Let us be your Gay Desert Guide to the weekend in #ILoveGayPalmSprings!
February 1–3, 2019
It’s Super Bowl weekend, and we have viewing parties at Streetbar, Chill Bar, and Agua Caliente! This weekend is also a great opportunity to enjoy The Rancho Mirage Food and Wine Festival, Craft Cocktail Week, or some great local theatre like White, Looped, or Guys and Dolls. Friday is the Celebration of Life for Cathedral City Mayor Greg Pettis. Next weekend has so much going on that we have a quick run-down for you now: RENT, International Bear Convergence, The Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards , Gay Pilots, and Brew at the Zoo, all on the same weekend. Make those tough choices and plan ahead! We also have a special Club Pilates TryOUT Tuesday coming up, plus Happy Hours, Hot Deals, and Top Articles of the week!
Super Bowl Time!
The “Big Game” is this Sunday, February 3, with kick-off at 3:30 p.m. and we’ve got some great options for you to get out and celebrate!
Streetbar is hosting a Super Bowl party featuring “Shirley’s Famous Kick Ass Chili” (secret recipe). More info
At Chill Bar, The Palm Springs Rodeo is joining with the Stingers, a leading team in the Palm Springs Softball League to present the Cowboy Super Bowl Chili Cook Off. More info
At Agua Caliente Casino Resort & Spa you can join the Big Game Viewing party in three different venues: 360 Sports, The Show concert theatre, and the Brand New North Bar. Featuring prizes and food/drink specials. More info
Rancho Mirage Food & Wine Fest
The Rancho Mirage Wine and Food Festival continues through Saturday, Feb 2 at Rancho Mirage Community Park; it’s about people coming together to celebrate a shared passion; a love for great wine and mouth-watering gourmet food. Your all inclusive ticket includes an elegant crystal souvenir wine glass, limitless tastes of award winning wines, and a dizzying variety of gourmet appetizers, prepared by Top Chefs of the Desert. 100% of silent auction proceeds goes to the Desert AIDS Project. Get tickets
Craft Cocktail Week Continues – Championship Wed Jan 30
The 3rd Annual Palm Craft Cocktail Week also runs through Saturday, February 2. Bars and restaurants valley-wide are doing special cocktails and cocktail menus and donating a portion of the proceeds to the Desert AIDS Project and the LGBT Community Center of the Desert’s Food Bank. More info.
Participating purveyors and their exciting creations include:
Rio Azul, offering the “Mango Margarita”
Bongo Johnny’s, offering the “Red Dress Margarita”
Trio, offering the “Palms Figs”
Lulu California Bistro, offering “Lulu’s Winter Warmer”
Eight4Nine, offering the “Eight4Nine”
The Purple Room, offering the “Old Blue Eyes”
…and more!
Celebration of Life for Mayor Greg Pettis
On Friday, February 1 at 10:00 a.m. the public Celebration of Life Ceremony for Cathedral City Mayor Greg Pettis will take place at Big League Dreams Sports Park. The ceremony, emceed by KESQ Meteorologist Patrick Evans, features dignitaries from our federal, state, county and local representatives, family members of Mayor Pettis, city staff, friends, and colleagues, remembering the city’s longest-serving councilmember and first openly gay public servant. The public is invited to gather together, share the memories, and pay tribute to his lasting legacy. A reception will follow the ceremony onsite. Shuttle service available. More info
TryOUT Tuesday at Club Pilates Palm Springs
Looking ahead to next week, Gay Desert Guide is co-hosting an exciting opportunity for you to try a FREE 50-minute intro Pilates class at Club Pilates Palm Springs on Tuesday, February 5 from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Come learn how a consistent Pilates practice can offer benefits to everybody––Whether you’re an experienced athlete looking to step up your training or you’re simply looking to start a new fitness routine, Pilates creates a strong foundation of balance, strength, mobility and flexibility. Registration includes a $5 gift certificate for Jus Chillin’ frozen treats! – Space is limited, call Club Pilates at 760-537-0457 to reserve your spot today. More info
Theatre This Weekend
CVRep presents White, by James Ijames, through February 17 at CVRep at The Atrium in Rancho Mirage. Gus is an artist. Vanessa is an actress. Gus wants to be presented in a major exhibition for artists of color, so he hires Vanessa to perform as Balkonaé Townsend, a brash and political artist that will fit the museum’s desire for “new voices.” Everything is great, until Balkonaé takes over and Gus has to deal with the mess he’s made. This play spins out of control as it explores issues of race, gender, sexuality, and art. Get tickets
Our theatre reviewer Stephen Radosh describes White as “a dark comedy which is both laugh-out-loud funny and has much to say about the act of artistic creation, the many forms that racism and prejudice can take, as well as questions of identity and how we perceive ourselves…” Read the full review here.
