Brad Fuhr Caricature

Red and Green are typically Christmas colors. But this weekend, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Friday, then on Saturday it’s the Red Dress / Dress Red Party. Part of my costume arrived from Amazon, but I’ve had the other piece for three years – since the beginning of the pandemic when the party was canceled.

We’re at the three year anniversary of the shutdown. That milestone has been the topic of many of news report, social media post and water cooler talk this week. And what a three years it has been.

But we march on with a full cadre of Springtime activities in the Coachella Valley. Our dance card continues to be filled and there’s no shortage as you’ll read below. Now if we can just string together some 80+ degree sunny days!

Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide on KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs

For the latest, follow our socials @GayDesertGuide and @KGAY1065 and listen to KGAY Palm Springs wherever you may be!
#ILoveGayPalmSprings #ILoveGayCatCity #ILoveGayTravel #ILoveGay #SayKGAY (and win!)

Red Dress Dress Red 2023

The LGBTQ Center of the Desert presents the SOLD OUT Red Dress Dress Red Party on Saturday, March 18 from 8–11 pm at the Palm Springs Air Museum. This is one of the biggest parties on the year in Palm Springs, a night of community, fun, and fantasy where the theme of “Red” guides our imagination as everyone comes dressed to impress. Drag is not your thing? No worries. An actual dress is not required. Just wear something red. And make sure you’re dressed to impress. Guests will be in everything from red top hot and tails to red sequin and feathers as they dance the night away. More info

On Saturday, March 18, doors open at 9 pm as Reforma Palm Springs presents the Red Dress Dress Red After Party from 10 pm–2 am, with sounds by Guy Schieman and proceeds to benefit The LGBTQ Center of the Desert. Scheiman’s live sets are all about energy beats, combining old and new school vocals that ignite his dance floors and create euphoric experiences. So even if you couldn’t get tickets to the event itself, dance the night away and check out all the Red Dress finery at the red-hot after party! More info

St. Paddy’s Day at Agua Caliente

Agua Caliente Casinos have fun St. Paddy’s Day plans at all three locations on Friday and Saturday, March 17 & 18. In Cathedral City and Rancho Mirage, Irish dancers perform throughout the casino floor on Friday, followed by a special Darby O’Gill & The Little People concert at the Agave Caliente Terraza in Cathedral City on Saturday at 8 pm. In Palm Springs, there will be bagpipe performances every thirty minutes from 6–8:30 pm on Friday, and all three locations will have festive food and drink specials like Shepherd’s Pie, Lucky Blonde Green Beer, Corned Beef Tacos and Irish Margaritas! More info

Desert Open Studios Tour

Desert Open Studios is offering self-guided art-tours that span the Coachella Valley, uniting 150 artists this weekend and next, March 18–19 & March 25–26. The studios are open 10 am–4 pm on Saturdays and 12–4 pm on Sundays. The free, self-guided studio tour, open to the general public, invites art lovers into artists’ workspace, a unique opportunity to meet and talk with individual artists and to buy art directly from them. Discover new artists and start planning your tour now with their handbook. More info

During the Desert Open Studio Tours, visit the South Palm Canyon Art Collective on Saturday and Sunday, March 18–19, to see 10 artists at this one location! They feature a wide variety of artists with all kinds of mediums of art work. Come up to the 2nd floor and check out the fun and creativity. More info

BNP Paribas Championship Weekend

The BNP Paribas Open is wrapping up the largest two-week combined ATP & WTA professional tennis tournament outside of the four majors this weekend at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. This is the Championship Weekend with the ATP and WTA Final matches on Sunday, March 19. And with 20 easily accessible practice courts, the opportunities are endless to encounter tennis’ hottest rising stars and most legendary icons as they prepare to take center stage in the desert. If you can’t make it in person, live coverage is available. Get tickets

Coco Peru is Bitter, Bothered & Beyond

Hotel Zoso presents the one and only Miss Coco Peru for a limited engagement of Coco Peru is Bitter, Bothered & Beyond, now through Sunday March 19. After everything that’s been going on in the world, Coco is ready to unleash her thoughts about the past, present, and future. Yes, this exhausted dinosaur of drag is not holding back anything in her new show! A veteran of numerous feature films (Trick, To Wong Foo…, and the cult classic Girls Will Be Girls), and television shows (How I Met Your Mother, Arrested Development, Will & Grace), Coco has also become a viral sensation on social media platforms. Get tickets

Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man

Bus Stop Productions presents Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man in the Tropics Lounge at the Margaritaville Resort on Fridays and Saturdays through May 27, with two shows per night at 7 pm & 9:30 pm. This show has been so popular they’ve extended its run by several weeks! The play is set at a local university auditorium where the English department holds its monthly meet the authors event. Robyn is the shy and studious moderator of the event and this month’s featured author is Dan Anderson of Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man. With the help of a hunky stage assistant named Stefan, Dan aims to turn this meet the authors event upside down with a highly theatrical, audience interactive sex tip seminar. Get tickets

Escape to Margaritaville

Desert Theatreworks presents Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville, playing now through Sunday, April 2. This upbeat and energetic new show features all your favorite Jimmy Buffett classics, including “Volcano”, “Fins”, “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and of course “Margaritaville.” With a tropical island theme, this heartwarming musical is the party you’ve been waiting for! Get tickets

Kafka’s Joke

Desert Ensemble Theatre presents the world premiere of Kafka’s Joke by Rich Rubin for its second and final weekend of performances, March 17–19 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. On his deathbed, Franz Kafka instructs his best friend Max Brod to burn his unpublished manuscripts. Brod does not destroy his work, believing Kafka is a literary genius. This leads to Kafka’s writings rising to literary prominence decades after his death. Brod then escapes from Nazi Europe with Kafka’s works in 1939, bringing them to Palestine. At the time of Brod’s death in 1968, he left the manuscripts to his secretary. However, Brod’s will is very confusing. Who owns Kafka? A true story based on a 2016 Israeli Supreme Court case. Get tickets

Masters of Harmony at the McCallum

The McCallum Theatre presents Masters of Harmony on Sunday, March 19 at 3 pm. The group was founded in 1985 and chartered as the Foothill Cities, California Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society. Now based in Santa Fe Springs, the Masters of Harmony has grown from just a few voices to an a-cappella chorus of well over 100 members. They have won nine International Chorus Championships in competition with over 800 choirs. Don’t miss this high-energy extravaganza!. Upcoming shows at the McCallum include: The Kingdom Choir™ (3/24), Katherine Jenkins (3/25), and Hershey Felder as Monsieur Chopin (3/28 and 3/29). See the full March schedule for the McCallum Theatre with ticket info on our event listing: Get tickets

Fashion Week El Paseo

Indulge your inner fashionista at Fashion Week El Paseo, taking place March 17–23. This is the west coast’s largest runway-to-consumer fashion experience, bringing together internationally recognized designers like Josie Natori, Michael Costello and Nikki Yassemi Wirthensohn, plus emerging talent for a week of runway shows, ranging from resort-ready styles to sheer fantasy. Get access to designers as soon as they step off the catwalk, check out intimate daytime pop-up stores, meet-and-greets, cocktail receptions and much more. Get tickets

Cheeky Charity at The Barracks This Weekend

Cheeky Charity will be at The Barracks for Bingo on Saturday, March 18 from 3–5 pm, plus the Pig Daddy event on Saturday night, and Beer Bust on Sunday afternoon. Also from Cheeky Charity in March: a clothed hike series every Sunday at 10 am at the South Lykken Trail, and nude (clothing optional) hikes every Tuesday and Thursday from 8 am–11 am, meeting in Palm Desert to travel to Mecca for the hike. There will also be an Eisenhower Health panel discussion on March 22, and a Sassy Soiree on March 31 to officially launch Cheeky Charity, whose mission is 100% focused on enabling the early detection of colorectal cancer. More info

Glow in the Park

The wildly popular nighttime event, Glow in the Park, returns to The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens nightly from March 17 through April 30. This spring spectacular new lineup of hand-crafted lantern displays represent wildlife from around the world—and even under the sea. These larger-than-life displays, which feature breathtaking artistry, interactive elements, and a never-ending number of photo-ops, will create a truly unforgettable night for guests of all ages. Get tickets

Desert X

Sleeping Figure by Matt Johnson

After welcoming a total of more than 1.25 million to all three previous iterations in the Coachella Valley, Desert X is back for their fourth biennial exhibition, running now through Sunday, May 7. The exhibition of site-specific installations by acclaimed international artists examines social and environmental themes with a focus on the changes that give form to a world increasingly shaped by climate crisis, globalism, and the political and economic migrations that follow in their wake. Free and open to the public, stop in at the Desert X hub at the Ace Hotel or download the app for information on artists, a map to find the installations, and interactive content. More info

Procrastinating: All About Your Legal Documents

PALS ( Planning Ahead for LGBTQ Seniors) presents Procrastinating: All About Your Legal Documents with Jennifer Hughes on Saturday, March 18 from 9:30–11 am via Zoom. This seminar is designed to help seniors know what legal documents they need. The Zoom Link will be sent once you register. More info

