As the temperatures soared, so did the excitement for Palm Springs Pride 2022. One of the final and bigger Pride events on the gay agenda this calendar year, Palm Springs Pride had a massive turnout. There was a full line-up of events and celebrations over the three days, including the Pride Festival, Pride Parade, pool parties, drag brunches, and more.

Palm Springs Pride 2022 took place from Friday, November 4 through Sunday, November 6, in Palm Springs, California. People from across the southwest United States and beyond descended on the oasis in the desert to attend the Pride festivities and events. It was a fabulous weekend of activism, celebrations, connecting with friends, making new friends, and creating memories.

In a speech to local media and dignitaries, mayor Lisa Middleton proudly proclaimed how the population of the desert city of Palm Springs tripled over Palm Springs Pride weekend! Lisa Middleton became the first transgender person to be elected to a non-judicial political position, and now she has become the state’s first transgender Mayor.

Here is a rundown of the highlights of some of the many events from Palm Springs Pride 2022.

Arenas Road Block Party

Palm Springs Pride kicked off on Friday, November 4, with the Arenas Road Block Party. The Arenas Area has recently been identified as a new district in Palm Springs, having a concentrated number of gay bars and businesses. The block-long area featured a main stage, food trucks, drink stands, and a Palm Springs Pride selfie spot. The bars were brimming with revellers ready for a full weekend of fun.

Palm Springs Pride Festival

The Palm Springs Pride Festival was fantastic display of Pride throughout the entire weekend. The family-friendly event welcomed all genders and orientations from across the LGBTQ+ community, along with allies. The festival was a beautiful rainbow of colors on display.

Held on Saturday, November 5 and Sunday, November 6, the Palm Springs Pride Festival was the place to meet up with friends, enjoy entertainment, and explore the extensive marketplace. The Palm Springs Pride Festival took place in the downtown core, on Palm Canyon Drive, stretching out over four blocks, between Amado and Baristo.

The Palm Springs Pride Festival had an estimated attendance of 60,000 people each day.

The festival encouraged people to come out to celebrate diversity and inclusion, and to say “gay”, which was the theme for Palm Springs Pride 2022. It was a key community event for youth and families to come celebrate Palm Springs Pride.

The festival marketplace included a variety of local food vendors, community organizations, sponsor booths, and vendors. There were plenty of vendors selling a variety of Pride merchandise, including flags, fans, buttons, pins, and more.

The festival incorporated three stages with a line-up of performers throughout the weekend. Each day there was a fantastic line-up of headliner acts and performances by local artists.

On Friday night, November 4, welcomed the LGBTQ+ community’s hottest emerging artists to the Main Stage. The Oasis kicked off with a galactic dream pop performance by Polartropica, who was just named Los Angeles Weekly’s Best Indie Pop Group. Tolliver appeared alongside Lucy and La Mer, who advocate self-acceptance and positivity as part of the lineup. Glass Battles, Sassy Ross, and Bella da Ball rounded out Friday’s lineup.

Todrick Hall, an independent pop cultural phenomenon, headlined the Palm Springs Pride Festival on Saturday, November 5, and set the stage for a diverse and unprecedented group of LGBTQ+ artists at Palm Springs Pride.

The colourful, conceptual artist and activist Nadya Tolokonnikova, founder of the internationally renowned Pussy Riot art protest movement, headlined the festival on Sunday, November 6. Pussy Riot is a feminist protest art movement advocating gender fluidity, inclusivity, matriarchy, love, laughter, decentralization, anarchy, and anti-authoritarianism. Nadya, the lead vocalist, was imprisoned for two years in 2012 after performing a protest of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Australian DJ, singer, and artist Tanzer performed Saturday, November 5. Her cinematic, glamourous, escapist works are enormously powerful and darkly funny.

Filipino pop star and transgender icon Jake Zyrus, BETTY, the award-winning indie rock trio, and Ballet Folklorico Proyecto Trans Latina, a group of six Trans-identified women showing their colourful, highly choreographed traditional Mexican Folklorico, were among the other acts.

Tahquitz Canyon Way featured Keith George – The Boy George Experience, Mimosa Men performances, and others performed on the Oscars’ Pride stage.

Other artists in the 2022 Palm Springs Pride Festival lineup included DJ Femme A, Ray Rhodes, Modgirl, Mr. D, Aaron C, Vaughn Avakian, Millennium, Galaxy, Eric Ornelas, Zareen, and DJ Waide.

Pride Parade

On the morning of Sunday, November 6, downtown Palm Springs became a sea of rainbows and glitter as the Palm Springs Pride Parade made its way down Palm Canyon Drive towards the Palm Springs Pride Festival.

The mile-long Palm Springs Pride Parade stepped off at 10:00am. It was a hot and sunny morning, with clear, blue, sunny skies. Thousands of people lined the parade route as the community came out in masses to celebrate.

The parade lasted over two hours with over 100 entries featuring colorful costumes, floats, community groups, local businesses, sponsors, not-for-profit groups, and rights activists.

The Palm Springs Pride parade included an entourage of local drag queens, LGBTQ+ advocates, and prominent members of the LGBTQ community, including seven grand marshals.

“Happy Pride” was shouted all along the parade route, while Pride flags were proudly waved. The smiles on people’s faces were a clear sign that the Pride parade was welcomed back in Palm Springs.

Community Programs and Events

Many of the local bars, resorts, and businesses participated in Palm Springs Pride by hosting their own events, decorating their establishments, and offering special promotions. The entire city was a buzz of excitement during the five-day event. From drag shows to drink specials, the entire business community welcomed the over 150,000 visitors for Palm Springs Pride.

History of Palm Springs Pride

The Greater Palm Springs Pride Parade has been one of the most well-attended, popular, and colorful events in the desert over the past three decades.

The Pride parade is one of the highlights of the city’s Pride weekend, and it has a humble beginning to match.

The first Pride Parade took place in 1992. The event began with just 35 entries and slowly made its way through some of Palm Springs’ less frequented streets to Demuth Park. It is estimated that fewer than 1,000 people attend the event.

By the early 2000s, the annual event had grown to such an extent that it became an integral part of the city’s fabric, and its route was fixed on Palm Canyon Drive.

That year, the Pride parade drew an estimated 30,000 people, according to The Desert Sun. City officials, who had been reluctant about the festival in the 1980s, were now excited about the economic advantages of the weekend for the city.

Eventually, the festivities, including the parade, switched from a late spring date near Memorial Day to a fall date closer to Veterans Day.

Crowds continue to increase and provide economic benefit to the city of over $20 million, and numbers have grown annually.

Plan to Attend Palm Springs Pride 2023

Add Palm Springs Pride to your gay agenda in 2023. The early November event is a great opportunity to get a blast of sunshine as the cooler weather arrives across much of North America, and to extend your summer fun into the mid-autumn season. Celebrate and advocate for human rights, be out and proud, say gay, and be visible in Palm Springs. Get more into at PSPride.org.

Plan Your Visit to Palm Springs

The time is now to start planning your visit to Palm Springs. It’s the perfect destination to enjoy the hot sun, relax at a pool, and enjoy fine dining experiences with a handcrafted martini or chilled glass of chardonnay.

Visit Palm Springs is the ultimate resource to plan a fantastic gaycation. Get recommendations on the best places to stay, things to do, nightlife and dining options, and places to shop.

Plan your trip and book your accommodations now with the help of Visit Palm Springs: www.VisitPalmSprings.com.