Gay Desert Guide Weekend: July 20–22, 2018 - Gay Desert Guide Palm Springs

This Weekend in #ILoveGayPalmSprings
July 20–22, 2018

Let us be your Gay Desert Guide to the weekend! Start out by getting a jump on the biggest, gayest movie of the summer with our TryOUT Thursday: Mamma Mia 2 Advance Screening and Cocktail Party. This weekend is a great time to enjoy cool activities indoors, like catching a screening at Outfest Los Angeles, which wraps up this weekend, or exploring some cool attractions here in the desert: Escape Room Palm Springs, Desert Rocks Indoor Climbing Gym, Palm Springs Air Museum, or Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, to name a few! We also look ahead to The Center Social and Rainbow Night, and have an exciting Gay Desert Guide "Dip Into Pride" Pool Party announcement! All this plus HOT DEALS and cool Happy Hours!

TryOUT Thursday: Mamma Mia 2 Advance Screening

TONIGHT! Join Gay Desert Guide at D'Place's Mary Pickford 14 for a special screening of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again on Thursday, July 19 at 6:00 p.m. D' Place will have a special $9.00 ticket at the door for admission to the movie in a theater just for friends of Gay Desert Guide. (Click here to watch a clip of Cher singing "Fernando" to Andy Garcia!) The pre-show cocktail party will start at 6:00 p.m. upstairs with passed appetizers and a free glass of wine for each guest. The theater will also provide special prices on drinks & food: $5.00 wine and $5.00 personal pizza. We will then go downstairs at 7:00 p.m. for a private showing of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, the day before it opens in wide release! More info

Chad Hughes, Artist: Open Studio Viewing

Join Chad Hughes, Artist, for an Open Studio Viewing of his work on Saturday, July 21 from 5:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. at the Club House in the Courtyard at 2301 South Skyview Drive. Trained to paint in a representational manner, Hughes went on to explore a more expressionistic style. "I was fascinated with surface quality and transparency and the abstraction that the two afforded the painting…Ultimately I am excited when the painting can be observed from a variety of distances and create completely different statements." says the artist. More info

Outfest Continues This Weekend

Outfest 2018, the Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival, is celebrating its 36th anniversary this year, continuing through Sunday, July 22, 2018. The festival opened last week at the Orpheum Theatre with Kino Lorber’s “Studio 54,” Matt Tyrnauer’s vibrantly nostalgic documentary; and closes with FilmRise’s “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” Desiree Akhavan’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner starring Chloë Grace Moretz. We attended last weekend and want to give a shout out to a great Biopic on Broadway Playwright Terrence McNally (Love! Valor!Compassion). Above, Rita Moreno joined documentarian Jeff Kaufman on the stage at the DGA for Q & A. More info

Back here in Palm Springs, we are just two months away from the Palm Springs Gay & Lesbian film festival, Cinema Diverse! Mark your calendars for September 20–23, 2018 for the 11th Anniversary Edition. The selection committee is screening films this summer and accepting submissions now. More info

Cool Attractions

It's July in the desert, and it's not exactly hiking weather. That doesn't mean you can't get out and about for some fun, cool attractions!

Desert Rocks Indoor Climbing Gym
Experience the exhilaration of indoor rock climbing. Climbing is a fast-growing sport and Desert Rocks is Coachella Valley’s newest indoor event center. This invigorating sport builds tremendous strength and agility while allowing you to make friends or spend time with other climbers. More info

Escape Room Palm Springs
Offering thrilling puzzle adventures that challenge your mind. Your group has 45 minutes to solve a series of puzzles where clues are rewarded as you successfully decipher each puzzle. As the game progresses, you will learn the enthralling story behind each room and ultimately unlock the puzzle which leads to your escape. More info

Palm Springs Air Museum
The Palm Springs Air Museum is home to one of the world's largest collections of flyable WWII aircraft; and our air-conditioned hangars have no ropes to keep you from interacting with the exhibits. Their extensive library and their crew of trained volunteers can provide you details on the aircraft and a sense of the experience of flying them. More info

Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa
Try your hand at the best Blackjack games in Southern California plus Pai Gow, Three Card poker, Mini-Baccarat and more! The casino also features a 20-table, non-smoking Poker Room as well as the Primrose Room for high-limit gaming. More info

Next Week: Center Social at Hotel Zoso

Looking for connection? Join The LGBT Community Center of the Desert on Wednesday, July 25 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at Hotel Zoso (formerly Hard Rock Hotel) for the July monthly Center Social in Palm Springs. More info

Speaking of Hotel Zoso: Gay Desert Guide and Zoso will soon be announcing details for an official Palm Springs Pride 2018 Pool Party on Friday, November 2! As a kickoff to Pride weekend, "Dip Into Pride" will feature a DJ, a swimsuit runway show, and a live performance by a special guest. All proceeds will support Palm Springs Pride. Mark your calendars and watch this space for more info!

