This long holiday weekend, we celebrate the 4th of July with lots of fireworks, random roller skating and music. Let KGAY 106.5 be the soundtrack to your weekend – or maybe 103.1 MeTV FM is more your style with special music salutes to the red, white and blue. See you at the fireworks!
Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide on KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs
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All American Fourth of July
The City of Palm Springs continues their series of FREE family-friendly festivities throughout the long holiday weekend with their All American Fourth of July. It all culminates with the City’s magnificent “All American Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular” at Palm Springs Stadium on Tuesday, July 4 starting at 9:15 pm. Before that, a Movie Night at Ruth Hardy Park on Monday at 7:30 pm (showing A League of Their Own). Then on Tuesday, July 4 there’s Palm Springs Power Baseball All-Stars Summer Collegiate Game at 6 pm at Palm Springs Stadium, a Led Zepagain Tribute Band concert at 7:30 pm at Sunrise Park, and a pool party at Palm Springs Swim Center from 3 pm on, leading up to the fireworks show, which you can watch from the pool! More info
Agua Caliente Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular
Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa Rancho Mirage and the City of Rancho Mirage present a Fourth of July Independence Day Celebration Fireworks Spectacular on Tuesday, July 4 from 7–9:30 pm. The event is free and the parking lot opens at 3 pm with only 700 first-come, first-served spaces available. A drive-in experience with live music starts at 7 pm with the fireworks show taking place from approximately 9–9:25 pm. More info
Palm Desert Independence Day Celebration
The City of Palm Desert presents a concert and fireworks show at Civic Center Park on Tuesday, July 4 from 7:30–9:30 pm. The festive celebration will feature a variety of food trucks and vendors on hand with tasty treats and cool beverages. Attendees may also bring picnic dinners. More info
Sizzlin’ Summer Sale 2023
Join Gay Desert Guide, KGAY 106.5 & 103.1 MeTV fm for our 2nd Annual Sizzlin’ Summer “Sidewalk Sale” at the Hilton Palm Springs on Friday, July 7 (by invitation only) & Saturday, July 8 from 10 am–5 pm. This is your chance to find spectacular sales from our Featured LGBTQ+ friendly stores. Come enjoy great music, wine & cocktails (no host bar), and fun people as you shop for the best deals in town. KGAY’s John Taylor appears Saturday 10 am-12 noon to get the party started! More info
Recap: Season 8 RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Episode 9
Gay Desert Guide Drag Correspondent Dante Noto has your latest recap for RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 8, Episode 9: Carson Kressley, This is Your Gay Life, and it’s time for a good old-fashioned roast of–you guessed it!–Carson Kressley. The queens are reminded that “too nice = death” and “this is a roast, not a sauté, so hit hard!” Find out some of the zingers the queens lobbed at Carson, which of the queens came out on top after the “Snow Bunny” themed runway, and who was left standing in the top three as we near the end of the season. Read Dante’s full recap of Episode 9 [here].
Idyllwild Arts Jazz in the Pines
Idyllwild Arts Academy presents the 29th year of its popular annual fundraiser, Jazz In The Pines, from July 3–15 on campus as well as select venues with an exciting lineup of live performances and workshops. This year’s Jazz In The Pines is curated once again by New York Times-featured jazz vocalist Rose Colella, who has performed at the festival for many years. Headliners include Grammy Award-Winning trumpeter John Daversa & Marshall Hawkins’ Seahawk MOJO, along with Euphoria Brass Band, Joshua White, Sherry Williams, Yve Evans, Rose Colella, Tom Hynes, Dan St. Marseille, Bob Boss, Frank Fontaine, Tina Raymond & The Idyllwild Arts All-Star Student Jazz Combo. Get tickets
First Wednesday ARTWALK
On the first Wednesday of every month, galleries in the Backstreet Art District open their doors for ARTWALK [More info]. This evening of art community, refreshments and fun goes from 5–7 pm, and this Wednesday, July 5, you can see The Stephen Baumbach Gallery’s current show, ‘Creative Sizzle,’ and enjoy a glass of wine and light refreshments. ‘Creative Sizzle’ features 6 gay artists from the Coachella Valley, including: Tim Rasmussen, Dennis Meloy, Michael Roman, Roberto Amaral, Craig Mann, and Ernesto Ramirez. More info
OutBook Club July Meeting