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: The Broadway Musical

Desert Theatricals presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: The Broadway Musical this Friday through Sunday, March 17–19. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, the stage version includes all of the wonderful songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice. The original Broadway production ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Desert Theatricals’ Theatre Under the Stars takes place in Rancho Mirage’s Amphitheater, with an available dinner theatre experience as well as individual tickets. Get tickets

CV Firebirds Hockey “Pucks & Paws” Benefit

Join Animal Samaritans at the Coachella Valley Firebirds hockey game at Acrisure Arena on Sunday, March 19 from 12–3pm for an adoption event and you’ll be helping Animal Samaritans save animals’ lives when you purchase game tickets using a special promo code. See the Firebirds take on the San Diego Gulls and a portion of the proceeds from each ticket will go back towards supporting Animal Samaritans. Get tickets

Hot Seat Retreat

Red Handed Events LLC in conjunction with CCBC Resort present Hot Seat Retreat from March 16–19. All men, adult boyz and naughty ones interested in spanking, paddling, caning and flogging are welcome to join. CCBC Resort is sold out but overflow rooms are still available. Organizers are committed to making it a great experience for everyone who attends—however you play and wherever you stay, so daily passes are available for visitors and locals. Get tickets

AMP Bash: Turn Up the AMP!

The Academy of Musical Performance (AMP) presents the return of their famed AMP BASH – Turn Up the AMP on Saturday, March 18 from 5–8 pm, under the stars at the renowned Heckmann Estate in Rancho Mirage. Special guests include former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum and his wife, designer Ace Harper. Guests will enjoy an evening with great food from Ruby’s Diner Food Truck, beverages by Best Beverages, Live Auction with items including VIP Tickets to Coachella and Stagecoach as well as a host of amazing Silent Auction items. Get tickets

Grace: A Theatrical Ice Show

Ice Dance International presents Grace: A Theatrical Ice Show at the Acrisure Arena’s Berger Foundation Iceplex on Saturday, March 18, from 7–8:30 pm. Olympic Champion Dorothy Hamill and two-time U.S. Olympic Team Member JoJo Starbuck will serve as hosts of the show, performed by an ensemble of ten world-class figure skaters (5 of whom are from the LGBTQ community) including two-time United States Champion Alissa Czisny and 2022 U.S. Open Champions Kseniya Ponomaryova and Collin Brubaker. Get tickets

Madame Harlequin’s Royal Ball

The Joshua Tree Royal Ball Society, dressed in black & white desert formal, celebrate the spring equinox in grand style with Madame Harlequin’s Royal Ball on Saturday, March 18 from 7–11 pm at the Hi-Desert Cultural Center in Joshua Tree. The event features live and DJ dance music, awesome heavy hors d’oeuvres, decadent desserts, and fabulous prizes. Before the dance music takes off, the ball opens with a ceremony honoring the spring equinox’s balance of day and night. Then the ball launches with Madame Harlequin on electric bass leading a live, funky, jam band. DJ Uncle Abe keeps the dance floor hot with funky, disco, and EDM sets. Get tickets

Alohana: A Celebration of Palm Springs Tiki Culture

On Sunday March 19, Alohana returns for a Spring celebration of tiki culture at the Palm Springs Cultural Center from 12–4 pm. Come for the live music, hula dance, marketplace and food and cocktails, and they’ll be launching another Alohana signature mug for your collection. Don’t miss this fun afternoon where they will take you away to the islands! Each of 100 tiki mugs will come numbered and initialed by the artist, Tim Rains. More info

Screwball Sundays: The Thin Man

The Palm Springs Cultural Center presents a series of the greatest screwball comedies of Hollywood’s golden age, showing The Thin Man (1934) on Sunday, March 19 at 3 pm. The Thin Man was adapted from a popular novel by the great mystery writer Dashiell Hammett, but the mystery around which the plot turns is relatively unimportant to the movie’s focus and its enduring appeal. What makes the film so entertaining is not the unraveling of the murder but the movie’s central relationship of Nora and Nick Charles, one that redefined the screen depiction of marriage. It also helped to set the tone and style of a new, then-emerging Hollywood genre – the screwball comedy. Get tickets

San Diego Jewish Men’s Choir

Jewish Federation, Temple Isaiah Twice Blessed and the University of California Riverside Bob & Cheryl Fey Lecture Series come together to bring you an afternoon of beautiful music and history from San Diego Jewish Men’s Choir on Sunday, March 19 from 4–5 pm at the Jewish Community Center of Palm Springs. The award winning San Diego Jewish Men’s Choir lends their unique blend of class and schmaltz to any occasion. The non-profit group of “25 good-looking guys who can also sing and dance,” has been together for 20 years. More info

