Pride Festival in Palm Springs, CA

sopas ej · #1 Posted **Nov 5, 2023, 8:15 PM**

On Saturday, 11.4.2023, my partner and I took a day trip to Palm Springs for their Pride Festival---well, and I dragged him there because I wanted to see Lisa Lisa perform.

While most cities host their LGBTQ Pride Festivals in June or the summer months (sometimes May like Long Beach does/did), Palm Springs holds their Pride Festivals around the first weekend of November, being that summer is too hot in Palm Springs.

So here are the pictures I took.

Photo by me

Photo by me

The house where Elvis and Priscilla honeymooned. There was construction going on on either side of it.

Photo by me

Other houses in the neighborhood...

Photo by me

Photo by me

The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum expansion had just opened on Friday (11.3.2023), so we decided to check it out. The Agua Caliente are a Band of the Cahuilla Indians. They are the indigenous people of the area. In fact, they lived close to and utilized the natural hot springs from which Palm Springs gets its name (and was the reason it had become a resort city when white Americans started coming to the area).

Photo by me

Photo by me

So now on to the Pride Festival...

Photo by me

Photo by me

...but first we ate. We went to a Greek restaurant.

Photo by me

Photo by me

A bottle of retsina...

Photo by me

...and stuff we often order. Greek giant beans, feta and olives, sardine in tomatoes, and taramasalata. Mmm, mmm, mmm!

Photo by me

Photo by me

I almost thought to get a pair of these.

Photo by me

Photo by me

I wanted a date shake... sometimes, I make it a point to get a date shake when we're in Palm Springs. Kinda like when in Newport Beach, you get a frozen banana. In Palm Springs, you get a date shake.

Photo by me

This date shake was... OK. We've had better. It was my fault, I couldn't remember where we last had a good one.

Photo by me

Photo by me

DJ set.

Photo by me

Photo by me

Lisa Lisa!

Photo by me

OhioGuy · #2 Posted **Nov 5, 2023, 11:50 PM**

Ha! You managed to capture a friend of mine from here in DC in one of your photos!

Nice photos! I'd like to visit Palm Springs during Modernism week, though I won't be able to make it next February.

AviationGuy · #3 Posted **Nov 6, 2023, 2:06 AM**

Some of those signs were hilarious.

Murphy de la Sucre · #4 Posted **Nov 6, 2023, 2:11 AM**

Suddenly i found palms trees are interesting trees, the shape and form and all...

geomorph · #5 Posted **Nov 7, 2023, 4:51 AM**

Thanks for all the photos of the Agua Caliente Cultural Center, I had not seen any images of it yet and it looks nice!

tart777 · #6 Posted **Nov 7, 2023, 8:06 AM**

Looks like a fun time!

woodrow · #7 Posted **Nov 7, 2023, 9:02 AM**

Nice to see that the Agua Caliente Cultural Center has finally opened. Seems like it has taken years to finish. Great pics.

sopas ej · #8 Posted **Nov 7, 2023, 3:50 PM**

Thanks for the comments!

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

Ha! You managed to capture a friend of mine from here in DC in one of your photos!

Nice photos! I'd like to visit Palm Springs during Modernism week, though I won't be able to make it next February.

Hehe now I'm curious to know which one your friend is! But that's OK, you don't have to tell me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by geomorph

Thanks for all the photos of the Agua Caliente Cultural Center, I had not seen any images of it yet and it looks nice!

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodrow

Nice to see that the Agua Caliente Cultural Center has finally opened. Seems like it has taken years to finish. Great pics.

Again, thanks for the comments!

We really enjoyed the Agua Caliente Cultural Center. It gives the history of the area, and tells a lot about the history and culture of the indigenous people in the Palm Springs area. And of course my partner and I are really into indigenous cultures.

xzmattzx · #9 Posted **Nov 7, 2023, 7:30 PM**

Nice pictures!

I like that the festival is in November. I understand why it's usually in June (at least for the US), but it's nice when it's not tethered to a certain day/week/month. I like when Irish festivals are spread out around March, and not just on the weekend closest to St. Patrick's Day, so you can go to more than one. There are other ethnic festivals that to a regular person have no real significance to a certain day, so having it whenever is convenient is nice.

I like that museum! Is it really built on the site of the hot springs, as in actually covers it up? Or is it on the property somewhere?

I have never heard of a date shake. Or a frozen banana, for that matter. Are there any food items someone should try in certain towns in southern California? I need to make a mental note for the next time I'm out there. I was in Hermosa Beach, Pasadena, and Inglewood about a month ago.

I flew over Palm Springs on my way back from the aforementioned trip, so I will post some pictures of that later, if you want.

homebucket · #10 Posted **Nov 7, 2023, 7:34 PM**

Nice photos! Definitely some unique architecture in a unique setting.

sopas ej · #11 Posted **Nov 7, 2023, 9:34 PM**

Thanks for the comments!

Quote:

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Nice pictures!

I like that the festival is in November. I understand why it's usually in June (at least for the US), but it's nice when it's not tethered to a certain day/week/month. I like when Irish festivals are spread out around March, and not just on the weekend closest to St. Patrick's Day, so you can go to more than one. There are other ethnic festivals that to a regular person have no real significance to a certain day, so having it whenever is convenient is nice.

I like that museum! Is it really built on the site of the hot springs, as in actually covers it up? Or is it on the property somewhere?

I have never heard of a date shake. Or a frozen banana, for that matter. Are there any food items someone should try in certain towns in southern California? I need to make a mental note for the next time I'm out there. I was in Hermosa Beach, Pasadena, and Inglewood about a month ago.

I flew over Palm Springs on my way back from the aforementioned trip, so I will post some pictures of that later, if you want.

The museum is really nice. The hot springs is on the property. In fact, the modern spa that's adjacent to the museum uses the hot springs water---kind of like Beverly Hot Springs in Los Angeles; many years ago, I used to think Beverly Hot Springs was just some random spa/sauna in the middle of LA, but it's actually built at the site of naturally occuring hot springs, and uses the water! That's the same situation here at the Agua Caliente site. The spa is called The Spa at S'ec-he. This gives the story: https://thespaatseche.com/the-spa-ex...-spring-story/

In SoCal, I only know of Newport Beach's frozen bananas and Palm Springs date shakes--at least those are the only 2 things that come to mind in terms of food associated with SoCal towns. I haven't had a frozen banana in many years, and I rarely go into Newport Beach. Kind of overrated, but it does make a nice treat. I think the last frozen banana I had there was one dipped in chocolate and covered with peanuts.

I like milkshakes anyway, and the dates blended into a vanilla shake is yummy, especially when you have one on a really hot day in Palm Springs. Date palms are not native to Palm Springs (I think it was in the 1920s that date farms started forming in the area), but the California fan palm is. Well, for sure, it's the only palm tree native to California, but it's said that the Cahuilla ancestors brought the fan palm to the Palm Springs area. In fact you see clusters of them throughout the Coachella Valley, in little desert oases. The fan palm is even incorporated into the Cahuilla mythology.

I hope you had a great time when you were in SoCal last month! Pasadena is my back yard. If you want to post your pics of your flight over Palm Springs, please feel free to do so.