5 Best Performing Arts in Palm Springs and the Desert Resorts, California

The annual multiday festival draws hundreds of thousands of rock, EDM, and hip-hop fans to the Empire Polo Club grounds each April for two weekends of live music, DJ sets, Ferris wheel rides, large-scale art installations, and field dinners prepared by top chefs. Headliners have included acts such as Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Beyonce, Arcade Fire, Beastie Boys, and Radiohead. Attendees can shuttle in or camp on-site in their car, in tents, or in prefab safari studios.

More than 200 artists participate each March in a four-day juried show that's considered one of the best in the West. The event, held at La Quinta Civic Center, includes sculptures, paintings, watercolors, fiber art, and ceramics.

Each February the desert communities celebrate the work of the architects and designers who created the Palm Springs "look" in the '40s, '50s, and '60s. Described these days as mid-century modern—you'll also see the term "desert modernism" used—these structures were created by Albert Frey, Richard Neutra, William F. Cody, John Lautner, and other notables. The 11-day event features lectures, a modernism show, films, vintage car and trailer shows, galas, and home and garden tours. A shorter preview week happens in October.

In late March, when the world's finest female golfers hit the links for the Annual LPGA ANA Inspiration Championship in Rancho Mirage, thousands of lesbians converge on Palm Springs for a four-day party popularly known as The Dinah.

Held during spring break, the White Party draws tens of thousands of gay men from around the world for four days of parties and events.