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Usually the phrase “go towards the light” is reserved for conversations about near-death
experiences. But, if you stay in this icy cold winter weather much longer, this could
become a “near-death” conversation. It has been said that Palm Springs in California
is where God spends the winter. Once you visit, trust me, you'll want to join him
writes OutUK Correspondent Jill Pentrack.
For dining, head for South Palm Canyon Drive, right in the heart of the Palm Springs Village. Johannes features eclectic Austrian-Asian fare and some of the best food in the Valley. There are also numerous dining choices available to you along Palm Canyon Drive itself including the Village Pub where you can enjoy live music in a festive albeit much straighter setting. |
Enjoying a dip at Inndulge |
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A favourite in the Desert is The River Mall in Rancho Mirage, located about
15 minutes East on Palm Canyon Drive. This impressive development features numerous
restaurants and shops all surrounded by waterfalls and pools. Very straight, but
worth seeing.
Toucans (on North Palm Canyon) is like a visit to Disneyland’s Tiki Room on Gay night. These boys spared no expense in the design of this club and have established a popular fixture on the Palm Springs party scene. Don’t miss it. Hunters Video Bar on Arenas Road is where everyone starts the party. If Hunter’s is not part of your visit, your gay card may be revoked at the airport. Packed on weekends, this is where you meet nearly every gay boy that hits the Desert. Delicious bartenders, great music compliments of Mixtress Victoria, and an energetic and cruisy atmosphere. | |
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FLC001 - CC0 via Wikimedia Commons | There's no shortage of Dick's on Arenas, Palm Springs' premier gay-borhood! Indeed it's the name of one of the most famous Gay bars on East Arenas Road. This light-filled bar caters to a lively, varied gay crowd, with events staged at weekends. Dick always says, "come one, come all". |
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Chill Bar nearby, won Best of the Valley's award-winner for Bar and Night Club Scene. They offer two distinct spaces with a range of
entertainment and nightlife options. With vast glass window-walls overlooking the famous Arenas Strip and beautiful views of the iconic
San Jacinto mountains, the front bar is perfect for relaxing or meeting friends. Internationally known DJs and renowned performers appear
in the back bar; which houses the largest dancefloor in Palm Springs along with state-of-the-art sound and light.
Streetbar offers everyone the chance to be a performer at this lively gay bar with cocktails & live entertainment. It's the oldest gay bar in Palm Springs and serves REALLY strong drinks. Great place to escape and watch or sing karaoke. There are two rooms and the patio. The crowd is mainly 40+. And then, Blackbook is a relaxed hangout with outdoor seating attracting a mostly gay clientele for drinks & comfort food. They are one of few restaurant in the gay section of town with good prices for bar style food. And after all that if you need some retail therapy, the most famous place to try on East Arenas is the GayMart. Everything a gay boy could need in a huge gay clothing store. There's a great range of swimsuits and underwear plus many more items including cards and gifts, and adult novelties. Fantastic customer service and they insist you try it on to make sure it fits! Some of the other bars include the Tool Shed on Sunny Dunes, which is a place where men who like MEN gather and they do attract all the best looking leather guys. Meanwhile, The Barracks on East Palm Canyon is very much your comfort zone if you are after a bar where Men meet Men!
Alternatively, QUADZ on South Indian Canyon Drive is a sing-along spot with VJs showing classic & obscure music video clips popular with the LGBT crowd;
RetroRoom Lounge is a retro gay bar with Hollywood-inspired decor, specialty cocktails, drag shows & nightly karaoke; and the One Eleven Bar further out
of town in the Canyon Plaza Shopping Center, Cathedral City offers a range of cocktails, live music and entertainment you can sing along to and a safe haven
for everyone to express their creative freedom.
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| The Palm Springs Pride celebration began in 1986 as a simple dinner and variety show showcasing the talents of local entertainers at the Riviera Resort grand ballroom. The first Pride Parade named the Desert Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade and was greeted by hundreds of men and women. Eartha Kitt starred at a show at the Radisson Resort three years later in 1989. |
Pride Parade with glamorous Transgender person blowing kisses. Photo: constantgardener |
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Nowadays Palm Springs Pride events continue to be the largest free California Pride Festival south of San Francisco. Attendance at official events has increased to 140,000 and events have a economic impact of more than 24 million dollars.
Downtown Palm Springs is the setting for a vibrant, pedestrian friendly Pride Festival, unique to Southern California. A diverse array of artists, entertainers, multiple beverage gardens and purveyors of all sorts including, jewelry, snacks and sweets. Add all that to great shopping restaurants, clubs and entertainment venues located along world-famous Palm Canyon Drive and the result is like no place else - Palm Springs Pride. If the celebration of Pride and the weather hasn’t enticed you sufficiently, certainly the resorts, each with their own unique setting and sexual temperature, are compelling. There's something for everyone in this desert oasis and for gay men Palm Springs offers something very special that you won't find anywhere else in the world.
Revised November 2024. © Original Version - JLPentrack with All Rights Reserved. | |
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