Corteo
Cirque du Soleil brings their show, Corteo, to Acrisure Arena on Saturday, September 2 at 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm, and Sunday, September 3 at 1 pm. Corteo, which means cortege in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth. Get tickets
Arenas District Fundraiser for Palm Springs AIDS Memorial
Arenas District Businesses—Blackbook, QuadZ, Hunters, Streetbar, Gaymart, and Chill Bar—are coming together over the extended Labor Day Weekend and beyond (now through Thursday, September 7) to host fundraisers for the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture. Arenas Road patrons will be able to learn more about the memorial, see the artist’s maquette (model) on display at each business on different days, and donate towards project completion. Every contribution made on Arenas will be matched up to $15,000 by Craig Attebury and GayMart in memory of Tim Foutch. The envisioned permanent AIDS memorial is designed by local artist Phillip K. Smith, III and would be located in the new Downtown Palm Springs Park. More info
Labor Day Weekend at CCBC
Stay and play all day at CCBC Resort, the largest full-service clothing-optional gay men’s resort in the country, just a few minutes from downtown Palm Springs in Cathedral City. The fun continues all through Labor Day Weekend, September 1–4. You can buy a day pass and enjoy the sparkling pool, waterfall, nature walk, play spaces and much more, plus the on-site Runway Bar & Restaurant, open to everyone. DJ Bobby will be spinning poolside on Saturday, September 2 from Noon–4 pm. More info
The Purple Room Kicks off Fall Season with Debby Boone
Michael Holmes’ Purple Room Supper Club returns from a summer hiatus this week, and weekend entertainment debuts with Debby Boone performing on both Friday and Saturday, September 1 & 2 with Dinner at 6 pm, show at 8 pm. In her new show, A Song For You, Debby takes you on a musical journey singing everything from Pop music, Country, Broadway, and Jazz. With her warmth and personal style she seamlessly weaves in stories of her famous family and the show business royalty she has been privileged to work with. Purple Room weekday entertainment is also back, featuring Tuesdays with Jazz legend Rose Mallett, Wednesdays with Charles Herrera, Darci Daniels & Michael Holmes swinging to the music of the Rat Pack era, and the sassy Sharon Sills singing on Thursdays. Each weeknight’s entertainment goes from 6:30–9:30 pm. And the spirit of Judy Garland is alive and well as The Judy Show returns on selects Sundays! Get tickets
Rio del Sol Elements Dusty Shoe Preview
Be one of the first to preview Elements, the new community at Rio del Sol in Cathedral City on Saturday, September 2 from 11 am–4 pm. If you’re not afraid of a little dust, you can join the Dusty Shoe Preview and you could receive a $25 El Patron gift card, enjoy some food and fun, and say hi to John Taylor, host of the KGAY Morning Show, who will be on-site broadcasting live from 11 am–1 pm! In addition to all of that, you will have the opportunity to win a pair of tickets plus parking for the Madonna Celebration Tour date at Acrisure Arena on March 13, 2024! More info
Clueless Under the Stars at Boozehounds
Enjoy a fabulous evening of outdoor movie magic at Boozehounds Palm Springs with Cinema Under the Stars on Monday, September 4 at 8 pm, featuring the 90’s classic, Clueless. Roll up your homies and pups, bring a blanket, and cozy up under the starry desert sky for a night of nosh and nostalgia. The night will feature 90’s tunes, movie-themed cocktails, fresh popcorn, and dinner bento boxes to enjoy while you watch. Get tickets
Broadway to the BIG SCREEN – West Side Story
Every Saturday this summer, the Palm Springs Cultural Center presents the great musicals that made it from Broadway to the BIG SCREEN (and sometimes back again). On Saturday, September 2 at 4 pm, the featured film is West Side Story (1961), a modern musical representation of the classic story “Romeo and Juliet.” Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs (the Jets and the Sharks) fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy. It’s a dazzling musical and an all too common tale of ethnic gangs and gang violence set to music and dance. MeTV 103.1 fm is a proud media sponsor of the Broadway to the BIG SCREEN Film Series! Get tickets
Sing Along With Us – How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
The Palm Springs Cultural Center presents classic movie musicals in the Sing Along With Us Film Series all summer long, on the largest screen in the valley at the Historic Camelot Theatre. The Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus will lead the singing. On Sunday, September 3 at 3 pm, come sing along to How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, the 1967 classic starring Robert Morse, Rudy Vallee, Michele Lee, Anthony Teague, and Maureen Arthur. A lowly window cleaner dreams of making it big in the business world. After finding a copy of the book “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” Finch decides to apply the tactics in the book to his own life. Soon, he’s working as a mailroom clerk at the World Wide Wicket Company and quickly fighting his way up the corporate ladder with relative ease in this quirky musical based on the hit Broadway production. Gay Desert Guide and KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs are proud media sponsors of the Sing Along With Us This Summer Film Series! Get tickets
