This Weekend in #ILoveGayPalmSprings
June 8–10, 2018
Let us be your Gay Desert Guide to the weekend! Hot enough for ya? Splash House is here to cool you off and not a moment too soon! Enjoy the AC of your favorite restaurant or discover a new one as Restaurant Week continues; LA and Sacramento host their respective Pride Celebrations this weekend, and back here in the desert we have Cold Noodles, a Tupperware Party, Happy Hours, Hot Deals, and more!
Splash House is Here!
The epitome of poolside fun in the sun, Splash House kicks off the summer pool party season with Palm Springs style, Friday, June 8–Sunday, June 10 at three different venues: The Renaissance, Riviera, and Saguaro Hotels, as well as an after-hours party at the Palm Springs Air Museum. With forecast highs in the 100's and lows in the 70's, you'll want to get wet during the day and stay out late at night! Each of the three hotels will have its own distinctive soundtrack, and you can visit all three by just hopping on the shuttle, included with your ticket! Check out our 5 Fashion Accessories You Need to Survive Splash House, We also hope you're ready to get wet & wild with Gay Desert Guide team member Denise Giram as she takes over our Instagram channel once again to bring you live Splash House coverage! Share your photos with us by using #ILoveGayPalmSprings to be featured on our channel. Get tickets
Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week Continues
Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week is a mega-week (17 days, really!) of deals at restaurants throughout the Coachella Valley. This is a tremendous opportunity to experience your favorites as well as discover something new! Participating restaurants offer special menus at set prices with lunches available for $15, $20 or $25 and dinners for $29, $39 or $49. For a chance to win an overnight stay at Hotel Paseo, take a picture of your food and post to social media with the hashtag #dineGPS (and don't forget to add our hashtag #ILoveGayPalmSprings). Check our link for a list of participating restaurants. More info
LA Pride Parade and Festival
Come together in the spirit of unity and togetherness this Saturday & Sunday, June 9–10 for the LA Pride Parade and Festival 2018, taking place in the City of West Hollywood. It promises to be an amazing weekend of self-expression, community, good times, and great memories. Featured performers on the festival stage this weekend include Kehlani and Tove Lo. More info.
For a lineup of other California pride festivals over the next 30 days, including Laguna Beach, Venice, Orange County, San Francisco, and Sacramento (also Sunday, June 10), visit our Pride Events page! And this just in: We'll be a Orange County Pride on Saturday, June 23rd. Parade 10:30am – 12:30pm
Festival 12pm – 10pm
Cold Noodles and the Art of Slurping
Join Wabi Sabi Japan Living on Saturday, June 9th from 4:00–6:00 p.m. to learn about cold noodles during the summer and the Art of Slurping! Cold noodles are a refreshing summer meal in Japan. At this complimentary event, you will explore 3 different cold noodles, Kale Ramen, Soba, and Soumen, with 3 dipping sauces. You will also learn the “Art of Slurping,” or rather the importance of slurping noodles and why. More info
Tupperware in the Desert Benefiting The LGBT Center w/Kay Sedia
On Sunday, June 10 from 6:00–10:00 p.m., join Eight4Nine, Restaurant & Lounge, The LGBT Community Center of the Desert, The Fabulous Kay Sedia and special guest Ethylina Canne for a night of Comedy, Food and Tupperware! The evening's proceeds will benefit The LGBT Community Center of the Desert. Bring a friend or 2 and help spread the word, because as Kay says: "Ju all need TUPPERWARE… Jes ju do!!" More info
Located in the fashionable Uptown Design District of Palm Springs, EIGHT4NINE restaurant and lounge offers a welcoming and friendly atmosphere whether you come for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Weekend Brunch, or Happy Hour! With this HOT DEAL you get a $25 Gift Certificate for only $15. Enjoy a delicious meal at one of Palm Spring's favorite restaurants for 40% off! Get Your Deal
The desert is heating up, and this HOT DEAL at Oscar's Cafe & Bar is positively searing: What is better than getting a $25 Gift Certificate for only $10! This is the best deal in town. Now is the time to enjoy Oscar's legendary Sunday Tea Dance, Casual Bar, or World Class Female and Celebrity Impersonators on Saturdays. Get Your Deal
VillageFest Summer Hours: 7–10 p.m.
