Desert X talks, a tea dance and more: 12 things to do in the Coachella Valley this week
The Coachella Valley is home to a number of events and activities to take part in this winter. If you're interested in filling your calendar, we've put together a list of 10 things happening this week.
To submit an event for consideration, send an email to niki.kottmann@desertsun.com with the time, date, location and price of admission, as well as a brief event description. Photos are not required but highly encouraged as part of the submission. (Tip: Send your submission as early as possible to make sure we have it in time, and to make sure your event jumps out in our inbox, put "10 things to do submission" in the email subject line.)
Check out the following events this week:
Backstreet Art District's First Wednesday Art Walk
Palm Springs Backstreet Art District invites the public to come and enjoy an evening of fine art, live entertainment, food offerings and beverages while strolling through 13 unique galleries and art studios. Support the Coachella Valley art community while viewing the latest works by talented creatives. Come see why Backstreet Art District was voted a "Best of Coachella Valley, 2023"!
When: 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6
Where: Backstreet Art District, Corner of South Cherokee Way and Matthew Drive (behind Estate Sale) in Palm Springs
Cost: Free
More info: backstreetartdistrict.com
Opening Night Reception of 'The Painted Desert: A Century of Land and Light' Exhibit
Come celebrate the latest exhibit at College of the Desert's own on-site gallery at the Walter N. Marks Center for the Arts. Explore works by historic artists including Franz Bischoff, Conrad Buff, John Wesley, Clyde Forsythe, Paul Grimm, Sam Hyde Harris, John Hilton, Thomas Hunt, Fernand Lungren, Frederick Grayson Sayre, George Sherriff, Fredrick Carl Smith, James Swinnerton, and Harry B. Wagoner, Harold Buck Weaver, and Fredrick Wright. There's also a plethora of works by contemporary artists Robert Arnett, Andy Dickson, Whitney Gardner, Mark Kerckhoff, Elaine Mathews, Eric Merrell, and Steven Wybenga.
When: Opening reception 4-7 p.m. Thursday, March 7 (exhibit runs March 5 - April 5 and gallery is open 11 a.m.-4 pm. Tuesday-Friday)
Where: Walter N. Marks Center for the Arts, College of the Desert, 43-500 Monterey Ave., Palm Desert
Cost: Free admission
More info: collegeofthedesert.edu/community/gallery
Palm Springs Dance Project presents the 7th Annual Dancin' in the Streets at VillageFest
Looking for an accessible arts event in Palm Springs? This community performance will feature local dance studios, organizations, teams and other ensembles showcasing various styles of dance, from jazz and contemporary to drill and folklórico. This free public arts program, funded by the City of Palm Springs, is brought to you by the Palm Springs Dance Project, a local nonprofit aiming to make the healing and transformative art of dance more abundant, more accessible and more inclusive to all within the Coachella Valley community. So head to VillageFest to shop and eat, and stick around for dance performances throughout the night.
When: 6-9:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7 (during Palm Springs VillageFest)
Where: Along Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs (more specifically, the dancers will be on the corner of Tahquitz Canyon and Palm Canyon Drive)
Cost: Free
More info: palmspringsdance.org/2024-season
Palm Springs Celebrates Peggy Lee
Honor legendary music Icon Peggy Lee (who's getting a star on the Palm Springs Walk of the Stars) while raising money for the Palm Springs Art Museum at this engaging Q&A session featuring rare stories, videos, and musical performances. The night will feature guest speaker Holly Foster Wells (Peggy Lee's granddaughter/president of Peggy Lee Associates) in conversation with Scott Nevins (TV personality/Palm Springs Art Museum adjunct producer), discussing Lee’s life, career and musical achievements, as well as her strong connection to Palm Springs. The night will end with a musical tribute from Grammy Award-winner Debby Boone, accompanied by Michael Orland.
When: 7 p.m. Friday, March 8
Where: Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs
Cost: $25-$100
More info: psmuseum.org/events
Revolution Stage Company presents 'The Woman In The Mirror'
Enjoy this dark (yet also uplifting) comedy making its West Coast premiere this week. In Dayna Steele’s one-woman tour de force, "The Woman in the Mirror," the audience is invited to laugh, cry, and nod with recognition and hope at an issue that has become all-to-real in the lives of many Americans: Alzheimer’s. Based on Steele’s critically acclaimed best-selling book "Surviving Alzheimer’s with Friends, Facebook, and a Really Big Glass of Wine," the play is “a love letter to an often-unsung group of people: caregivers,” as the Houston Press said.
When: March 8-31 (check website for times)
Where: Revolution Stage Company, 611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
Cost: $20
More info: revolutionstagecompany.com/events
Desert X presents Desert r&d
Desert X and Palm Springs Art Museum are launching a new weekend-long event of panels, workshops, discussions, and studio visits, all free of charge. Desert r&d, as event organizers describe it, "celebrates and makes space for research and development in all its forms — half-baked thoughts, process-based practices, ongoing experiments, and questions still unanswered. ... Explore global questions with a local focus, employing the desert as a research laboratory." Whether you're interested in an artist talk or the kickoff party at Drift Hotel Palm Springs, there's something for everyone at this weekend-long affair.