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Reopens
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will reopen on Friday, September 1 after its annual maintenance closure. This first tram up will be at 10 am, the last tram up will be at 9 pm, and the last tram down will be at 10:30 pm. During this year’s annual maintenance closure, completed projects include updating Tramway systems, hydraulic and brake servicing, and State permit testing. Labor Day holiday hours will be observed on Saturday, September 2 and Sunday, September 3 with the first tram up at 8 am, the last tram up at 9 pm, and the last tram down at 10:30 pm. On Monday, September 4, the first tram up is at 8 am, two hours earlier than usual. More info
Desert Art Woman Gallery: “Resurgence”
The Desert Art Woman Gallery presents Resurgence from September 1–30, with a Soft Show Opening and Reception on Friday, September 1 from 5–8 pm. This all-female/non-binary art show welcomes programming partner Wyld Womxn Feminist Art Collective. Curated by Adriana Lopez-Ospina, Lauren Bright of Wyld Womxn, and Juliette Vos of Desert Art Woman Gallery, the exhibit explores our community of artists and how they are transitioning (or not) back into the world. This exhibition holds visual representations and deep reflections on what we have collectively and individually survived. More info
Donna MacMillan Exhibit Final Weekend
The Palm Springs Art Museum exhibit, So Many Songs We Have Yet To Play: Gifts of Donna MacMillan, is on display through September 3 in the main museum. This exhibition celebrates Donna MacMillan’s numerous contributions to the museum over the years and especially recognizes her recent donation of 68 objects. Characterized by incredible breadth, her donations span a wide range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, prints, photographs, video, and electronic art. She has gifted objects by both established art icons and emerging artists, works of simple beauty as well as those both thought-provoking and challenging. The museum is open 10 am–5 pm on Friday, Saturday & Sunday. On Thursday the museum is open from noon–8 pm. (Free admission on Thursdays from 5–8 pm – funded by the City of Palm Springs). Get tickets
Best of Coachella Nomination Round Ends Tuesday
The Coachella Valley Independent‘s annual Best of Coachella Valley reader’s poll is now accepting nominations, a fill-in-the-blank round that is open through Tuesday, September 5. We would love a repeat of our wins last year! Write-in your nominations for Best Local DJ under the “Arts” section: KGAY 106.5 Retro Lunch Djs: DJ Eric Ornelas and DJ Galaxy, and DJ Modgirl of the KGAY Sunday Tea Dance! Then, under the “Life in the Valley” section, for Best Local Radio Personality please consider John Taylor of the KGAY 106.5 Morning Show, and finally, also under “Life in the Valley,” for Best Radio Station, please nominate KGAY 106.5! Nominate Today
Feed a Giraffe for Free
Now through Labor Day, The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens will be giving all full-price ticketed guests a FREE giraffe feeding encounter. Create an unforgettable memory while visiting The Living Desert, voted one of the 10 Best Zoos in the U.S. by Conde Nast Traveler. Do you live here and not visit the Zoo? You’re missing out! And a yearly membership will pay for itself in two or three visits! More info
Fellini Retrospective: Il Bidone
Thanks to popular demand, the Palm Springs Cultural Center presents its Fellini Retrospective series through the end of 2023, continuing on the first Friday of every month. The series is part of the Fellini 100 Tour, an international celebration of Fellini’s centennial. Experience why Fellini’s name is synonymous with the international art of cinema! On Friday, September 1 at 7 pm, the featured film will be Il Bidone (1955). Federico Fellini’s dark neorealist crime drama is the closest he came to true film noir. Broderick Crawford stars as Augusto, one of three bidonistas (aka ‘swindlers’) who pose as priests to trick peasants out of cash, in this searing portrait of a man whose crooked ways have begun to catch up with him. Also starring the resplendent Giulietta Masina, Il Bidone is an overlooked gem that forms the central installment of Fellini’s informal “Trilogy of Loneliness,” between La Strada and Nights of Cabiria. Get tickets
First Thrust: Leather Pride Warmup
Palm Springs Leather Order of the Desert presents First Thrust, A Warm Up to PS Leather Pride on Saturday, September 2 from 6–11 pm at the Canyon Club Hotel. This dont-miss party is a preview of what can be expected at PS Leather Pride 2023. Come dance and play to the sexy beats of DJ Peter Barona; this event is not included in the VIP packages, as it is an exclusively ticketed get-together for those looking for a little exclusivity in their social approach. Space is limited, free clothes check provided. Get tickets
Country Dance Fridays
Dance Ranch Palm Springs presents Country Dance Fridays, a great night of country western dancing, including two-step, waltz, shadow, East and West Coast swing and line dances, every Friday from 7–9:30 pm at Step by Step. The dance lesson is at 7 pm with dancing from 7:30–9:30 pm. Dance Ranch Palm Springs is a country western dance group serving the LGBTQ+ community and its friends. Country dancers of all levels are welcome. More info
Check out all events on GayDesertGuide.com
