Gay Desert Guide: Week of Dec. 30, 2019

New Year’s Eve is Tuesday, December 31, 2019 and we’ve got the rundown on the hottest New Year’s Eve events to get your party on and ring in the new decade! PLUS: Palm Springs International Film Festival Starts January 2 and Udo Kier is honored on the Walk of Stars!

Dance Through the Decades at Agua Caliente Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage

For those looking to ring in the New Year with a ton of excitement and a bit of nostalgia, the New Year’s Eve parties at Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs and Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage  present Dance Through the Decades from 8:00 p.m.–1:00 a.m.. The biggest outdoor party in Palm Springs will feature DJ Dense spinning music from the 50’s through present along with music videos, dance performances, celebrity look-alikes and more! Food trucks, food booths, and outdoor bar gardens will provide ample food and beverage options. Watch the ball drop on Times Square at 9:00 p.m. and then countdown to a west coast midnight celebration complete with fireworks show at midnight! Get tickets

Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage will simultaneously host its own Dance Though the Decades party indoors at The Show, also consisting of the best music from your favorite parts of recent history, plus party favors, a live countdown with the DJ, confetti canons at midnight, and the state-of-the-art sound and light show! Get tickets

Runway Bar & Restaurant’s New Year’s Eve Celebration

Let your 2020 take off at Runway Bar & Restaurant with a 4-course meal (seating at 8:00 p.m) and two shows featuring Bella da Ball, Carol Kamenis, Marina Mac, Sassy Ross, Jesse Jones, Candace Camera, and DJ Bobby! The 1st show runs from 10:00–10:45 p.m. and the 2nd show from 11:15–midnight with a New Year’s champagne toast and a dance party continuing into the New Year! Get tickets

East and West Coast Celebrations at Streetbar

Streetbar will be bringing in a Roaring 2020 New Years Eve both at 9:00 p.m. (the East Coast) and 12:00 a.m. (the West Coast). Enjoy free champagne toasts, food and entertainment! No cover charge. PLUS: be sure to join Streetbar the Morning After (January 1st) for Steve’s delicious Bloody Marys from 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. More info

Steel the Night at the Ace Hotel

Shimmer the night away under metallic and silver regalia at the Ace Hotel with Helado Negro presenting a multi-sensory live performance with glimmering spirals of ambient pop and his signature Tinsel Mammals. Expect a special menu, celebratory offerings presented by Absolut Elyx and a DJ set from Jeremy Sole (KCRW) to round out the night. Welcome reception with a light bites & cocktails 8:00 p.m., general admission at 9:00 p.m., champagne toast at midnight. Get tickets

Jazzville Presents Latin Jazz at Wang’s

Join your Jazzville family at Wang’s in the Desert for a special and delicious 3 course dinner, live Latin jazz quintet, bubbly, free parking and more. The Calixto Oviedo Quintet featuring Lily Hernandez is Afro-Cuban jazz at its best, and every time they appear at Jazzville it’s a sold-out show. Calixto Oviedo’s innovative and brilliant techniques have made him the in-demand drummer for The Afro Cuban All Stars, Buena Vista Social Club, and Arturo Sandoval. Calixto’s wife, Lily Hernandez, is charming and vivacious, and delivers Cuban canciones with a captivating voice and radiant stage presence. Get tickets

Drag Me to NYE at The Saguaro

The Saguaro Palm Springs presents their 4th annual Drag Me to NYE, filled with comedy, Top 40, Studio 54 disco and dancing, starting at 9:00 p.m. The soiree is hosted by Miss Rusty Waters with Sabryna Williams and Ava Stone, featuring complimentary buffet style NYE appetizers, champagne toast at midnight, drink specials, live entertainment and special guest mixer: DJ Julie. Get tickets

Roaring into the 20’s at Chill Bar

Say goodbye to the teens at Chill Bar starting at 8:00 p.m. with Kristine W, Lee Dagger and Brian Ava Lorenz. Party the decade away with the hottest boys, most fabulous queens and the friendliest staff on Arenas District. No Cover. Champagne toast. Midnight countdown. More info

New Year’s Eve at Lulu & Acqua California Bistros

Lulu California Bistro and Acqua California Bistro are offering 4-course dinners for New Year’s Eve. At Lulu, the 1st seating is from 4:30–6:30 p.m., and 2nd seating is from 7:30–11:00 p.m. with Tony Grandberry and his Big Fun Orchestra performing. At Acqua, seating in the regular dining room starts at 4:30 p.m., and the New Year’s Eve Bash starts at 6:00 p.m. in the River Room, with Broadway star Jason Graae, Musical Theatre University performers, and Acqua’s Swing Band performing.  Make reservations: Lulu | Acqua

Mildly Wild New Year’s Eve Party at The Living Desert

Ring in the New Year at The Living Desert‘s “Roaring 20’s Old Hollywood” Mildly Wild New Year’s Eve Party from 6:00–10:00 p.m. Enjoy tray-passed appetizers, a 3-course plated dinner with 20’s-themed foods, plus animal encounters and live entertainment. Watch the ball drop live from New York at 9:00 with DJ and dancing to follow. Get tickets

