Palm Springs Dance Festival On Now
Courtesy of Nickerson-Rossi Dance
As an exciting outgrowth of the Nickerson-Rossi Dance program held at the Annenberg Theater in the spring of 2016, the Palm Springs Dance Festival is taking dance programming to the next level this weekend with 3 days of dance, education and entertainment!
Now through Saturday, March 4, P.S.D.F. will offer multiple days of professional and pre-professional dance programming condensed into three rousing days. With the Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum and the Helene Galen Performing Arts Center at Rancho Mirage High School as performance venues, acclaimed dance companies and artistically gifted instructors from east to west coasts, students will revel in outstanding educational opportunities and join with dance enthusiasts to delight in captivating and wide-ranging dance programming.
The Palm Springs community at large will be encouraged to experience the joy of dance through partaking of highly accessible programming, including free performances. The program will encourage community involvement and enhance the welcoming and inclusive village atmosphere of Palm Springs, introducing a downtown merchant participation program as part of its grass roots marketing endeavors.
The opening evening of programming will commence on March 2nd premiere P.S.D.F.'s outdoor stage located in the heart of Downtown Palm Springs during Village Fest! Saturday, March 4, they proudly present our gala performance, an exhilarating evening of sparkling wine, heavy appetizers and live musical accompaniment, followed by an astounding professional dance program of assorted styles as performed by a cast of acclaimed east and west coast dance companies, including the winner of last year’s McCallum Theater’s Choreography Festival, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance! More Info
Red Hot & Rich:
The Music and Life of Cole Porter
Chicago’s legendary pianist and orchestra leader Stanley Paul will bring his lively and fascinating show “Red Hot & Rich” to the Coachella Valley on Friday, March 10 with a reception at 6:30 p.m. and show at 7:30 p.m. at Heather James Fine Art.
Throughout Paul’s five-decade career, he has been fortunate to have enjoyed intimate moments with dozens of music and entertainment legends, including Bette Davis, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Lauren Bacall, Gloria Swanson, Carol Channing, Liberace, Joan Crawford, Ethel Merman, and Oprah Winfrey among many, many more. In this West Coast Premiere performance, Paul will feature more than 30 legendary Cole Porter songs in a fast-paced and stunning presentation that presents the songs in the manner in which they were originally produced.
During a press opening, Mr. Paul opened his home and reveled us with stories of his career – from the early days in Chicago to today.
Stanley Paul – now a resident of Palm Springs – will take the audience back to the glamorous lifestyle of Cole and Linda Porter in Paris and Venice in the 1920s to Broadway and Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. Paul will share colorful stories about Porter and his incredible career, and will leave the audience mesmerized by the genius that was Cole Porter. As Paul says, “I think Cole would have approved.” More Info
Dezart Performs presents A Gala Evening of Live Radio Show Classics!
ONE NIGHT ONLY! – THURSDAY, MARCH 9 at the Camelot Theatres.
Starring Joyce Bulifant, Gavin MacLeod, Mariette Hartley, Peter Marshall and Millicent Martin.
Take a step back in time as Desert Regional Medical Center presents Dezart Performs’ fourth annual fundraising event, ON THE AIR! AN EVENING OF LIVE RADIO SHOW CLASSICS. This extravaganza recreates some of radio’s funniest and most memorable shows from the 1940s and ‘50s including the hilarious “game show” IT PAYS TO BE IGNORANT, Ray Bradbury’s sci-fi thriller MARS IS HEAVEN, and the classic MY FRIEND IRMA. This unforgettable evening of celebrities, live music and sound effects is “the must-see event” of the season!
Tickets: $35, $55 (show only); $85 (includes VIP reception) More Info
The 35th Annual La Quinta Arts Festival
March 2-5, The 35th Annual La Quinta Arts Festival returns to the visually stunning setting of La Quinta’s Civic Center Campus. Produced by La 
Quinta Arts Foundation, in partnership with its Premier Sponsor the City of La Quinta, La Quinta Arts Festival raises funds for the Foundation’s non-profit mission of Promoting & Cultivating the Arts.
This award-winning event attracts art patrons and tourists from across the nation as one of the Coachella Valley’s premier attractions. Live Entertainment, Delicious Food, Wine and Beer complement your experience. More Info.
