Long Beach Pride, Joshua Tree Music Festival, Hot Rodeo Royalty, Softball Bachelor Auction, NUTTY, Amanda McBroom, Liberace’s 100th, and three local theatre productions closing this weekend, plus HOT DEALS, Happy Hours, and Top Articles!
Long Beach Pride is May 18–19
The 36th Annual Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade and Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, May 18 & 19, with this year’s theme stated as “A Million Moments of Pride, Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall.” Parade Grand Marshals include Kate Linder, Delta Work, Equality California, and more. Performers at the festival’s four stages include Big Freedia, Ada Vox, DJ Lez Lee, Alien Dance Band, Brandon Stansell, DJ Rick, Pablo Montero, and Diana Reyes. Fun Zones for families, teens, and seniors will feature activities, music and resources chosen just for those specific groups! More info
Joshua Tree Music Festival – Spring
Founded in 2003, the bi-annual (May & Oct) Joshua Tree Music Festival is held at the gateway to the world-renowned National Park and this year’s Spring edition runs this weekend, May 16–19. The festival promotes personal growth through a variety of multidisciplinary workshops, such as yoga and movement, visual arts, music, and myth. A robust schedule of Kidsville activities also makes it one of the top family-friendly festivals in the country. Magnificent art installations and a world market further inspire, intrigue, and invite festival goers. Come to enjoy social interaction on a deep level, creating positive life-changing moments in the magical Mojave. Get tickets
P-Town Cruise Giveaway
There’s a new LGBTQ+ travel company on the scene, and it’s called VACAYA. Their Inaugural cruise to PTown will take place August 11–18, featuring 7 nights aboard the 5-star Celebrity Summit with an overnight in Provincetown for the Carnival kick-off, plus activities and all-star entertainment including Palm Springs’ own Shann Carr! You can ENTER TO WIN at www.KGAY1065.com, or come by 18|8 Fine Men’s Salon this Thursday, May 16 from 5:00-7:00 p.m where John Taylor from the KGAY 106.5 radio Morning Show will be doing a LIVE broadcast and you can put your name into the mix for a drawing at the end of the broadcast: one lucky ticket will be selected as a finalist! Grand Prize drawing takes place June 14. More info
[the_ad_group id=”12644″]
TRIADS Test Screening and Fundraiser
Among Friends and Bridge the Divide Media invite you to TRIADS Test Screening and Fundraiser on Thursday, May 16 from 7:00–9:30 p.m at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Be one of the first people to see this brand new show set right here in Palm Springs by watching the rough cut of the first season. Not only will it be entertaining, your feedback will also help them decide on the final direction of the show! Get tickets
Palm Springs Hot Rodeo Royalty Contest
GSGRA – Greater Palm Springs Chapter Present the Mr. Miss & Ms. Palm Springs Hot Rodeo 2020 Royalty Contest on Friday, May 17 at 6:00 p.m at Chill Bar. Celebrate the 2019 royalty: Del Hoover, Adrienne Alexander, and Ciana Carmella Costa, with special entertainment by Erica September Carrington. Candidates will present themselves in Western Wear Attire followed by a Question & Answer session – and will also entertain the audience. Come celebrate the 2019 Royalty and witness the crowning of the 2020 Team! More info
PS Retros Softball Bachelor Auction Fundraiser
PS Retros—everyone’s favorite local LGBTQ softball team—is hosting a Bachelor Auction Fundraiser at Chill Bar on Saturday, May 18 from 4:00–7:00 p.m. Funds raised will help cover the team’s travel expenses as they represent Palm Springs in tournaments around the country. Hosted by local radio star Bill Feingold, the evening will feature some of the most talented, attractive, charismatic, and just plain fun local softball players to bid on. In addition, there will be several celebrity guest bachelors, including writer-director Del Shores (“Sordid Lives”) and Chef Andre Carthen (aka “the Fit Chef”). Each bachelor comes with a dinner for two from one of our top local restaurants along with tickets to fun, local activities or shows like Oscar’s Cabaret, Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Red Jeep Tours, and The Judy Show. More info
NUTTY: Jazz, Swing, Lounge, Bebop and More
On Friday, May 17 at 6:00 p.m. at The Purple Room, eight swank jazzniks will delve into classic rock archives and present a jazz mashup that can only be called Nutty. This act is a martini mix of straight-ahead jazz, big band swing, crime jazz/spy jazz, atomic lounge, Latin, bebop and some film/TV soundtrack jazz. Get tickets
Amanda McBroom – “Let’s Fall in Love”
“Let’s Fall in Love” by Amanda McBroom comes to The Purple Room on Saturday, May 18 at 6:00 p.m. McBroom first came to prominence when her song The Rose, performed by Bette Midler, hit number one around the world. Come see why Broadway World calls her “…one of the greatest nightclub performers of all time. Her lyrics are profound and express human emotions in glorious poetry.” Get tickets
Liberace’s 100th Birthday Celebration
Thursday, May 16 will be Liberace’s 100th Birthday, and Micheal Orsini-Collins will join Jon R. Altimus Carrauthers in hosting a spectacular celebration at Stacy’s Piano Bar from 6:00–10:00 p.m. There will be personal friends of Liberace’s, piano music, videos, candelabras, chandeliers, and of course tons of conversation and stories from friends and fans alike. Not to mention, being a birthday celebration, there will be cake! More info
WEEKEND THEATRE
It’s your last chance to see each of our featured local theatre productions this weekend, the following shows will wrap up this Sunday, May 19!
