HAIR Singalong, Berlin performs in Palm Desert, Jazzville w/Janet Klein, Outbook Club, Police & Fire Appreciation, Women Honoring Women, Cinco de Mayo Menos Uno, and a weekend preview!
13th Annual LGBTQ Community Survey
Here’s an opportunity to do something meaningful for our community in less than 15 minutes! Participation in this survey gives important feedback to our LGBTQ community media and organizations, and provides valid data to companies interested in serving our community, sponsoring our charities, and supporting their LGBTQ employees.
Click here to start the survey, it should take 12-15 minutes to complete.
HAIR Sing Along with Among Friends
On Wednesday, May 1 at 6:00 p.m., Among Friends presents a cocktail party and singalong screening of the musical classic HAIR at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Come in Hippie Costume to the cocktail party first, then head inside to sing along at 7:30. Synopsis: In New York City for the first time while on his way to enlist in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, Oklahoma farm hand Claude Hooper Bukowski (John Savage) meets up with a freewheeling group of Central Park hippies led by the irrepressible George Berger (Treat Williams). When the unlikely friends meet upper-middle-class debutante Sheila Franklin (Beverly D’Angelo), sparks fly between the country boy and the city girl, and Berger’s troupe attempts to keep the young lovers together. “Let the sunshine in” and Get tickets
Jazzville: Janet Klein & her Parlor Boys
Jazzville Palm Springs at Hotel Zoso presents Janet Klein & her Parlor Boys on Wednesday, May 1 at 7:00 p.m. With her sleek bob haircut (usually with a flower placed just so), vintage fashion sense, strikingly beautiful looks and artfully customized ukulele, Janet Klein might seem at first to be a simple novelty act…then she opens her mouth to sing. There’s no Betty Boop hiccups or Mae West-style brassiness in her charmingly original voice. And when she starts to play her ukulele, it’s clear that this oft-ridiculed cousin of the guitar is neither prop nor gimmick, but a delightful and under-utilized musical instrument. Bearing an ever-expanding repertoire of, as she puts it, “obscure, lovely and naughty songs from the 1910’s , 20’s and 30’s,” Janet Klein is a musical archeologist hiding in the body of an F. Scott Fitzgerald heroine. Get tickets
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Outbook Club + Mixer
The Palm Springs Cultural Center and the Palm Springs Library present the Outbook Club and Mixer for May, featuring The End of Eddy by Louis Edouard. Come at 6:00 p.m. for an open bar and social, with book discussion to follow, 6:30–8:30 p.m. Local book critic and columnist J. Corbett Holmes leads discussions around each month’s selection. Upcoming book club meetings include:
June 5- The Great Believers– Rebecca Makkai
July 3- The Air You Breathe – Frances De Pontes Peebles
August 7- What Belongs to You – Garth Greenwell
More info
Annual Police & Fire Appreciation Luncheon
The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce Police & Fire Appreciation Luncheon will take place on Thursday, May 2 at 11:30 a.m. at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Father Andrew Green will be honored with the Richard M. Milanovich Community Leadership Award. Get tickets
Berlin Comes to Palm Desert
Palm Desert’s popular Spring Concerts in the Park series presents Berlin, featuring Terri Nunn, on Thursday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Palm Desert Civic Center Park. While known for the Academy Award winning song “Take My Breath Away” from the movie Top Gun, Berlin first made its mark in the early 80s when the band emerged out of L.A.’s synth pop scene. Berlin current music remains true to their groundbreaking sound and Nunn’s signature vocal style, while exploring and making a statement on contemporary electronic dance music. Currently, Nunn is recording a new Berlin studio album with her original band members and co-writers, John Crawford (bass) and David Diamond (keyboards). More info
Brain Health & Dementia Community Forum
The LGBT Community Center of the Desert presents a forum on Brain Health and Dementia on Friday, May 3 from 1:00–2:30 p.m. Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and memory loss can present unique challenges to the LGBTQ community. Join in this important community forum and discover the most relevant resources for you, your friends and family, while learning about all the Alzheimer’s Association has to offer. More info
Women Honoring Women Annual Luncheon
On Saturday, May 4 from 12:00–2:00 p.m., Democratic Women of the Desert present their annual Women Honoring Women Luncheon at Acqua California Bistro. State Senator Connie Leyva will be featured as guest speaker. Get tickets
Festival Cinco de Mayo Menos Uno
Diversity DHS and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1534 present Cinco De Mayo Minus One Festival on Saturday, May 4 from 2:00–6:00 p.m. in Desert Hot Springs.This event is for the entire family. Music will be provided by DJ Noriega.There will be carnival games with prizes, a bounce house, a Salsa Contest Dancing and a Raffle. Money raised from this event will benefit VFW Post 1534 and Diversity DHS Pride Festival. More info
THIS WEEKEND
Hot Rodeo 2019
It’s Gay Rodeo time at Palm Springs Hot Rodeo 2019, from Thursday, May 2 through Sunday, May 5 with parties and dances at various locations in Palm Springs, and competitive rodeo events at the A.C. Dysart Equestrian Park in Banning. Gay Desert Guide is a proud sponsor of Hot Rodeo. Here’s a quick rundown of the daily events:
- Thu, May 2 – Dance Contest and Welcome Party at Hunter’s Nightclub
- Fri, May 3 – Hot & Wet Cowboy Pool Party at Comfort Inn, Kick-Off Party at Tool Shed
- Sat, May 4 – Competitive Rodeo Events in Banning, then Dancing Under the Stars at Chill Bar
- Sun, May 5 – Competitive Rodeo Events, then Awards Ceremony at Eight4Nine Restaurant
Visit our Hot Rodeo event page for more details!
