I have a “Love-Like” relationship with L.A. Having lived there for nearly a decade before making roots in the Coachella Valley, I know it like the back of my hand.
My first “move” to Los Angeles was in the summer of 1980, just out of college. I was offered a radio job in Marina del Rey that paid $200 per week — and took it. My good friend and I packed up a U-Haul and drove from Michigan. After one night in a cockroach-infested motel, we both freaked out. I never reported for work, and we drove back – tail between our legs.
25 years later: a better paying job offer, and some worldly experience, I fell in love with the history, the warm weather and the company of good friends that I developed there. So when La La Land came out in 2016, it was a trip down memory lane at every scene. Even the opening – a dance number on the hood of cars stuck on the 405 – held special meaning. The movie shows on the bucolic lawn of Sunnylands Saturday night and I’m likely to be there.
As a friend of mine observed, the city itself is a character in the movie. If you haven’t experienced Los Angeles, you don’t “get” that character, and it doesn’t hold the same allure.
Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide on KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs
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Mamma Mia Drag Brunch
Looking for something fun to celebrate this Mother’s Day weekend? Check out our Dine & Sip Channel for featured LGBTQ-friendly places to eat, organized by a variety of cuisines! At Reforma Palm Springs, they celebrate with a Mamma Mia Drag Brunch on Saturday, May 11 at 11 am, with the music of ABBA and Mamma Mia! with emcee Epiphany Kali. Get tickets
Firebirds Round 2 Playoffs
The Coachella Valley Firebirds are in the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs and they are currently taking on the Calgary Wranglers in the Best of 5 game series, giving up the first game to Calgary but then coming back for wins in Games 2 & 3! Next up: Game 4 will be at Acrisure Arena on Friday, May 10 at 7 pm. (and, if the Firebirds don’t win Game 4 and therefore the round, Game 5 will be Sunday, May 12 at 3 pm, also at Acrisure). Get your tickets without fees by purchasing at the Ticketmaster Box Office at Acrisure Arena (open select dates and times, please visit CVFirebirds.com for hours of operation). More info
Pride Day at the LA County Fair
The LGBTQ community, friends, and family are invited to join in a special Pride Day at the LA County Fair on Saturday, May 11 (a little over an hour’s drive from Palm Springs at the Fairplex in Pomona). Wear your favorite Pride/rainbow colors and enjoy a day of food, rides, and Pride visibility with your special Pride tickets for regular admission from 11 am–6 pm with the general public and then you can stay for a Pride Dance Party with go-go dancers from 6 pm–9 pm. Entertainment includes DJ Ray Rhodes (TigerHeat, Out on the Mountain); DJ SRO (Micky’s, Strut); DJ Cal.liente; host Samantha Starr; and drag queens Amanda Love, Ashlynn Roxx, and Fernanda La Mas. Get tickets
Spring Exhibitions Party
The Palm Springs Art Museum presents an evening of mystical artistic inspiration at their Spring Exhibitions Party on Saturday, May 11 from 7–10 pm. Help celebrate the opening of the museum’s newest exhibition, “A Shadow Set Free,” a selection of works that convey an otherworldly aura. Attendees are encouraged to dress in striking hues—sapphire blue, ruby red, amethyst purple, citrine yellow, forest green. Guests will enjoy live music, in-museum activations, curated cocktails, and delectable bites. Get tickets
Bow Wow Bingo
Join the Palm Springs Animal Shelter for Bow Wow Bingo on Saturday, May 11 from 5–9 pm at The Sonoran. Your host Ethylina Canne will lead a night of bingo under the stars where you can play for a chance to win over $2400 in cash and prizes. VIP admission includes private cabana, appetizers, VIP cocktail server and more. Get tickets
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
The McCallum Theatre presents The Boy Who Cried Wolf on Saturday, May 11 at 2 pm. A gifted ensemble of actor musicians (Tutti Frutti Productions) embody delightful characters, including hilarious sheep and perhaps a scary wolf or two. Best for families with children ages 4-10. Get tickets
Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival
The Palm Springs Cultural Center presents the 2024 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival all weekend, May 9–12. Festival director Alan K Rode says “This year’s film program features the widest possible variety of films in the noir style. Some new discoveries include Rod Steiger’s tour de force turn in Across the Bridge (1957) and the great Barbara Stanwyck dominating a compelling Cornell Woolrich-adapted suspense tale No Man of Her Own (1950). Add to that a pair of Humphrey Bogart films – Dead Reckoning (1946) opposite sultry Lizabeth Scot and The Enforcer (1950) based the infamous Murder Inc. case.” Get tickets
Sunnylands Films in the Gardens: La La Land
The popular outdoor movie series Films in the Gardens returns to Sunnylands Center & Gardens in May, highlighting films with unique and imaginative set designs. On Friday, May 10, at 7:30 pm, the film will be La La Land (2016), starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Admission is free, carpooling is strongly encouraged. Filmgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and small picnics. More info
The Lincoln Debate
The Bent Theatre Company presents The Lincoln Debate for an encore run to close out their season, running through Sunday, May 12. This play launched The Bent, and Jason Reale, who won a Best Actor award for his portrayal of Lincoln, will be back in his stovepipe hat. Join the debate and decide for yourself whether or not Abraham Lincoln might have an initial under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella that fits him, exploring the first source facts with humor and historical accuracy surrounding Lincoln’s rocky courtship with Mary Todd juxtaposed with the four years that Lincoln shared a bed with Joshua Speed, a man that history records as Lincoln’s “best friend.” Get tickets
Purple Room: The Marvelous Marilyn Maye
The Purple Room Supper Club presents The Marvelous Marilyn Maye on Friday & Saturday, May 10 & 11. Marilyn Maye is a highly praised singer, actress, director, arranger, educator, a Grammy nominated recording artist and a musical treasure. Her entire life has been committed to the art of song and performance. Maye appeared 76 times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, the record for a singer. Get tickets
ALSO THIS WEEKEND
Friday, May 10
Silversun Pickups | 8 pm at The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa Rancho Mirage
Saturday, May 11
Lesbian Hikes | Various Locations (Also Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri)
Idyllwild Arts Community Day | 11:30 am–6 pm at Idyllwild Arts Campus
Nic & Desi: Broadway to Hollywood | 7 pm at Oscar’s Palm Springs
Comedy Night feat. Headliner Jason Stuart | 7 pm at Coachella Valley Brewing Co.
Judy Garland’s Mother’s Day Special with Vanity Halston | 9 pm at one eleven bar
Sunday, May 12
Mother’s Day Brunch at Rockwood Grill | 10 am–3 pm at JW Marriott Spa & Resort
The Light in the Piazza
Palm Canyon Theatre presents The Light in the Piazza, opening Friday, May 10 and running Thursdays–Sundays until Sunday, May 19. Based on the 1960 novella by Elizabeth Spencer, the show is set in the 1950s in Florence, Italy, where wealthy Southern woman Margaret Johnson and her developmentally disabled daughter, Clara, are visiting. When Clara falls in love with a young Italian man, Margaret is forced to reconsider not only Clara’s future, but her own deep-seated hopes and regrets as well. Get tickets
