Going gay in Palm Springs

Palm Springs has been referred to by many as a new gay Mecca. The city boasts a large and diverse gay resident population and has become a prime travel destination. So why is Palm Springs so appealing to the gay traveller?
It’s a huge outdoor playground with consistently brilliant sunshine, great for all types of outdoor activities in the sweet, clean air of the famed Coachella Valley.
The jagged San Jacinto Mountains are set against a brilliant blue sky which reflects dry heat onto the palm-studded valley desert paradise.
There is something truly special about gay Palm Springs beyond its beautiful oasis setting in the arid southern California desert.
The greater Palm Springs area has more gay and gay-friendly restaurants, nightclubs, hotels, retailers and other businesses than any other one gay destination.
In Palm Springs, more than anywhere else, gay men and women of all ages and from all backgrounds and places visit and are welcomed by the community.
In fact, Palm Springs during the last five years has experienced an explosion of new gay residents and new gay businesses. The resident gay population is now estimated at 40 percent of the population.
Palm Springs has an ongoing flow of exciting gay and gay-oriented events, including the International Film Festival, the Kraft-Nabisco Classic (formerly the Dinah Shore Classic) and the infamous White Party on Easter weekend.
The city’s Gay Pride Festival is a sanctioned Palm Springs event with a fabulous parade followed by an all-afternoon and evening festival with live entertainment, food, dancing, concessions and fun games.
The Arenas street party is another gay festival, not unlike Gay Pride, which occurs on Arenas Rd, Palm Springs’ Castro St, and now lasts two days.
At Halloween, Arenas Rd is converted into another gay festival block party with costume parties at the many bars and a street costume show and formal judging contest.
Every Thursday night, Palm Springs’ main street, Palm Canyon Drive, is closed to traffic and opened to an extensive festival including food vendors, arts and crafts exhibits and free entertainment.
Strolling, munching, looking and sipping the length of Palm Canyon Drive is a great way to ‘people and puppy watch’ for an hour or an entire evening.
This is the life in sunny Palm Springs. The climate is the envy of the world, with more than 330 days of sunshine each year.