Big River
Palm Canyon Theatre presents the musical Big River through May 19. Twain’s timeless classic sweeps us down the mighty Mississippi as the irrepressible Huck Finn helps his friend Jim, a slave, escape to freedom at the mouth of the Ohio River. Their adventures along the way are hilarious, suspenseful and heartwarming, bringing to life your favorite characters from the novel.Propelled by an award winning score from Roger Miller, the king of country music, this jaunty journey provides a brilliantly theatrical celebration of pure Americana. Get tickets
Real Women Have Curves
Desert Theatreworks presents Real Women Have Curves through May 19. Set in a tiny sewing factory in East L.A., this is the outrageously funny story of five full-figured Mexican-American women who are racing to meet nearly impossible production deadlines in order to keep their tiny factory from going under. And while they work, hiding from the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), they talk… about their husbands and lovers, their children, their dreams for the future. Get tickets
Good People
CVRep presents Good People through May 19 to round out their 10-year anniversary season. Welcome to Southie, a Boston neighborhood where a night on the town means a few rounds of bingo, where this month’s paycheck covers last month’s bills, and where Margie Walsh has just been let go from yet another job. Facing eviction and scrambling to catch a break, Margie thinks an old fling who’s made it out of Southie might be her ticket to a fresh new start. But is this apparently self-made man secure enough to face his humble beginnings? Margie is about to risk what little she has left to find out. Get tickets
Find out why our Gay Desert Guide theatre reviewer Stephen Radosh says Good People is “the most entertaining, stimulating and emotionally satisfying evening of theatre I have seen in some time” with a cast that is “flawless.” Read the review
LOOKING AHEAD
Hot Mess in a Dress
Hot Mess in a Dress, taking place Saturday, May 25 at 6:00 p.m. at Neon Oasis, is a fundraiser benefiting The Trevor Project and Palms Springs’ QChella Media, an LGBTQ+ founded, directed, and managed non-profit media corporation serving the needs of the community. This will be a night of false lashes + true hilarity… high hair + even higher spirits… stiff drinks + stiff, stubbled upper lips…think tragic pageant. For entry, guests should wear dresses (for men) and women should come as either as Drag Kings (aka, boy drag) or as Drag Queens (aka, exaggerated femme). You know those events where guys look great in drag, this ain’t it! Get tickets
LA Pride Festival June 8–9
The 2019 LA Pride Festival will take place in West Hollywood Park on June 8 & 9, with GRAMMY® Award-winning global superstar Meghan Trainor and British electronic pop trio Years & Years headlining. For the first time, LA Pride and the City of West Hollywood are teaming up to host the first-ever Pride on the Boulevard in West Hollywood, a FREE block party of entertainment, vendors, exhibitors, rides, attractions and more. More info
A new Friday night program on June 7 in West Hollywood Park will serve as the official kick-off to LA Pride Weekend 2019. This free-to-the-public evening will feature an official Opening Ceremony including presentations by community visionaries, spiritual leaders, and other advocates for LA’s LGBTQ+ community, tons of entertainment, including a Weho Vogue Ball & Drag Show, a night of dancing, music from local DJs, and special surprise guests, plus a 60-minute concert by the one and only Paula Abdul! More info
The annual LA Pride Parade – telling this year’s #JUSTUNITE story – returns to Santa Monica Boulevard on Sunday, June 9 at 11:00 a.m. More info
San Diego Pride July 12–14
San Diego Pride kicks off on Friday, July 12 at 6:00 p.m. with a Spirit of Stonewall rally to recognize and honor leaders who are working hard to preserve our gains and meet the many challenges still facing our community.
The annual San Diego Pride Parade takes place on Saturday, July 13 at 10:00 a.m. This is the largest single-day civic event in the region and is among the largest Prides in the United States, attracting over 250,000 people.
The Pride Festival runs Saturday and Sunday, July 13 & 14 from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m(Sat) or 9:00 p.m. (Sun). Enjoy multiple stages of entertainment, more than 100 entertainers, and dozens of vendor booths, exhibits, cultural presentations, delicious food booths, and over 40,000 of your closest friends. More info
At Wang’s in the Desert, Happy Hour is 3:00–8:00 p.m. Fridays, 3:00–7:00 p.m. Saturdays, and 3:00–closing on Sundays! Combine Happy Hour with Boys’ Night Out on Fridays from 5:00–8:00 p.m. when DJ Galaxy spins your favorite beats on the largest Happy Hour patio in Palm Springs. Mark your calendar for NEXT Saturday, May 25, when Gennine Francis channels Whitney Houston at Wang’s! Get Happy at Wang’s
At Michael Holmes’ Purple Room Supper Club, Happy Hour is every day: Tuesday through Saturday, 4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. and 4:00–5:00 p.m. on Sundays (Closed Mondays), and Happy Hour is all night on food and cocktails in the bar and lounge. Enjoy free entertainment Tuesdays thru Thursdays from 6:30–9:30 p.m. with their regular weekly lineup: Rose Mallet on Tuesdays, Michael Holmes and Keisha D’ on Wednesdays, and Sharon Sills on Thursdays. Get Happy at The Purple Room
Thai Smile restaurant was created by Yim, Priddey Prayongyam. “Yim” means “smile” in Thai, and Yim always smiled to her customers. Yim’s original recipes bring the special tastes of Thai food with bit of Americanized flavor to tone down the spiciness, however at Thai Smile you can request dishes the way you like it, be it authentic Thai flavors, vegetarian, or to fit your dietary restrictions. Take advantage of this HOT DEAL and get a $25 Thai Smile gift card for only $17.50! Get Your Deal
Rick’s Desert Grill offers a huge selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner items for all appetites while Rick’s Restaurant specializes in full breakfast or a hot and hearty lunch with huge, hot, and fluffy cinnamon rolls prepared from scratch and the unforgettable and best homemade soups in the valley, just to name a few. With this HOT DEAL, get 40% off with a $25 gift certificate good at either Rick’s Desert Grill or Rick’s Restaurant for just $15! Get Your Deal