The Palm Springs Cultural Center and the Palm Springs Public Library present the OutBook Book Club on the first Wednesday of the month from 6:30–8:30 pm (with the first half hour being a social mixer) in the upstairs VIP room at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Selections are chosen by group members and highlight a mix of new LGBTQ+ releases and influential classics. The selection for the Wednesday, July 5 meeting is Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart. More info
Jazz & Martinis with Leanna & Jazz Trio
Summer Sizzles with Jazz & Martinis, live jazz nights every Thursday from 6–8 pm at V Wine Lounge & Martini Bar, a LGBTQ owned venue in downtown Palm Springs. Vocal sensation Leanna is backed by a trio of jazz musicians playing all your favorites in jazz, Latin jazz, Bossa Nova, and even pop tunes transformed into jazz arrangements, all in an intimate, mid-century modern venue with specialty martinis, craft cocktails, and dining. More info
Boyz Night Out
On Friday, July 7—and every Friday night!— Zoso Fun presents Boyz Night Out at Hotel Zoso from 4–8 pm. This legendary pool party and happy hour is hosted by Snatch and features music from K-Gay’s own multi award-winning deejay Vincente Corrales as DJ Galaxy! Come and enjoy go-go boys, awesome drink specials, pop up drag events, PS Flaggers and more, and kick off the weekend! More info
Fellini Retrospective: Fellini’s Casanova
Thanks to popular demand, the Palm Springs Cultural Center is extending its Fellini Retrospective series through the end of 2023, continuing on the first Friday of every month. The series is part of the Fellini 100 Tour, an international celebration of Fellini’s centennial. Experience why Fellini’s name is synonymous with the international art of cinema! On Friday, July 7 at 7 pm, the featured film will be Nights of Cabiria (1957), in which the magnificent Giulietta Masina plays an eternally optimistic Rome streetwalker with a heart of gold and a head of cotton candy in her husband’s Oscar-winning masterpiece. This funny, poignant classic inspired the musical “Sweet Charity” and is a must-see for Fellini fans. Get tickets
Visitor Map & Guide Summer Edition
The Summer 2023 edition of our Gay Desert Guide Visitor Map & Guide (great for locals too) is available now around town and online! 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, Attractions, Gay Resorts with passes, Dispensaries and other services. You can also view it online, and download the PDF [here].
THIS WEEKEND
The Rocket Man Show
The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa Rancho Mirage presents The Rocket Man Show on Saturday, July 8 at 8 pm. Scotsman Rus Anderson served as Elton John’s official 70’s body double as featured in the ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ world tour. Chosen by the man himself, Rus’ performance pilots a night of greatest hits, gorgeous costumes and fierce piano playing. It’s one small step for man…one giant leap for Elton John fans. Get tickets
Broadway to the BIG SCREEN – Sweeney Todd
Every Saturday this summer, the Palm Springs Cultural Center presents the great musicals that made it from Broadway to the BIG SCREEN (and sometimes back again). On Saturday, July 8 at 4 pm, it’s the famously mad musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. This sad, but fiendish tale features a barber who returns from wrongful imprisonment to 1840s London, bent on revenge for the rape and death of his wife, and resumes his trade while forming a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett. Meat Pies anyone? MeTV 103.1 fm is a proud media sponsor of the Broadway to the BIG SCREEN Film Series! Get tickets
Sing Along With Us – Meet Me in St. Louis
The Palm Springs Cultural Center presents classic movie musicals in the Sing Along With Us Film Series all summer long, on the largest screen in the valley at the Historic Camelot Theatre. The Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus will lead the singing. On Sunday, July 9 at 3 pm, come sing along to Meet Me in St. Louis – The 1944 classic starring Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, and Leon Ames. Divided into a series of seasonal vignettes, starting with Summer 1903, it relates the story of a year in the life of the Smith family in St. Louis leading up to the opening of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (more commonly referred to as the World’s Fair) in the spring of 1904. Gay Desert Guide and KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs are proud media sponsors of the Sing Along With Us This Summer Film Series! Get tickets