Vibrant Desert Palette with Annual Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival
The Annual Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival, hosted by Friends of the Desert Mountains, will be held on Saturday, March 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center in Palm Desert. With a colorful canvas of wildflowers in bloom, the festival offers a variety of engaging activities in a picturesque setting.
In addition to great wildflower viewing visitors can enjoy beautiful art displays, a variety of vendors and exhibitors, raffles, a beer & wine garden, and an interactive Kids’ Zone along with a climbing wall. For the more adventurous there is a 5k trail run/walk and interpretive hikes. The Arrangements will be performing live music, and food and beverages will be offered for purchase. More Info
Enter the #ILoveGayPalmSprings Photo Contest
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ach month, we award a $50 Gift Card to a local restaurant for the best Palm Springs photo that is posted and tagged on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Simply tag the photo #ILoveGayPalmSprings and mention @GayDesertGuide in your post. We'll look through the entries and the end of the month and award the prize.
March in the Coachella Valley
The proverbial “in like a lion and out like a lamb” describing the month of March certainly doesn’t apply to the Greater Palm Springs area this year. It's a busy month!
In Brad Fuhr's monthly overview, we've got news of Black Box and Ce Ce Peniston performing at The Dinah; one of the most social and liberating LGBT charity events of the season is the LGBT Center’s Red Dress/Dress Red Party; Palm Springs Life Fashion Week on El Paseo; The Palm Desert Food & Wine Festival; Cathedral City build its LGBT Days; and more! Read the Story
"Lady of Saxophone" to Groove at the Westin
She’s called the smooth Lady of Saxophone because of her work with the likes of Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen and Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra on the Late Show with David Letterman. She’s Mindi Abair and she’s coming to Grooves at the Westin at the Westin Mission Hills Resort and Spa March 4. Showtime is 7 PM to 9 PM.
Aside from her numerous collaborations with the best rockers of our time, Mindi has performed with the band on "American Idol" and has been saluted with two Grammy nominations: Best Pop Instrumental Album category for Summer Horns and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for her solo CD Wild Heart. Mindi also earned 2 #1 spots on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz album chart and has a #1 recording with her friends Dave Koz, Gerald Albright and Richard Elliot. Tickets for Mindi’s set at Grooves at the Westin, located at 71333 Dinah Shore Drive, start at $45. Don’t miss hearing this veteran singer and instrumentalist at work. More Info
Happy Hour Finder
Happy Hour at Oscars Café and Bar happens week nights and comes with supper-time musical treats spanning blues to funk at perhaps the biggest outdoor Sunday Disco Dance on the west coast. 
Of course, there are drinks and eats, too. The menu from 2 PM to 7 PM starts with a Happy Hour Appetizer Menu and includes: $3 draft beer – Budweiser, Bud and Miller Lite; $4 Svedka Vodka cocktails; $4 well cocktails; and $4 house wines.
Hot Deals – Our "Gay Groupon"
Wang's in the Desert offers Pan Asian cuisine with helpings that are meant to be shared. A $25 meal can be had for 50% off. Imaginative delicacies include an Asian take on Mexican dishes such as Chinese Orange Chicken Tacos, Korean Pork Rib Tacos and Thai Panang Curry Chicken Tacos. Take a gamble on these old dishes made new with this inventive combination at Wang’s located at 424 S. Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs.
Johannes – Chef Johannes Bacher, “The Eclectic Chef,” was born and 
raised in a small mountain village in Tirol, Austria. That and tons of training, skill and good taste gives him the cred to serve Modern European cuisine with upscale flair at Johannes Restaurant, 196 S. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs.
Have a dining experience that’s been lauded by the New York Times and called “Simply the best of the best” by Desert Entertainer for 50% off.
Top Bookmarks of the Week
- Despite Trump's Policy, Transgender Students Still Protected By California Law
- Top 10 FREE Activities in Greater Palm Springs
- Massive Desert X Art Exhibit Debuts In Palm Springs Area
- Desert Dining: March Caters To East Valley Foodies
- BNP Paribas Open Becomes Foodies Delight
To stay informed, we encourage you to sign up for our Oasis Insiders weekly newsletter. We call it “This Weekend in #ILoveGay Plam Springs” and keep you up to date with the weekend’s events, plus special offers to our members.