When: 2 p.m. Friday, March 8 through 3 p.m. Sunday, March 10
Where: Various locations across the western Coachella Valley including the Palm Springs Art Museum, James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, Bubbling Wells Historic Hot Springs Ranch and the Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs
Cost: Free and open to the public (except the Lunch & Black History Tour with Deiter Crawford, which costs $150 per person)
More info: Desertx.org
Desert Ensemble Theatre presents 'Ellie'
Desert Ensemble Theatre's latest production follows Brothers Richard and Warren, who are grieving the death of one of their wives. Their mourning sparks a confrontation that lays bare their lifelong love/hate relationship and changes their lives forever. Bruce Bonafede, an award-winning, Desert-based playwright, wrote this riveting drama for DET company member Richard Marlow, who will star alongside Abe Daniels.
When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; and 2 p.m. Sundays March 8–10, 15–17
Where: Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs
Cost: $37.50
More info: desertensembletheatre.org
Cathedral City LGBT Days
Pride always comes early in the desert, and Cathedral City proudly hosts the first Pride celebration of the year in California. Cathedral City LGBT Days kicks off Friday with a free screening of "The Birdcage," continues Saturday with a comedy show headlined by Los Angeles-based standup comic, actor, and writer River Butcher (followed by a drone show) and closes Sunday with the festival's most beloved tradition, the Bed Race.
When: Various events March 8-10 (check website for full schedule)
Where: Cathedral City Amphitheater, 68-526 Ave Lalo Guerrero; Cathedral City City Hall, 68-700 Ave Lalo Guerrero; Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City, 68-960 E. Palm Canyon Drive
Cost: Friday's “The Birdcage” screening at The Cathedral City Amphitheater is free; tickets to Saturday's River Butcher Comedy Show are $30 (entry to the pre-show happy hour at the casino's Agave Caliente Tequila Bar and post-show drone show above the casino are free); and entry to Sunday's Bed Race Stretch & Pre-Party, Parade of Beds and Bed Race are free
More info: cathedralcitylgbtdays.com
Palm Canyon Theatre presents 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'
Palm Canyon Theatre’s production of this dark, gruesome musical showcases 25 local performers ranging in age from 13 to 75, including Paul Grant as Sweeney Todd, Se Layne as Mrs. Lovett, Christian Quevedo as Anthony, Nicole Kennedy as Johanna, Joshua Rach as Tobias, and many others. This classic musical tells the tale of Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber who returns to 19th century London seeking revenge against the judge who framed him many years ago. The now-mad man vows revenge against all who wronged him, applying his razor to unlucky customers and shuttling the bodies down to Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop for meat pie filling.
When: 7 p.m. on Thursdays, 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays March 8-24
Where: Palm Canyon Theatre, 538 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
Cost: $17-$38
More info: Call (760) 323-5123 or visit PalmCanyonTheatre.org
2024 Palm Springs Jewish Film Festival
This year's Palm Springs Jewish Film Festival will screen 14 feature films and documentaries that cover a number of topics, including a Jewish electro-pop musical, a Chicago rabbi working to bring together Jews of all backgrounds and a look back on the life of actor Gene Wilder. Additionally, attendees will get a chance to hear from filmmakers about their projects, and see a special concert presentation of "Symphony of the Holocaust," a piece composed by violinist and Holocaust survivor Shony Braun.
When: March 9-13
Where: Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs
Cost: From $12 (that's the price for one ticket to a single screening)
More info: palmspringsjewishfilmfestival.org
Retro Nouveau La Quinta Flea Market
Come enjoy a rare flea market in the eastern Coachella Valley! Every second Sunday of the month from November through April, you can peruse a variety of items such as art, jewelry and vintage goods from local and regional vendors. Interested in selling something at the market? Spaces are available on a first-come basis.
When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 10
Where: Domino's parking lot, 78-134 Calle Tampico, La Quinta (across from Old Town La Quinta)
Cost: Free admission and parking
More info: 442-306-9094
Stud Country Palm Springs Tea Dance
The popular LA-based queer line dancing party Stud Country is coming to the Coachella Valley. The first queer tea dance in the desert will include a line dancing and two-stepping class, followed by a western dance party from 4-8 p.m. Led by Stud Country co-founders Bailey Salisbury and Sean Monaghan, attendees will learn partner dancing and classic-era line dances to a mix of disco, '90s country and new pop songs. Inspired by the legacy of queer dance spaces, Salisbury and Monaghan founded Stud Country in 2021 to honor the rich history of LGBTQ cowboy culture. All bodies and all skill levels welcome.
When: 3-8 p.m. Sunday, March 10
Where: Ace Hotel & Swim Club, 701 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
Cost: $20
More info: studcountry.us
Niki Kottmann is the Desert Sun's features editor. She oversees the paper's arts and entertainment, heath and education coverage, and loves to write about desert happenings.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 12 things to do in the Palm Springs area this week
