Welcome to the women and many others who are in town to attend the 30th anniversary of Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend. A shoutout to Mariah Hansen for her vision and for bringing women together!
The big news is Palm Springs Pride’s lineup. You heard it first Friday morning with Ron DeHarte, CEO, with the announcement on KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs. We’re excited to be partnering with Pride, Alaska Airlines and Vacaya LGBTQ+ Vacations as we conduct the 2nd annual “Light Up the Night”. You could win airfare and go sailing 7 nights on the beautiful and fully-revolutionized Celebrity Millennium, we’re taking you deeeeeeep into the Southern Caribbean to explore two of the most idyllic islands in the world – Aruba and Curaçao! Details shortly.
Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide & KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs
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Palm Springs Pride Artist Lineup Announced
Greater Palm Springs Pride has just announced the entertainment lineup for the 35th annual festival, with headliners Third Eye Blind, Jody Watley, A Flock of Seagulls, The Robyn Party, Shannon, and Jeanie Tracy. The Festival will occur in outdoor venues and include three days of dancing in the streets of downtown Palm Springs with four different stages to host a diverse slate of artists. There will be open-air beverage lounges, food vendors, a festival marketplace, T-Mobile Youth Zone, and a Children’s Garden for the kids. In addition to the entertainment lineup, the Festival will boast a spectacular art installation: American artist Yvette Mattern’s Global Rainbow, a sculpture utilizing specially designed lasers to project a large-scale abstraction of a natural rainbow. Learn more about the full lineup of entertainment [here].
The Dinah is Here!
After many COVID-related delays, the world famous Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend is underway this weekend! This is the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the largest lesbian event in the world and features comedy shows, singles events, concerts, celesbians, parties, and more. Event organizers are working diligently to make this large gathering a safe event and you can read all about that on the Dinah’s website [here]. We’ve got the rundown of events, from Girl Spot Friday to Sunday’s Fun Day Pool Party and Closing Party and all the parties in between on our comprehensive event listing: More info
Chaka Khan at Fantasy Springs
Chaka Khan performs at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino on Saturday, October 2 at 8:00 p.m. This 10-time Grammy Award-winner is one of the world’s most gifted and celebrated music icons — a singer, songwriter, actor, author, philanthropist, entrepreneur and activist who has influenced generations of artists in a career spanning four decades. Come hear her perform the hits like “Tell Me Something Good,” “I’m Every Woman,” “Ain’t Nobody” and “I Feel for You.” Get tickets
Desert Art Center Opening w/New Clay Studio
The Desert Art Center in Palm Springs will launch the 2021-22 season on Friday, October 1 from 5:00–7:00 p.m. with a festive opening night for the public, showcasing a new art show in the two-room Main Gallery. The reception will feature refreshments and live music as patrons browse the gallery to view the latest works by DAC’s juried gallery members. In addition, the evening will feature clay-throwing demonstrations in DAC’s new clay studio. More info
An Evening on the Lanai – Next Wednesday!
Gay Desert Guide and Oscar’s are pleased to bring back An Evening on the Lanai: Remembering the Golden Girls after two sold-out performances this summer! On Wednesday, October 6 at 7:00 p.m., one of the masters behind the success of The Golden Girls, TV sitcom writer Stan Zimmerman, takes us down memory lane with fun behind-the-scenes stories, little known facts, and more with host Alexander Rodriguez. Join in the fun as we watch clips of our favorite episodes complete with sing alongs and trivia – how well do you know your Golden Girls? Show us your best Golden Girls look, you may just take home a St. Olaf Women of the Year award from our list of giveaways! Don’t let this one sell out before you save your space! Get tickets
October is LGBTQ History Month
Friday, October 1 marks the beginning of LGBTQ History Month, and that means you can visit this history month website to learn about a new a new LGBT icon featured every day with a video, bio, bibliography, downloadable images and other resources.