Next Week: Rainbow Night At Playoffs Sports Lounge

Join Eric & Ann-Sofie at their fun and gay-friendly RAINBOW NIGHT on the Last Wednesday of Every Month from 7pm-midnight. They roll out the rainbow carpet (literally) for the gays on the last Wednesday of every month. A fun time and a straight shot down Gene Autry to the hippest hangout in DHS. DJ Eric spins great music and there is usually a fun raffle for a great cause. More info

Movie Night at The Saguaro: The Goonies

The Saguaro Palm Springs presents a special screening of 'The Goonies' on Friday, July 20 at 8:00 p.m. This cult hit is an old-fashioned yarn about a band of adventurous kids who take on the might of a property developing company which plans to destroy their home to build a country club. When the children discover an old pirate map in the attic, they follow it into an underground cavern in search of lost treasure but come up against plenty of dangerous obstacles along the way. RSVP for Free

Wang's in the Desert is an award winning, community giving restaurant with a Top Shelf Happy Hour. Enjoy amazing Palm Springs Pan Asian Cuisine for 50% off with this HOT DEAL! For just $12.50, you get a $25 gift certificate to spend on food and drinks. Enjoy the finest and freshest ingredients and dinner served family style because it's meant to be shared! Get Your Deal

Did You Know? — Thai Smile restaurant was created by Yim, Priddey Prayongyam. “Yim” means “smile” in Thai, and Yim always smiled to her customers. So the restaurant was named after her and and her character. Yim’s original recipes bring the special tastes of Thai food tuned to the American palate, or spiced up to a more traditional Thai flavor upon request. Get this HOT DEAL to save 30% by getting a $25 gift certificate for just $17.50! Get Your Deal

WEEKEND PERFORMING ARTS

Andrew Pearson: "…a story, in motion."

This weekend: CVRep and Gay Desert Guide present "this is a blank page. a story, in motion," a dance-theater work by Andrew Pearson, for three performances: Friday and Saturday, July 20 and 21at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, July 22 at 2:00 p.m. This dance-theater work is inspired by such questions as “how would one create a
self-portrait in dance?” Pearson explores themes surrounding partnership, sexuality, identity, comfort zones, and scarcity vs. abundance. He strings together tales from his childhood with musical vignettes and social commentary, and he examines how humans aspire to expand their arenas of comfort while simultaneously seeking fulfillment inside their present situation. Get tickets

Women Behind Bars – Final Two Weekends

The Desert Rose Playhouse, the Coachella Valley’s LGBTQ+ Stage Company, presents Women Behind Bars, a comedy by Tom Eyen, running through Sunday, July 29. In this hilarious satire on B-movies of the 1950's, Mary Eleanor, an innocent duped into crime, lands in the Greenwich Village Woman's House of Detention. The prison is presided over by a massive matron with a taste for sadism and female flesh. Our heroine, now Caged in the Big House, learns about life The Hard Way. Check out our review by Stephen Radosh and Get tickets

3rd Annual Taste of Summer Rancho Mirage

The Rancho Mirage Restaurant Association, the Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce and the City of Rancho Mirage have teamed up once again to kick off the 3rd Annual Taste of Summer Rancho Mirage, an event whereby participating Rancho Mirage restaurants and resorts have created cool summer specials. Taste of Summer 2018 runs now through Sunday August 19. The purchase of a $10.00 Taste of Summer wristband allows patrons to take advantage of $4.00 cocktails, appetizers and/or desserts offered by participating restaurants and resorts. All proceeds from wristbands will go to Valley charities. More info

RetroRoom Lounge
At RetroRoom Lounge it's all about having fun! If you’re looking for a welcoming, lively, gay bar atmosphere then look no further. And Happy Hour is available every day until 7:00 pm! Come for the karaoke and happy hour, but stay for the smooth drinks, friendly service and talented performers who make this cozy lounge come alive every night. Get Happy at RetroRoom

Tool Shed
As your friendly neighborhood Levi/Leather Cruise Bar, Tool Shed offers Happy Hour daily until 8:00 p.m. with all well drinks fro $3.75. You can can also enjoy Happy Hour prices all night if you Bare your chest on Bear Chest Tuesdays, wear your leather on Leather & Gear Wednesdays, Underwear on Thursdays, or Construction Gear on Fridays! Get Happy at Tool Shed

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