New Year’s Eve Country Hoedown at RetroRoom

Come party with bartender Cowboy Steve and karaoke host Jason at RetroRoom’s New Year’s Eve Country Hoedown from 9:00 p.m.–2:00 a.m. Dress in your favorite western attire and sing your favorite country and western songs! No cover charge. Party hats and NYE favors for all reservations. Champagne toast at midnight. Make reservations

Leanna Rodgers at Stacy’s

Countdown to 2020 at Stacy’s Palm Springs from 7:00 p.m.–2:00 a.m. with live music all night by Leanna Rodgers. Free champagne toast at midnight, with cocktail specials all night. More info

COMING SOON

The Center’s Info-A-Go-Go 2020

Looking for just the right place to get plugged in and involved in the local LGBT community in the new year? Save the date for Info-A-Go-Go 2020, on Wednesday January 22 from 3:00–6:00 p.m. at the Riviera Hotel. Meet representatives from LGBTQ clubs and organizations across the community and discover where you want branch out in 2020! More info

Game Show Interactive Dinner Event with Shann Carr

PS Underground presents Game Show, a 4 course interactive dinner experience hosted by comedian extraordinaire Shann Carr on Thursday, January 30 from 7:00–10:00 p.m. Game show is all about audience participation. Win prizes, engage in feel-good competition with other guests and enjoy all the bells and whistles of being a real game show contestant. Shann will make you feel right at home through laughter, wild antics, crazy contests and table games. Get tickets

AsiaSF Coming Soon to Palm Springs

AsiaSF, the storied San Francisco dinner theatre and cabaret featuring the world-famous transgender ladies of AsiaSF, is coming soon to Palm Springs, set to open early in 2020. Stay tuned for more details! Coming soon

THIS WEEKEND

Palm Springs International Film Festival

Just as soon as we wrap up the holidays, the Palm Springs International Film Festival will bring the Hollywood spotlight to town from January 2–13, 2020 with glitz, glamour, and most of all, some great films. The showpiece event, the annual Film Awards Gala, will be held on Thursday, January 2 starting at 5:00 p.m. at the Palm Springs Convention Center. A-List actors and directors being honored include: Jennifer Lopez, Martin Scorsese, Laura Dern, Joaquin Phoenix, Renée Zellweger, Charlize Theron, Antonio Banderas, plus awards going to up-and-comers Zack Gottsagen and Cynthia Erivo. Get Gala tickets

The Palm Springs International Film Festival is one of the largest film festivals in North America, welcoming over 135,000 attendees each year for its lineup of new and celebrated international features and documentaries. Produced by the Palm Springs International Film Society, the Festival offers 12 days of events and film screenings featuring over 200 films from 60+ countries, with screenings at venues in Palm Springs and Cathedral City. The full schedule is available online and passes are available for sale, as well as tickets to individual screenings, now on sale! Get screening tickets

Walk of the Stars Honors Udo Kier

Join the City of Palm Springs and the Chamber of Commerce on Friday, January 3 at 2:00 p.m. when Walk of the Stars honors cult cinema actor Udo Kier, with the 437th star on the World Famous Walk of the Stars Palm Springs. Kier’s film career is legendary having worked with Andy Warhol in the 1974 classic Blood for Dracula. Other classics include My Own Private Idaho, The Invincible, For Love or Money, and many more. Kier played opposite Madonna in her music video, Deeper and Deeper. More info 

Golden Globes Viewing Party at Studio One 11

Yappy Hour at The Riviera

Even your pups can participate in Palm Springs Yappy Hour at The Riviera on Sunday, January 5 from 3:00–5:00 p.m. Parking is free and you don’t need a dog to attend! A suggested $20 donation at the door goes directly to Animal Samaritans and you get wine, appetizers, desserts, fruited waters, dog treats, photo ops with pet costumes, and vinyl DJ music from DJ Greg of Glitter & Sand. More info

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Lady Luck at The Purple Room

The Purple Room Supper Club presents Lady Luck on Saturday, January 4.  From Broadway, the West End, Hollywood and Las Vegas, Lady Luck lights up the stage with star power! These three dynamic divas bring a stunning and magical performance that put a female twist on classics from the Rat Pack era. Join these ladies for an evening of music from the Great American Songbook, Jazz & Broadway. Dinner at 6:00 p.m., Show at 8:00 p.m. Get tickets

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CVRep Luminary Luncheon with Lainie Kazan

Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre presents Lainie Kazan in the next installment in their Luminary Luncheon series on Monday, January 6 from 11:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. in the ballroom at Agua Caliente Resort Casino in Rancho Mirage. After understudying Barbra Streisand in the original Broadway production of Funny Girl, Ms. Kazan soon became the “chanteuse” of her native New York. She has appeared on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway musical version of My Favorite Year with Tim Curry. Her films include Francis Ford Coppola’s One from The Heart; Steven Spielberg’s Harry and the Hendersons and Paul Bartel’s Lust in the Dust. And who can forget Lainie’s sidesplitting performance in the films My Big Fat Greek Wedding I and II, and as Bette Midler’s dominating mother in Beaches? Get tickets