Nearly every weekend in Greater Palm Springs - from October to April - offers a fun and new event. From food truck and tamale festivals, to three LGBTQ Pride parades and all types of sporting events, this California oasis is the place for your winter getaway.
OCTOBER
Modernism Week Fall Preview, a four-day celebration of Palm Springs’ famed midcentury modern architecture, returns October 17–20 (mark your calendar for Modernism Week February 13–23, 2020!).
The one-and-only Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade makes its annual procession down El Paseo on October 27, drawing thousands of spectators with its colourful golf-cart floats and pageantry.
Shots in the Night returns to Indian Wells Golf Resort in mid-October with glow-in-the-dark golf challenges, music and a food truck.
The City of Coachella rolls out the rainbow carpet for the third annual East Coachella Valley Pride Festival, held at Coachella Veterans Memorial Park on October 26 and featuring food, live entertainment, educational booths and a parade.
NOVEMBER
Greater Palm Springs Pride arrives the following weekend, November 1–3, and is one of the largest LGBTQ evens in the region, with an always-colorful festival of activities and entertainment, plus a parade.
Watch the Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships November 2–10, 2019, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. With an estimated 3.1 million people now playing the game, pickleball is one of the country’s fastest growing sports. (The Garden is even expanding to 49 pickleball courts and adding more dining options and amenities for spectators and players).
On Nov.2, 2019, the 5th Annual Indio California BBQ State Championship and Festival will draw pit masters from across the nation to compete for a $10,000 purse! As part of the festivities, BBQ competitors will be offering their championship style delights for sale to the public, accompanied by live entertainment, craft beer garden, kids’ zone, music and more.
Coachella is hosting the inaugural Date Harvest Festival, in honor of the super-food that's shaped the Coachella Valley. The one-day event on Nov.9, 2019 at Rancho Las Flores Park in Coachella will feature celebrity chefs using dates in cooking demonstrations, headline act by Los Lonely Boys, family activities and of course date farms large and small showing off and selling their crops.
The Rancho Mirage Art Affaire returns to Rancho Mirage Community Park November 9–10, featuring musical entertainment, food, wine and 100 artists, whose work, ranging from jewelry to sculpture to painting, will be on display.
Soak up some sun and eye-catching art at Old Town La Quinta this fall and winter. The charming Mediterranean-inspired shopping and entertainment district hosts Art on Main Street on eight Saturdays throughout the 2019/2020 season, beginning on November 9 and 30.
Experience the magical panorama of multi-hued hot air balloons floating across the skies during the Cathedral City Hot Air Balloon Festival, November 22–24, 2019. Now celebrating its sixth year, the festival features a balloon race and glow, live entertainment, a wine and beer garden, and children’s activities. The Food Truck Fiesta takes place the same weekend on Saturday, November 23 (so come hungry).
DECEMBER
More than 300 vendors gather to celebrate the rich heritage of the tamale during the annual Indio International Tamale Festival December 7–8. The festival kicks off the holiday season and features a tamale eating contest, five stages of live entertainment and wine and beer gardens.
The streets of downtown Palm Springs light up with brilliant, twinkling Christmas floats and marching bands for the 27th annual Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade on December 7.
JANUARY
January 2–13, 2020, marks the return of the star-studded Palm Springs International Film Festival, which features 500 film screenings showcasing an array of genres from around the world. Look for awards honorees to be announced throughout fall.
The PGA TOUR swings into Greater Palm Springs for The American Express (formerly the Desert Classic) tournament, held in La Quinta from January 15–19.
Special cultural weekend shows and sales unfold at Cabot Yerxa’s Hopi-inspired Pueblo Museum in Desert Hot Springs this winter, including Oaxaca Artists (January 24–26), Mata Ortiz Potters (February 21–23) and Hopi Kachina Carvers (March 27–29). This museum, built in 1941, is filled with Native American art and artifacts. Visitors can see how artist Cabot Yerxa built the pueblo himself, using objects and materials he collected across the desert.
View traditional, contemporary, and abstract fine works of art by nearly 250 acclaimed artists January 23–36 at the Southwest Arts Festival, an internationally recognized cultural event now celebrating its 34th year.
FEBRUARY
Enjoy carnival rides, camel and ostrich races, arts and crafts and fair food (date shakes, anyone?) at the annual Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival in Indio from February 14–23.
Check out all upcoming Greater Palm Springs signature event dates and details here.
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About Greater Palm Springs:
Greater Palm Springs is Southern California’s most storied resort oasis, with nine cities—Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella—each offering its own blend of experiences. And with natural hot mineral springs, lush palm groves, over 100 golf courses, year-round signature events and more than 300 days of sunshine annually, Greater Palm Springs offers a unique combination of escape, adventure, inspiration, recreation and relaxation.
For more information, visit www.VisitGreaterPalmSprings.com or email media@gpscvb.com.