The Desert Rose Playhouse presents Looped, by Matthew Lombardo,through February 10 and starring Judith Chapman as Tallulah Bankhead. During the Summer of 1965, an inebriated Bankhead entered a Los Angeles recording studio in an effort to re-record (or “loop”) a few lines of dialogue from her final film Die! Die! My Darling. Though Bankhead’s outsized personality dominates the session, this dramatic comedy involves her battle of wills with film editor Danny Miller, a conservative man who guards his own deep secret. Get tickets
Palm Canyon Theatre presents Guys and Dolls through February 12. Set in Depression-era Times Square, Guys and Dolls tells the overlapping stories of high-roller Sky Masterson, who falls in love with mission worker Sarah Brown, and lovable rapscallion Nathan Detroit, engaged for 14 years to Miss Adelaide, a headliner at the Hot Box Club. Nathan runs a famous floating crap game, and an ongoing plot line involves his quest for a safe place for the game as Adelaide continues her quest to convince him to marry her. Meanwhile, Sarah, mistakenly believing that Sky set up an illegal game at the mission, tries to fight her affection for the charismatic crapshooter. Get tickets
DJ Galaxy joins the KGAY lineup
Since K-Gay Radio debuted a month ago, the feedback has been amazingly enthusiastic, and new elements are being added all the time! You won’t want to miss the new Retro Mix Show by DJ Galaxy coming soon! Details on the John Taylor morning show next week. K-GAY 106.5
Next Weekend is BIG
The following events are a week away but you’re going to want a heads-up NOW to make your plans!
RENT: 20th Anniversary Tour
Did you catch the production of RENT Live on TV last Sunday? If so, you might be a “RENT-head” and you won’t want to miss The McCallum Theatre presenting RENT’s 20th Anniversary Tour from Friday, February 8 through Sunday, February 10. This original rock musical by little-known composer Jonathan Larson opened on Broadway in 1996 and forever changed the landscape of American theatre. Get tickets
International Bear Convergence 2019
The International Bear Convergence (IBC) is the premier event for Bears and Admirers, coming Thursday, February 7 through Monday, February 11 to Hotel Zoso. The four-day event will come to life with DJs, live entertainment and thousands of bears from around the globe who come to enjoy themed pool parties, dance events, fun, frolic, and fur! Get tickets
25th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards – Feb 9
The Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards will be held at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Saturday, February 9, attended by more than 2,000 of the Coachella Valley’s most fashionable humanitarians, with red carpet arrivals and an after-party so fabulous they become events unto themselves. This year marks the 25th year for Desert AIDS Project’s largest fundraising event, which is named for one of D.A.P.’s earliest financial supporters, the designer Steve Chase. Get tickets
Gay Pilots Come to Town
The Winter Warm-Up is the National Gay Pilots Association’s flagship West Coast event, which is held Thursday, February 7 through Sunday, February 10 and is by far their largest yearly gathering. Includes special presentations, dinner banquet, and industry expo. More info
Brew at the Zoo
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens presents Brew at the Zoo on Saturday, February 9 from 6:30–9:30 p.m. with a selection of tastings from some of the finest specialty brews around. In addition to beer, enjoy premium wines, non-alcoholic beverages and 10+ food trucks. The evening also includes entertainment with several live music stages throughout the grounds. The African section of the park will be open for guests to explore and see animals such as zebras, cheetahs, and oryx. Get Tickets
Modernism Week is Feb 14–24
The ultimate celebration of midcentury architecture, design, and culture is Modernism Week and it’s almost here! The mission of Modernism Week is to celebrate and foster appreciation of midcentury architecture and design, as well as contemporary thinking in these fields, by encouraging education, preservation and sustainable modern living as represented in Palm Springs. Follow our link for more information on the multitude of events that make up Modernism Week: More info
Desert X Opens Feb 9
The once-every-two-years art exhibition, Desert X, is back and features an expanded footprint this year. There will be three hub locations across the valley: Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Indio, with exhibits stretching from Palm Springs to the Salton Sea. Also featuring multiple programs, performances, and a three-day “unsymposium.” Exhibition runs February 9–April 21. More info
This week, both of our featured Happy Hours are also participants in Craft Cocktail Week, which runs through Saturday, Feb 2. Remember, a portion of the proceeds are donated to The Community Food Bank @The Center and the Desert AIDS Project Food Depot!
Trio Restaurant features an energetic, desert-casual atmosphere with great American food at a reasonable price, as well as a Happy Hour Daily from 11:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. ($3 drinks and $5 bar bites). Locals love to hang out, eat, drink, and have fun at Trio! Try their “Palm Fig” creation for Cocktail Week! Get Happy at Trio
Rio Azul Mexican Bar & Grill is your choice for traditional Mexican cuisine handcrafted with the best ingredients and served in a vibrant space to enhance your experience! Happy Hour is Mon–Fri 4:00–7:00 p.m and Fri–Sun 2:00–6:00 p.m. Order their amazing tableside guacamole appetizer, and try their Cocktail week offering, the “Mango Margarita!” Get Happy at Rio Azul
How about dinner and a movie in Cathedral City? We’ve got hot deals for a cool night out!
Bontá Restaurant and Bar features cuisine that combines Argentinean and German Austrian heritage, with some Italian flavor thrown in as well. Enjoy this unique dining experience for 40% off with this HOT DEAL: Get a $25 gift certificate to Bontá for just $15! Get Your Deal
At Mary Pickford Theatre – D’Place Entertainment, you can enjoy a stylish, first-run luxury movie theater with reclining seats and bonuses like the D-Box Motion Chair Experience, and fresh house made caramel, cheese, and kettle popcorn, plus creamy house-made ice cream! Enjoy all these treats for less when you get $15 in Entertainment Dollars redeemable toward admission or refreshments for just $10!Get Your Deal
The 420 Lounge is Southern California’s BEST completely legal cannabis smoking lounge located in Palm Springs on North Palm Canyon Drive. Come in, sit down, relax and enjoy! Learn More