Willie’s Big Fat Broadway Bash

Willie’s Modern Fare presents the unique dinner show experience, Willie’s Big Fat Broadway Bash, every Sunday in March, including this Sunday, March 19 at 4 pm. The talented students of Musical Theatre University are your singing servers, delivering a three course dinner with a slice of Broadway on the side, with a special Broadway guest star at each performance. Guest stars include: March 5 – Keven McMahon (City of Angels), March 12 – Erik Altemus (Pippin), March 19 – Leslie Tinnaro (Evita), and March 26 – Kim Huber (Beauty and the Beast). Make reservations

Visitor Map & Guide Spring Edition

The Spring 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, Attraction, Gay Resorts with passes, Dispensaries and other services. You can also view it online, and download the PDF [here].

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!

Subscribe to Oasis Insiders

LOOKING AHEAD

Variations of Three Pianos, Six Hands™

The Palm Springs International Piano Competition, formerly the Waring, presents the return of the popular Variations of Three Pianos, Six Hands™ performance at The McCallum Theatre on Monday, March 20 at 5:30 pm. Featuring PSIPC artistic director laureate / concert pianist / platinum selling recording artist John Bayless, 2013 Waring Solo Winner / concert pianist Scott Cuellar, concert pianist Norman Krieger and concert pianist Lisa Nakamichi. This will be a cross-over musical event with solos, duos, and trios performing on three pianos. Get tickets

Rainbow Challenge Golf Tournament

The Stonewall Golfers Rainbow Challenge returns on Saturday, March 25 & Sunday, March 26 at Mission Hills Country Club. Leading up to the tournament is a full a week of events, with individual stroke play, an Opening Party, Twilight Golf, practice rounds, Pairing Party, a silent auction and putting contest for charity. It all wraps up on Sunday with an awards banquet. More info

On the Air at KGAY 106.5

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 not only the life of the party, she’s also a cover girl on magazines and billboards, a television entertainer, and an award winning producer, director, lyricist and performer. Her moniker is “Music! Dancing! Fashion! Fun!” and she throws down the most irresistible, uplifting beats each week on the KGAY Sunday Tea Dance from 4–6 pm. Listen online

Ross Mathews hosts his popular weekly radio show on KGAY 106.5 airs on Saturdays from 11:00 am–2 pm. That’s 50% more Ross because now it’s a three-hour show! Ross is a part-time Palm Springs resident and currently working on The Drew Barrymore Show, RuPaul’s Drag Race and many other projects. He brings celebrity gossip and news, plus a rundown of what’s happening each weekend in #ILoveGayPalmSprings as he plays some of his favorite dance hits each weekend on KGAY. Listen Online

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. Perfect party music! Listen Online

Welcome New Partners!

Impala Bar & Grill is the new bar, grill and nightclub on Palm Canyon in downtown Palm Springs! The space features two patios, with seating for 90 guests, a large dining room, large horseshoe bar with seating for 32, six TV screens, including a giant video wall with a 18 foot by 12 foot screen. Full lunch and dinner menu is Mexican cuisine, happy hour 7 days a week from 3–7 pm, as well as brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Learn more

103.1 MeTV fm features 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. Their unique music library consists of over 3500 songs with more than 350 different songs per day with no repeats! In this market, no other radio station features this “one of a kind” format, broadcasting from Palm Springs and serving the Coachella Valley community. Learn more

  1. Palm Springs 85th Anniversary Celebration set for Sat, April 8, 2023
  2. MADE in Beverly Hills Festival Announces Programming
  3. LGBT Days Brought Out 7th Annual Bed Race and Parade in Cathedral City
  4. The 30th Anniversary Celebration of Nicholas Snow’s Historic Public Access Television Show ‘Tinseltown’s Queer: Activism Hollywood Style’
  5. Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation Presents Architectural Plans to Historic Site Preservation Board

Palm Springs Fine Men’s Salon is your haven for all men’s hair and grooming services. From ear waxing to manicures and pedicures and everything in between, the team at PS Fine Men’s Salon in Palm Springs is excited to give you an experience every man, especially a man in the desert, needs. Located at Kaptur Plaza on Tahquitz Canyon Way, next to the Renaissance Hotel. You can Save 30% at Palm Springs Men’s Salon with our HOT DEAL: Get $50 in men’s grooming services for just $35! Get Your Deal

We also have Hot Deals at Coachella Valley Coffee Co., Grand Central, Hunters Nightclub, Monster Shakes, Desert Mischief, Jolene’s, Rick’s, Lulu California Bistro, Trevor Wayne Pop Art, Destination PSP, Zin American Bistro, Kitchen 86 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.” Ross Mathews is on Saturdays from 11 am–2 pm, 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)