Sharing Our Desert’s LGTBQ+ History
For the local story of LGBTQ history in the Desert, this year Palm Springs Pride and the Palm Springs Library present an official Pride Event – Sharing Our Desert’s LGBTQ+ History: An Inaugural Exhibition, which will be open from Thursday through Sunday, November 4–7, at Welwood Murray Memorial Library during Palm Springs Pride! Check out the history of the Greater Palm Springs area that made it a welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ Community. More info
Final Round Voting Begins for Best of Coachella Valley
The finalists have been selected in the Coachella Valley Independent’s 8th Annual Best of Coachella Valley, and we are thrilled to have four nominations associated with KGAY 106.5! Both DJ Galaxy and DJ Eric Ornelas, of the KGAY Retro Lunch at Noon, have been nominated for Best Local DJ, and KGAY Morning Host John Taylor is up for Best Local Radio Personality! Last but not least, KGAY 106.5 is itself nominated for Best Radio Station! The final round of voting will run online at CVIndependent.com through Monday, October 25. Vote Today
Sordid Lives at Palm Canyon Theatre
Palm Canyon Theatre presents Del Shore’s black comedy about white trash, Palm Springs favorite Sordid Lives, from Friday, September 24 through Sunday, October 3. When Peggy, a good Christian woman, hits her head on the sink and bleeds to death after tripping over her lover’s wooden legs in a motel room, chaos erupts in Winters, Texas. Since PCT is now doing Sordid Lives for the 8th time, they are shaking things up by making it audience participation. The audience will be encouraged to wear a wig cap when Brother Boy does, and pop “pills” when Dr. Eve does. This play is already a blast…and now this will really make it fun and a different experience—even for those who have seen it 8+ times! Get tickets
Ultimate Queen Celebration at The Show
Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage’s The Show presents The Ultimate Queen Celebration starring Marc Martel on Saturday, October 2 at 8:00 p.m. Since 2017, Martel has fronted The Ultimate Queen Celebration, an explosive, attention commanding tribute where some of the most iconic rock anthems merge with a theatrical performance style and eye-popping production. Martel and his band perform Queen’s greatest hits, including “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” “We Are The Champions,” “Another One Bites The Dust,” “Under Pressure,” and “Somebody to Love.” Get tickets
The Gardens to the Rescue – Dog Adoption Event
Join Animal Samaritans for an adoption event in front of Saks Fifth Avenue on Sunday, October 3 from 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Stop by and meet wonderful adoptable pets. Who knows, you may even meet your new fur-ever friend! This event includes music, vendors and a Yappy Hour with Boozehounds PS. Please bring a donation of cat or dog food to help feed the animals. Donations will be handled through Food Now. More info
Farmers’ Markets Return
As of this weekend, the following three Certified Farmers Markets are open for the season at the Palm Springs, La Quinta and Palm Desert outdoor locations:
- Palm Springs Certified Farmers’ Market: Open Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The PS Market is held at 2300 E. Baristo Rd. (adjacent to The Camelot Theatres)
- La Quinta Certified Farmers’ Market: Open Sundays 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The LQ Market is held in Old Town La Quinta at 78100 Main Street (off Calle Tampico).
- Palm Desert Certified Farmers’ Market: Open Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The PD Market is held at 72-559 Hwy 111, adjacent to the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce.
Rainbopedia’s Fall Frolic Auction
An online silent auction will take place as part of Rainbopedia’s Fall Frolic benefit from October 1–11. Rainbopedia’s mission is to provide an online platform for documenting, archiving, and exploring global LGBTQ history, current events, and personal stories. An eclectic mix of treasures, including a relaxing, two-night stay at The Getaway — a boutique mid-century hotel in the hills of Desert Hot Springs— will be on the auction block. More info
Sunnylands Presents Free Films in the Gardens
Now open for the season, Sunnylands Center & Gardens is reviving its popular outdoor movie series, Films in the Gardens, showing a movie musical free of charge on Friday evenings, with shows starting at 7:30 p.m. This Friday, October 1, the film is Mamma Mia! Films in the Gardens are presented in partnership with the Palm Springs International Film Festival. More info
LOOKING AHEAD
Hiding in Plain Sight: Breaking the Gay Code in Art
UCR Osher Lifelong presents Hiding In Plain Sight: Breaking the Gay Code In Art on successive Mondays, October 4, 11, and 18, from 5:30–6:45 p.m. on Zoom. This three-part series will will expose how, throughout history, queer artists have faced the challenge of staying in the closet or being out with their art and lives, risking rejection and prosecution. Despite enormous repression from society and art institutions, queer artists have revolutionized art, survived scandals, won landmark battles, modernized photography, spearheaded movements, and transformed mainstream culture. More info
BNP Paribas Open Begins
The 2021 BNP Paribas Open kicks off Monday, October 4 and continues through Sunday, October 17 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. This is the largest two-week combined ATP & WTA professional tennis tournament outside of the four majors. While the first-ever fall edition of the BNP Paribas Open was already slated to feature a women’s event with 96-player singles draw and 32-team doubles draw, the men’s event will now have the same size fields as well with a full two-week schedule. The tournament will require all fans, staff, sponsors, media and vendors to show valid proof of full vaccination, but there will be no limit on the number of fans at the tournament. More info