🙌 You can enter to win tickets to Sing Along With Us on the KGAY Contest Page! 🙌
LOOKING AHEAD
OutFest Starts Next Week
OutFest Los Angeles is the largest LGBTQ+ film festival in the world and the 41st Annual Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival is set to take place July 13–23 at various locations around Los Angeles. Tickets and Passes for OutFest 2023 are on sale now. The festival will open with Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, directed by Aitch Alberto, and the 11-day event will close with Chasing Chasing Amy, directed by Sav Rodgers. The Opening Night Gala will screen at the Orpheum Theatre, with the Closing Night Gala screening at The Montalbán Theatre. More info
CVRep Announces 2023-2024 Season
Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre (CVRep) has announced their 2023-2024 season, featuring five sensational productions new to CVRep, World and West Coast premieres, and multi-Tony® Award winning shows. The season includes the West Coast premiere of a daring new vision of The Fantasticks featuring two young gay men (November 1–12); the World Premiere of Summer Session with the Bones Brigade, the first play developed through CVRep’s Origins: New Works Program (December 6–17); the haunting 1998 version of Cabaret (January 24–February 4); a comedy blast direct from Broadway – Potus: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive (February 28–March 10); and the ever-wonderful, always marvelous Nice Work If You Can Get It by George and Ira Gershwin (April 10–21). Subscribers can renew their season tickets starting Saturday, July 1, and new subscriptions will open August 1. Learn more
Dezart Performs Announces 16th Season
Dezart Performs has announced the lineup for their 16th year of theatre and it features a Pulitzer Finalist, Drama Critics Circle Award Winner, and a first ever Broadway play written by a Native American. The season will consist of The Thanksgiving Play (November 3–12), What the Constitution Means to Me (January 19–28), A Case For the Existence of God (March 1–10), and Mr Parker (April 12–21). Existing season subscribers can secure their subscription for the new season starting Wednesday, July 5, and new subscribers can sign up beginning July 25. Single show tickets will go on sale September 12. Read on for a synopsis of each play: More info
Taste of Summer Rancho Mirage
Wristbands are available now for Taste of Summer Rancho Mirage 2023. For just $10, your event wristband opens up a world of exclusive summer specials at participating Rancho Mirage restaurants so you can savor the best of the Rancho Mirage culinary scene from July 17–August 13. See our event listing for a link to participating restaurants and their exclusive Taste of Summer offers. Wristbands can be picked up at a variety of non-profits (see the full list here). More info
Click below to sign up for our Gay Desert Guide Oasis Insiders Newsletter to get our Weekly Blog, Top 3 Events for the weekend, Hot Deals and Cool Events all delivered to your inbox every Friday!
On the Air: KGAY 106.5
Vacaya Resort Sweepstakes
You can WIN 7 nights at an all-inclusive resort vacation for 2 during VACAYA’s Mexico Resort Takeover! The complimentary room includes: Beautiful accommodations for 7 nights at Hilton Vallarta Riviera, unlimited standard drinks for length of stay, delicious food in 7 restaurants, including a bountiful buffet open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus a fitness center, pool and beach volleyball, kayaking & snorkeling on site, yoga classes, and of course, all the VACAYA signature activities, parties, and entertainment! SIGN UP TO WIN
Win Summer Sing Along Tickets
Musicals are back on the big screen this summer at the Palm Springs Cultural Center and you can WIN tickets from KGAY 106.5 & Gay Desert Guide! Your favorite Broadway musicals that made it on the big screen are on the biggest screen in the valley (with hot buttered popcorn and your favorite beverage) on Sundays at 3 pm, with the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus leading the Sing Along. More information on the series here and you can enter to win tickets on the KGAY Contest Page!
Chill Out On Us at McDonald’s
KGAY 106.5 has your chance to WIN a $25 ARCH Card so you can sip into summer! Now, try McDonald’s refreshing, new Frozen Hawaiian Fruit Punch, or a Frozen Fanta Blue Raspberry. Or stay cool with your favorite Smoothie or Frappé today. Perfect for chilling out. At participating McDonald’s. Enter to win on the KGAY Contest Page!