As the days heat up and May turns to June, Palm Springs' famous and festive street fair, VillageFest, moves into their summer hours: As of the first of June, VillageFest starts at 7:00 p.m., closing at 10:00 p.m. More info
Desert Rose Playhouse Announces 2018-2019 Season
The Desert Rose Playhouse, the Coachella Valley’s live stage LGBTQ+ stage company located in Rancho Mirage, California, has annoucned the line-up of productions for its 2018-2019 Seventh Season of Shows:
The Sugar Witch, by Nathan Sanders – Oct. 5–Oct. 28, 2018
Christmas w/the Crawfords, by Richard Winchester, Mark Sargent – Nov. 30–Dec. 23, 2018
Looped, by Matthew Lombardo – Jan. 18–Feb. 10, 2019
The View Upstairs, by Max Vernon – Mar. 8–31, 2019
Pageant! by Albert Evans, Bill Russell, and Frank Kelly – Apr. 19–May 12, 2019
Season Tickets are on sale now. Patrons will save 20% off single ticket prices by purchasing Season Tickets. That’s one production for free! More info
When our city (Palm Springs) started to be inhabited by more than our native population, water was the primary consideration of where to settle. According to Wikipedia, “While the Cahuilla Indians often spent the summers in Indian Canyons where water was plentiful, the current site of Spa Resort Casino in downtown was often used during winter due to its natural hot springs.
That site will again reveal the hot springs to the public as the corner of Indian Canyon and Tahquitz was the scene of a groundbreaking in May. The former hotel site will now house the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum and the Spa.
It’s just another chapter in the evolution of our city and the Coachella Valley that we’re proud to be a part of. The LGBTQ communities who have settled here for a variety of reasons call this home most of the year. But summer can be a challenge. (You may be fanning yourself with our map and calendar rather than be reading it!)
Summer offers great opportunities to take advantage of specials on hotels, rentals or resorts. It's Restaurant Week to boot. Fewer people can mean a different experience, and many come in the hot summer months to find their zen.
Our Map & Calendar lists the top Featured listings in Dine & Sip, Nightlife, Shopping and Attractions/Entertainment/Services. But there are hundreds more places just waiting to be discovered!
This week, we have the scoop on a few items of interest. The "Walk on the Warm Side" featuring our Gay Resorts was a success! But last minute, Century Inn changed hands and is no longer a clothing-optional resort. Is it a trend that our gay resorts are becoming an anachronism or will we see others take its place? The resorts that remain report strong business and those who toured them were duly impressed by their operations and architecture.
Did you get a Gay Desert Guide wristband at Walk on the Warm Side? Hang on to it! We're starting a new locals only discount program this month!
We had a wrap up lunch for the committee who organizes the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast. Thanks to individual and company sponsorships, 260+ students were able to attend this year. However, none came from Palm Springs High School. Why?
The Roost is getting closer and closer to opening. We saw interior photos and are planning a TryOUT Tuesday there shortly after opening.
We welcome new advertisers to Gay Desert Guide this week: The General Air Conditioning & Plumbing is also a new member of the Desert Business Association, our LGBT chamber. Co-Work at the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, where you can office for an hour or a month. (Congratulations are in order to Jenny McLean, the new board chair for the chamber). And Generations West Construction, the trusted choice for new construction, remodels, renovations, additions and more!
Finally, please support the Stonewall Humanitarian Awards Gala at the Mary Pickford at the end of the month. The Transgender Community Coalition is sponsoring and your attendance goes to fund their ongoing programs.
Happy Pride Month to you. Do something good today that raises our visibilty and gives back to our community!
Brad Fuhr, Gay Desert Guide
Looking for somewhere awesome to unwind that’s got something fun going on every day of the week? Chill Bar on Arenas is just that! From karaoke to drag, bingo to strippers, and from bears to dance parties, visitors and locals alike love Chill bar because they treat everyone like family! With a happy hour that runs from opening to 7 PM the fun never stops. More info
Have you experienced Happy Hour at the RetroRoom Lounge in Palm Springs yet? It’s the type of place that will fill your heart with nostalgia and take you back to when “cool” was created by people like Frank Sinatra and The Rat Pack. They feature karaoke nightly and the Diva and Friends Drag Show every Saturday. Escape the crowds at Arenas and head over to RetroRoom. Happy Hour Nightly! More info
Top Five Bookmarks of the Week on GayDesertGuide.LGBT
Bookmarks are articles from news sources around the globe, which have featured stories about the Coachella Valley and the great things that happen here. So follow us on social media and keep up with news from sources far and wide.
