Vacaya is celebrating five years of sailing the high seas – and other places around the world. You may remember that KGAY and GayDesertGuide were a part of their first cruise. I’m fortunate enough to join fellow LGBTQ+ travelers for their anniversary sailing around the Caribbean. I’m here only to keep an eye on our “KGAY Song of the Day” winners Bubba Collins and his husband, Jay. (As of this writing I have yet to see them.)
You know it’s a “gay” cruise when the theatre showing the Super Bowl fills up just in time for the halftime show, then promptly empties out before the second half can begin. And we did not have the feed with the TV commercials on it, so I’ll have to catch up when back on dry land.
While it’s nice to get away, I already have FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), as the high holy season of events takes shape in the Coachella Valley. CAMP, Modernism Week’s gathering spot, will be the site of our KGAY roving microphones Thursday. We’re also readying for the end of Modernism Week, featuring a tribute to Nancy Sinatra happening Feb. 25TH on Arenas Road. Stay tuned for more details, but the big reveal will remain a secret until that day!
Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide & KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs,
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Modernism Week Kickoff
Modernism Week will celebrate CAMP (Community and Meeting Place) Kick Off with a Remote Broadcast with KGAY’s Morning Show Host John Taylor on Thursday, February 16 from 9–11 am. (If you can’t be there in person be sure to listen to KGAY’s Remote Broadcast with John Taylor at 106.5 or on your favorite streaming platform). CAMP is the central meeting place for all things Modernism Week and it’s FREE and open to the public inside the Hyatt Palm Springs. Discover new events and activities to attend, dine and sip at Cheeky’s To-Go, shop at the Destination PSP store, meet authors at book signings, explore design elements for your home, and relax and commune with fellow modernists. If Palm Springs is the epicenter of modernism, CAMP is the epicenter of Modernism Week! CAMP will be open daily 9am–5pm during Modernism Week February 16–26. More info
Modernism Week’s annual 11-day festival will feature more than 350 events including the Palm Springs Modernism Show, tours of iconic homes in more than 24 neighborhoods, the Palm Desert Signature Home Tour and the Palm Springs Signature Home Tour on both weekends. Also offered are architectural walking, biking and double-decker bus tours, tours of the historic Annenberg Estate at Sunnylands, a classic car show, a vintage trailer show, a golf tournament, garden tours, nightly parties, and a special series of compelling and informative talks. All events are open to the public, and many events are free or low cost Get tickets.
Red Dress/Dress Red Tickets on Sale Tuesday, February 14
The biggest party in Palm Springs, Red Dress/Dress Red, is a night of community, fun, and fantasy—and tickets go on sale on Valentine’s Day, Tuesday February 14 at 9 am! Take note because this one ALWAYS sells out fast. Imagine the best Halloween and Mardi Gras parties you’ve ever attended; combine them together beneath the spectacular mountains of the Coachella Valley, dress it all in red, and you have a sliver of the living fantasy that is Red Dress/Dress Red, which takes place Saturday, March 18 at 8 pm. Your ticket includes bites and drinks! More info
Sexy Strong Words – Valentines Edition
Among Friends presents Sexy Strong Words – Valentines Edition on Monday, February 13 at 7 pm at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. This time Strong Words is becoming Stinky Words, stories of the worst love stories ever. Six storytellers will give true accounts of some of their own terrible experiences. This will be a RAW night – dirty and telling it like it is (WARNING- NOT FOR THE EASILY OFFENDED). Joining storyteller extraordinaire and host Larry Dean Harris will be the ever blunt, filthy mouth yet totally funny Roy Cruz, the returning muse and laugh maker Jeff Mills, simply outrageous Ralph Cole, Jr., ever hilarious Elaine Gail, and singer-songwriter Gregory Douglass, plus a mystery guest. Eddi Kreg and the Among Friends will be there to host the cocktail party (starts at 6:30 pm) and festivities. Get tickets
Human Rights Commission Annual Community Service Awards
The City of Palm Springs Human Rights Commission will present its annual Community Service Awards on Monday, February 13 at 5:30 pm in the Council Chamber at City Hall. The awards will be presented to six individuals and one organization for outstanding contributions promoting and protecting human rights, social progress, better standards of life, and equality for all individuals, and the public is invited to attend the free virtual ceremony, honoring: Bettye Cotton, Tori St. John, Dan Gore, PFLAG Palm Springs/Desert Communities, Jase Nagaia, Brett Klein, and Gary Moline. More info
A Victor/Victoria Valentine
Marc Huestis and the Palm Springs Cultural Center present A Victor/Victoria Valentine – a loving tribute to Academy Award® Nominee Lesley Ann Warren Live In-Person on Tuesday, February 14 at 7 pm. The evening of romance includes a live interview with enchanting Lesley Ann Warren, queried by the legendary Bruce Vilanch. She will discuss her remarkable career–from her breakout performance in 1965’s Cinderella, to her Oscar nominated portrayal of dumb blonde Norma Cassady in Blake Edwards’ 1982 gender bender Victor/Victoria. Also featured in this glittering gala are a clip valentine of Ms. Warren’s TV and screen gems, plus a tribute performance by “le Jazz Hot” Ethylina Canne. This lovely night will be capped by a free screening of Victor/Victoria. Get tickets
Coming Up at the McCallum
The McCallum Theatre presents Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel on Monday, February 13 at 7 pm, Gordon Goodwins Big Phat Band on Wednesday, February 15 at 7pm, and Malevo, the all-male Argentine folk dance group on Thursday, February 16 at 7 pm. This weekend the touring company of My Fair Lady plays Friday through Sunday, February 17–19, Coming up: Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal (2/21), Steve Tyrell (2/22), Beginnings: A Celebration of the Music of Chicago (2/23), On Your Feet! (2/24–26), MNOZIL Brass (2/27), and Our Planet Live in Concert (2/28). Get tickets
Visitor Map & Guide Spring Edition is Here!
The Spring 2023 edition of our Gay Desert Guide Visitor Map & Guide (great for locals too!) is hot off the presses and distributed about town for your perusal. We help you find everything you need to know while visiting or living in the Coachella Valley, featuring the top places for Food & Drink, Nightlife, Shopping, Attraction, Gay Resorts with passes, Dispensaries and other services. You can also view it online, and download the PDF [here].
