Let us be your Gay Desert Guide to the Weekend!

March 1–3, 2019

This weekend in #ILoveGayPalmSprings –  March for Our Lives comes to Palm Springs, the Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival is in Palm Desert,  Desert X presents an Un-Symposium, Michael Childers celebrates Midnight Cowboy‘s 50th, Rick Steves speaks in Palm Springs, Craig Chaquico performs at Grooves at the Westin, and we have new theatre productions opening: White Guy on the Bus this week, and Hairspray next. We also look ahead to Yappy Hour, Le Chien, BNP Paribas and the NCLR Garden Party, plus HOT DEALS and Happy Hour highlights!

March For Our Lives Palm Springs

On Friday, March 1, a group of students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida who survived the school shooting that took 17 lives will meet with local students, share their experience, register younger voters, and educate the public about the impacts of gun violence. A private fundraising reception with an opportunity to meet the students will take place that evening, at 6:00 p.m. Get tickets

Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival

Celebrate the wildflower bloom–which promises be a great one this year–at the Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival on Saturday, March 2 from 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. at a new location this year: Palm Desert Civic Center Park. The festival features a variety of outdoor and educational activities for the entire family, with wildflower displays, a 5k Fun Run, Kids’ Zone, and a climbing wall. Sign-ups will be taken at the festival for interpretive hikes to take place later in the month at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center in Palm Desert. More info

Desert X “Un-Symposium”

Desert X offers four days of programming from Thursday, February 28 through Sunday, March 3, exploring themes of congruent storylines, collisions of nature and politics, and collective memory. It includes panel discussions, art tours, live music and performances, and social events. Click the links below for more info and tickets:

50th Anniversary of Midnight Cowboy with Michael Childers

Michael Childers and the Palm Springs Cultural Center present the 50th Anniversary of Midnight Cowboy on Saturday, March 2 from 6:00–9:00 p.m.  Michael Childers, Photographer and Assistant Producer of the film, will share insight, recollections and photographs from the making of Midnight Cowboy, which was directed by his late partner John Schlesinger. Includes VIP Reception, Gallery Opening, Q&A, and more. Get tickets

Palm Springs Speaks Presents Rick Steves

On Sunday, March 3 from 3:30–5:00 p.m., Guidebook author and travel TV host Rick Steves will take the stage at the Richards Center for the Arts to explain how there’s more to travel than good food and fun in the sun. Travelers who “travel as a political act” can have the time of their lives and come home smarter, with the greatest of all souvenirs: a broader perspective. Brought to you by the Palm Springs Speaks series (a collaboration of the Palm Springs Cultural Center and the Friends of the Palm Springs Public Library). Get tickets

Grooves at the Westin – Craig Chaquico

Grooves at the Westin presents Craig Chaquico on Saturday, March 2 from 7:00–10:00 p.m. at the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa. Chaquico, founding guitarist of Jefferson Starship, will perform a high energy show featuring hits from his Contemporary Jazz/New Age material as well as rock hits from Jefferson Starship. Get tickets

 

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, April 10 for An Evening with John Tesh. This final performance of the season for Grooves at the Westin will benefit Qchella Media, KGAY 106.5 and the American Heart Association. Get tickets

Theatre Roundup

We have a powerful new production opening this weekend with White Guy on the Bus, the musical comedy The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas continues, and we look ahead to the upcoming opening of Hairspray in Indio. Get tickets now!

Dezart Performs presents White Guy on the Bus, a new drama by Bruce Graham at the Pearl McManus Theater, opening Friday March 1 and running through Sunday March 10. — Week after week, a wealthy white businessman rides the same bus, befriending a single black mom. As they get to know one another, their pasts unfold and tensions rise, igniting a disturbing and crucial exploration of race. Get tickets

Palm Canyon Theatre presents The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, running through Sunday, March 10. This hit musical comedy features Miss Mona, in charge of The Chicken Ranch, a brothel located just outside the fictional town of Gilbert, Texas. Miss Mona and the local sheriff, Ed Earl Dodd, have a mutual agreement to co-exist, and things are pretty much as they have been for 58 years – until Melvin P. Thorpe, a Houston TV reporter and do-gooder, sets out to spoil everybody’s fun. Get tickets