Blatino Oasis
This is the 13th season of Blatino Oasis, California’s largest annual getaway for gay and bisexual men of color, expected to again attract thousands. The three day event runs Friday, May 3 through Sunday, May 5 at CCBC Resort. Blatino Oasis was first held in 2007 to help gay and bisexual men of color and their supporters enjoy a Palm Springs getaway created with them in mind, participants are invited to “leave your work and worries behind and prepare to enjoy Blatino Oasis at the level that feels most comfortable to you. No pressure just pleasure.” Get passes
Evening Under the Stars
The 26th annual Evening Under the Stars gala will take place Saturday, May 4 at the ODonnell Golf Club, featuring “The Music of ABBA” performed by ARRIVAL From Sweden. The event begins with a spectacular cocktail reception followed by a sumptuous dinner, a brief awards presentation to a few worthy honorees, and dancing. More info
Palm Springs JUMP! and Chadwick Johnson at The Purple Room Supper Club
On Friday, May 3 at 6:00 p.m., come to the Purple Room for an evening of high-energy entertainment and a hats-off salute to the Hollywood glamour of classic Palm Springs with Palm Springs JUMP!, a tribute to the legendary stars who called Palm Springs home or performed in Palm Springs –from Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby to Lucille Ball, Keely Smith, Elvis Presley, Sonny Bono and many more. Palm Springs JUMP! is created by and features the talents of veteran singers Michael Holmes, Charles Herrera and Darci Daniels, plus the musical flair of Palm Springs celebrated pianist, Joel Baker. Get tickets
Las Vegas headliner Chadwick Johnson takes the Purple Room stage on Saturday, May 4 at 6:00 p.m. This award-winning singer and songwriter is known for his distinctive soulful approach to storytelling through music. He has played for and worked with some of America’s most celebrated icons, including a command performance for President Clinton as well as legendary producer, David Foster. Chadwick has headlined some of the most prominent venues in Las Vegas including The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, the Suncoast Showroom, and is currently a resident performer at Red Rock Casino. Get tickets
Palm Desert First Weekend – Final Celebration of the Season
This is the final “First Weekend” in Palm Desert, and in addition to this month’s featured event–a free concert by Berlin featuring Terri Nunn on Thursday night–on Friday there is an Artist Reception for Daryl Gortner and Gary Gruber at CODA Gallery, a “Dive-In Movie,” The Little Mermaid, at the Palm Desert Aquatic Center, and Galen First Friday at the Palm Springs Art Museum with free admission and live music. The College of the Desert Street Fair is both Saturday and Sunday mornings, and the free Palm Desert Public Art Tour takes place on Saturday morning. More info
Cinco de Mayo at Studio One 11
On Sunday, May 5, join the friendly crew at Studio One 11 for a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Mexican beer will be just $3.50, plus a selection of Margaritas will be on special for $5 each. After 5:00 p.m., FREE nachos and tacos will be served! More info
WEEKEND THEATRE
Good People
CVRep presents Good People from May 1–19 to round out their 10-year anniversary season. Welcome to Southie, a Boston neighborhood where a night on the town means a few rounds of bingo, where this month’s paycheck covers last month’s bills, and where Margie Walsh has just been let go from yet another job. Facing eviction and scrambling to catch a break, Margie thinks an old fling who’s made it out of Southie might be her ticket to a fresh new start. But is this apparently self-made man secure enough to face his humble beginnings? Margie is about to risk what little she has left to find out. Get tickets
Pageant: The Musical
The Desert Rose Playhouse presents Pageant: The Musical, with performances continuing through May 12. This side-splitting look at a beauty pageant in drag is a funny, wacky and ultimately endearing musical about the trials and tribulations of six contestants vying for the title of Miss Glamouresse. You’ll laugh and cheer as Miss West Coast, Miss Great Plains, Miss Industrial Northeast, Miss Bible Belt, Miss Texas and Miss Deep South (all in drag, of course) do their best to sing, dance and claw their way to the tiara. And every show has a unique twist, as actual audience members decide who wins. Get Tickets