The KGAY 106.5 Retro Lunch airs Monday through Friday at noon, with DJ Galaxy (Vincent Corrales) and DJ Eric Ornelas playing an hour of their high-energy throwback mixes. On Sundays, we put all five hours together for the Retro Sunday Brunch from 11 am–4 pm. And speaking of which, DJ Galaxy is spinning Friday’s at Boyz Night Out at Hotel Zoso. Perfect party music! Listen Online
The KGAY Sunday Tea Dance with DJ Modgirl airs every Sunday from 4–6 pm (right after the Retro Brunch). DJ Modgirl (AKA Kellee McQuinn) is now hanging out at The Rowan Window Bar each Thursday from 7–10 pm and Friday from 4–7 pm. She is also spinning your faves by the pool at The Paloma Resort on Saturday, July 29 from 12–4 pm! Join her for a cocktail and listen to some great beats! Listen online
On the Air: 103.1 MeTV fm
Ready for a musical road trip? 103.1 MeTV fm is celebrating songs that mention cities in America in either the title or the lyrics with Songs Across America through this long holiday weekend. 103.1 MeTV fm is KGAY’s sister station, featuring a unique mix of timeless and memorable music incorporating a wide variety of classic hits, deep tracks and softer sounds spanning several decades of popular music, including the ‘60s and ‘70s with a touch of the ‘50s and ‘80s. Listen online
- Zoso Fun Presents Boyz Night Out
Fri. Jul 7 from 4–8 pm (and every Friday ongoing) at Hotel Zoso - OutFest LA LGBTQ+ Film Fest 2023
Jul 13–23 at various locations around Los Angeles - Gay Wine Weekend
Jul 14–16 in Sonoma Wine Country - Artful Event – Mid-Summer Dance Party
Sat. Jul 15 from 8–11 pm, Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture & Design Center - Out on the Mountain 2023
Fri. Aug 18 from 6 pm–12 am at Six Flags Magic Mountain - Odesza -The Last Goodbye Tour
Wed. Sep 20 at 6:30 pm at Acrisure Arena - Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend
Sep 20–24 at Margaritaville Resort
Welcome New Partners!
Saloniste, the Art of Hair has been carefully conceived to reflect a passion for great hair, beauty, and art. Their nod for the time is showcased with minimalist, yet functional design, spacious interior, and inspirational surroundings – amplified by their selection of Davines hair products that are sustainable and gentle to the hair as they are to our environment. Learn more
At Modern Elements created by Rick Sword Designs their goal with clients starts with opening your eyes to the dynamics of modern design. Rick’s creative approach over the past 20 years stems from years in the furniture and interior design business, building trusted relationships with his clients while gaining invaluable experience each project at a time. Located in the uptown design district in Palm Springs, the Modern Elements design staff will bring the world of contemporary and modern furniture into your living space. Learn more
- Restaurant News Bites: A New Owner for Rio Azul; Summer Specials; and More!
- Splash House Reveals Artist Lineups for August 2023 Double Weekenders
- New Valley-Based LGBTQ+ Ride Share App Promises Discrimination-Free Transportation
- ‘Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed’ – Making a Case for Rock Hudson as a Closeted Gay Hero
- Palm Springs International ShortFest Top Prizes Go to ‘The Old Young Crew,’ ‘Way Better,’ ‘Will You Look At Me’
Trevor Wayne Pop Art mines familiar references, drawing on totems of consumerism and mainstream entertainment such as Barbie dolls, reality television, and classic Hollywood cinema. Check out his new location at 901 North Palm Canyon Drive (in the former Christopher Kennedy space). In addition to paintings and prints, you can get Trevor Wayne’s art on greeting cards, mugs, hats, coasters, puzzles and more. As the artist who created the official poster for Palm Springs Pride 2023 (pictured here), you can get an exclusive signed copy at his store! With our HOT DEAL you can get $20 worth of gift cards at Trevor Wayne Gallery for only $12.50! Get Your Deal
We also have Hot Deals at Kitchen 86, Grand Central, AMP Sports Lounge, Coachella Valley Coffee Co., Palm Springs Fine Men’s Salon, Papa Dan’s Pizza and Pasta, Il Giardino, Zin American Bistro, Destination PSP, V Wine Lounge & Martini Bar, Desert Mischief, Jolene’s Bar & Lounge, Rick’s Restaurant, Willie’s Modern Fare, Lulu California Bistro and more! See All Deals
Find out what’s happening on any given day by browsing our Gay Desert Guide Online Event Listing Calendar, and for the big picture, take a look at major upcoming events in our 2023 Coachella Valley Calendar of Events.
Listen to KGAY 106.5 over the air, stream it [here], or listen on TuneIn Radio with Alexa or Siri by saying “Play K-GAY 1065 from Tune In Radio.” John Taylor is on mornings 6–10 am and program director Chris Shebel is on afternoons. Our Retro Lunch with DJ Galaxy and DJ Eric Ornelas is now heard on Sundays as the Retro Lunch & Sunday Brunch from 11 am–4 pm, followed by DJ Modgirl spinning the KGAY Sunday Tea Dance from 4–6 pm.
Don’t miss “This Way Out,” Sundays at 6:30 a.m. on KGAY 106.5. “This Way Out” is the only internationally distributed weekly LGBTQ radio program, currently airing on some 200 local community radio stations around the world. Listen to the latest episode as a podcast on our streaming page (click “Podcasts” in the upper right hand corner)