Things We Don’t Do In The Shadows: October In Palm Springs

Did you know that the Latin root for October is “octo” which means … yep, eight. So, why is it the 10th month? Who cares, let’s get going on what’s happening in Palm Springs this month!

Ya Get One Chance This Year, And This Is It

Oct. 6-8: Power Trip featuring Metallica, Iron Maiden, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, AC/DC, and Judas Priest. The festival is being described as the “sequel to Desert Trip.” Ozzy Osbourne was scheduled to perform on Oct. 7, but canceled his appearance less than three months prior to the event due to ongoing health issues.

Oct. 13: Wine & Dine Around The World. Yes, it’s a fundraiser, however Wine & Dine Around the World is a wine-tasting event featuring hundreds of wines from multiple countries, paired with regional hors d’oeuvres. The culmination of “Wine Down Wednesday,” general admission for the event is 6 to 9 p.m.; VIP has early entry at 5 p.m. with an after party ’til 11 p.m. A portion of the proceeds benefits your choice of one charity per ticket. The dress code is desert casual.

Oct. 15: Alohana at Palm Springs Cultural Center. All things tiki — market, movies, and mai tais.

Oct. 19-22: Modernism Week October. 50+ events. See article posted here.

Sunnylands tours. These are part of Modernism Week, but I’m putting them here because if you’re gonna spend some $$ on something, think about a Sunnylands tour.

Oct. 28-29: Taste of On The Mark Fall 2023. A variety of delicious foods and drinks from our favorite vendors — savory to sweet, and everything in between. 111 N. Palm Canyon Drive (at On The Mark). $70-95

Oct. 29: Halloween is such a big deal in Palm Springs it has its own website. From 4 to 9 p.m., if you’re into Halloween, it should be on your bucket list. It’s a scare with flare.

Recurring

There are trails everywhere to explore in Palm Springs. Courtesy of Visit Palm Springs

Hiking with T. If you’re an enthusiast, she has the scoop about what’s going on with all the hiking trails.

Mid-Century Moderns, last year’s hit show, will be playing at a brand new theater, The Revolution Stage Company. Besides it being a fun and funny jukebox musical, the theater itself has a full bar, 128 gorgeous blue cushioned theater seats, and an ice cream bar!

Sunday Tea N’ Shade with Sabryna Williams and the Luchettes. “Prepare to sashay into the most fabulous Sunday afternoon experience in Palm Springs!” Every Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Boozehounds dining room, Sabryna Williams and The Lunchettes will host a drag lunch extravaganza, with two guest queens joining in on the fun every week. If that’s not enough, know this: you can order bottomless drinks!

Desert Tasty Tours. There are six restaurants on this terrific tour of Palm Springs that touches on all things iconic along downtown’s three most buzzy blocks. There’s a little booze, a lot of food, and some fun facts to take home with you.

MOGO Silent Disco is back! All you need to know is in their motto: “Shut up and dance!” I’m definitely going this year.

Jazzville. Always a great time with an eclectic mix of music from around the world.

PS Underground. Truly an experience to remember. The food, the entertainment, and the sheer creativity in the heads of Producer Michael and Chef Dave is nothing short of astounding.

The Purple Room. A classic Palm Springs experience, the ambiance at the Purple Room is Rat Pack heaven. During the week you can expect to be entertained by some of Palm Springs’ finest performers and musicians, and the ticketed shows on the weekend are worth way more than the price of admission. The food and drinks are also superb. And lordamercy book a ticket for The Judy Show and do it well in advance. What a show!

VIP Lounge at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Formerly known as “Come On Up,” they’ve got the same terrific acts as they had when it was Come On Up and some new things too!

Reforma. Modeled after a supper club, guests enjoy their dinner in a dramatic environment. After dinner, the space is transformed into a large dance floor with a state-of-the-art sound system and light show. A private lounge and bar offer additional environments to have a meal or late-night bites with a unique craft cocktail. Entertainment will include DJs and live performances. (They had very cool drag show themes this past summer, but that seems to have fallen off the schedule. Hope it’s back soon because a Taylor Swift Drag Brunch? Yes please.)

Three In The Pink. Drag show at Trixie Motel. This is brand new.

New Restaurant/Bar Alert

Share a toast with friends at the Maleza bar. Photo courtesy of Drift Palm Springs

Maleza — In the new Drift hotel. That hotel has got it going on!

Sol Agave — I’m seeing rustic yet fancy Mexican. Looks divine.

Mickey’s Mexican Cuisine — Located in Shamrock’s Irish Pub.

Low Desert — In the Smoke Tree Village shopping center. Not far from downtown, and if you’re staying in one of our boutique hotels on the south end, you can probably walk.

Impala Bar and Grill — Next to Reforma, it’s more of a bar that serves Mexican fare, but it’s cool.

Zadie Cafe — Not named after one of my local heroes, Zadie Bunker, the flying grandma. But it is actually the Yiddish word for grandma.

Cafe Mon Amour — I hear it’s very French. They don’t have a website. Make your own joke.

The Evening Citizen — Easily the most fun website entrance; click on “subscribe” to get it. I also can’t tell you where it is. You’ll have to make a reservation at the 30-seat bar to find out. I have a hunch it is on or near Arenas, as it seems to be owned by the former head bartender from Blackbook.

Coming soon: Play Lounge with games, a bar, and food. I hear they’re going to have a pool table too!  

November Alerts

Pride is right around the corner. Photo courtesy of Visit Palm Springs

Nov. 3-5 is Pride! 

Starting Nov. 8, Cabaret6: Desert Stars will take place every Wednesday for six weeks at the Revolution Stage. Full bar and ice cream station. All of Palm Springs’ favorite performers — Keisha D., Francesca Amari, Tod Macofsky, Brian Scott, and Rose Mallett — will be doing shows they’ve performed in the bigger cities and rarely in town.

And finally, from timeanddate.com: As we established earlier, the meaning of October comes from the Latin word octo meaning eight. The old Roman calendar started in March, so October was the eighth month. When the Roman senate changed the calendar in 153 BCE, the new year started in January, and October became the 10th month.

Which reminds me, the latest trend on TikTok is to ask a man how often he thinks about the Roman Empire and see what happens. Tell me about it when I see you.

Ciao!