NEXT WEEKEND
Desert Theatreworks presents Hairspray the Big Fat Broadway Musical, from Friday, March 8 through Sunday March 24 at the Indio Performing Arts Center. Set in 1960s Baltimore, this Broadway smash musical tells the story of lovable plus-sized teen Tracy Turnblad, a misfit who becomes a local celebrity by dancing on TV’s Corny Collins Show, and whose passion for justice transforms her into an unlikely heroine, triumphing over both snotty teen queens and racial segregation. Get tickets

LOOKING AHEAD

Palm Springs Yappy Hour at the Riviera

On Thursday, March 7 from 5:00–7:00 p.m., Animal Samaritans presents Palm Springs Yappy Hour, a pet-friendly happy hour for dog lovers and their friends held the first Thursday of each month  in the private Chiki Pool area at Riviera Palm Springs. Well-behaved, leashed, socialized dogs are welcome, and humans without dogs are welcome too. More info

Fashion Week: Le Chien

Le Chien presented by Animal Samaritans is one of Fashion Week’s most sought after tickets, taking place on Sunday, March 17 from 5:00–8:00 p.m. in the Fashion Week Tent on El Paseo in Palm Desert. Watch style-savvy fashionistas including Gay Desert Guide‘s owner Brad Fuhr and his dog Buddy, as they rock the runway with adorable rescue dogs and pose for the “puparazzi.” These polished petfluencers and their fashion-forward minders put their best paw forward for a good cause. The fashion show is preceded by a cocktail reception and silent auction with proceeds going to Animal Samaritans. Get tickets

BNP Paribas Opens March 4

The largest international tennis tournament outside of the four Grand Slams takes place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden from Monday, March 4 through Sunday March 17, when the tennis world focuses its spotlight on the BNP Paribas Open. This is tennis paradise! Get tickets

NCLR Palm Springs Garden Party

On Saturday, April 6, the National Council for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) presents their 2019 Palm Springs Garden Party. This year’s party will be one of the most coveted tickets in town – it’s being held at the fabled William Holden Estate, a must-see gem of mid-century architecture once owned by the legendary Hollywood heartthrob. The event is a fundraiser for the important work that NCLR is currently doing to protect LGBTQ+ rights. Tickets are on sale now, you don’t want to miss this one. This year’s event chairs are Christy Holstege and Carl Baker. Get tickets

At RetroRoom Lounge, Happy Hour is available EVERY DAY until 7:00 p.m. with a gay bar atmosphere that is welcoming to everyone. Weekly specials include Martini Madness Mondays, Top Shelf Tuesdays, and half-price Wine Down Wednesdays. Join Big Bitch Bingo with Diva on Saturdays at 3:30 p.m., then Karaoke at 7:00 p.m., and the Diva & Friends Drag Show at 10:00 p.m. Get Happy at RetroRoom

AMP Sports Lounge features Happy Hour from 2:00–9:00 p.m. and a Late Power Hour from 9:00–midnight with $1.00 off everything all week. They “AMP it up” with Inferno and Fireball Fridays, featuring DJ Trend spinning the best in 90’s–2000’s & today’s hit music. And on Saturdays, it’s AMP’D up Karaoke, the funniest and most entertaining Karaoke in Cat City! Get Happy at AMP Sports Lounge

Fleming’s of Rancho Mirage is located at The River, on the northwest corner of Bob Hope Drive and Hwy 111, offering a wide selection of premium steaks and a list of over 100 wines by the glass. Join them for Happy Hour all night long for a limited time! Get this HOT DEAL and enjoy $50 of food and drink at Fleming’s for just $35, saving you 30%!  Get Your Deal

If you love Mexican food, you’re going to love it even more at Rio Azul for 40% off! Try the delicious tacos, enchiladas and tasty margaritas at one of the best Mexican restaurants in the desert, prepared with fresh ingredients and an adventurous spirit by Chef Ernesto Gastelum. Serving lunch 7 days a week. With this HOT DEAL, you get a $50 gift certificate for just $30!  Get Your Deal

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  4. A True Renaissance Man: Michael Childers Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of ‘Midnight Cowboy’ While Preparing for His Star-Studded ‘One Night Only’
  5. The first same-sex marriage in the U.S. now officially happened in 1971