The Gay Agenda

3-Day Gay Palm Springs Weekend

By Kevin Perry

Weekdays are for sticking to the rules, getting the job done, and generally playing it straight(ish). But the weekend is ours.

The LGBTQ’mmunity really knows how to live it up, and Palm Springs is the capital of cutting loose. The following COOLendar (that’s like a regular calendar, but way cooler) lays out the perfect 3-gay weekend for you, your squad, and anyone willing to take a walk on the wow side…

It’s finally here: a chance to escape the shackles of the week gone by, conquer the outbound traffic, and claim your destiny in Palm Springs!

Hunters is the great spot to kick off your gay Palm Springs weekend. Their Fur Friday festivities welcome bears, enthusiasts, and anyone who appreciates $2 drinks with a side of burly affection.

And now that you’re all hot and hugged out, it’s time to check into your hotel. Palm Springs is world renowned for our accommodations, including boutique B&Bs, clothing optional sanctuaries, and vacation rental houses for the whole party posse. Rest up, peeps, because we’re just getting started!

Hit the town anew at one of our many gourmet, must-visit, make-your-friends-jelz restaurants. If you want to eat like the true gay icon you are, take a page out of Barbra’s songbook and head on over to The Tropicale. Streisand’s former personal chef, Tony Di Lembo, is concocting a feast fit for a star (is born – sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves).

SaturYAY

Wake up; you don’t want your mimosa to get warm! Beat the heat (and the crowds) by getting an early start at Pinocchio in the Desert. Their ubiquitous rainbow flags beckon you to a gay funderland of hearty food and the aforementioned mimosas (all you can drink champagne!).  Or

You’ve already won the day, but why not try your luck at the Bingo table? Chill Bar puts the OMG in B-I-N-G-O every Saturday from 11 am to 2 pm thanks to local legend Mo, the maestro of mid-day mayhem. For example, if you hear 69 announced, get ready for action… we’re talking about free shots, but we like the way you think. Now, be warned: Mo calls those numbers fast and fabulous, so you need to keep up. Maybe you shouldn’t have had all those mimosas for brunch?

As the day turns into naughty, you’ll need some food to keep you fueled, but you don’t want to walk too far, right? Luckily, Blackbook is conveniently located on the same block as Chill and they offer the highest-end food in the gay-bar universe. Seriously, their Nashville Hot Chicken will make you think you’ve simply died and gone to Tennessee… only way gayer.

Sunday Funday

Roly China Fusion presents PS Drag Brunch every Sunday beginning at 10:30 am. Dim Sum + Drag Queens + Brunch = A lot of laughs. Your reservation includes the show, all you can eat Dim Sum, tax and gratuities. Choose from three levels of brunches: “Basic Bitch,” “Mean Girls” and “Diva Lounge Seating.”  A full bar is also available with an array of drink specials. You’ll see Rosemary Galore as “the hostess with the mostest” and performers like Angelique VaGorgeous.

Happy SF! While the breeders are packing up and calling it a weekend, us gays are just getting started. If you’re feeling frisky, you can kick off the lord’s day at an All Worlds pool party (pause while lightning strikes us for mentioning the lord in the same sentence as a clothing optional bacchanalia).

Or if shopping is more your Sunday speed, get decked out in style at Seaplane Shirts. Their custom designs embrace your inner fashionista, elevate resort-wear chic, and prepare you for the Funday main event.

Oscar’s Tea Dance is a true religious experience (without all that preachy stuff). It’s an afternoon blast of disco decadence where we can get flirty and funky with other members of the vibrant gay Palm Springs community. As Oscar’s owner Dan Gore puts it, “Their weekly church outing is the Tea Dance. A lot of customers look at that as their weekly day to come and worship the sun and fun and relive that disco era.”

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

If you’re visiting our homo hometown on a long weekend, or if you just happen to have Monday off, good for you! Now stop bragging. There are so many other gay-tastic activities that you really must find time to experience.

Trio rocks their Happy Hour from 11am to 7pm, so set aside some LGBTime in your schedule to try one of their signature craft cocktails. The Forever Marilyn will help you extend those weekend vibes well beyond the confines of the calendar.

Sing the Monday blues away and keep the workweek at bay with some help from your friends at Quadz. This video bar institution plays showtunes galore to infuse your Palm Springs paradise with some Broadway realness.

Keep your spotlight shining brightly with a short skip across Arenas Road to Streetbar. They crown a new karaoke queen every evening from Sunday through Wednesday at 9pm, so belt it out!

Is it Wednesday already? I guess the weekend is officially over, but another one is just around the corner. Time to start at the GAYginning and do it all over.