Dinah Shore Weekend
The world's largest lesbian gathering takes over Palm Springs for four days of pool parties, headliner concerts, and desert sun.
The world's largest lesbian gathering takes over Palm Springs for four days of pool parties, headliner concerts, and desert sun.
Palm Springs in late March belongs to twenty thousand women, and the desert knows it.
Dinah Shore Weekend is the largest lesbian gathering on the planet, and it has been running in Palm Springs since 1991. That's not a tagline; it's an infrastructure fact. For four days in late March or early April, the entire city reorients itself around women: the host hotel pool deck becomes a dance floor, Arenas Road thickens with crowds spilling from bar to bar, and the desert air carries bass from somewhere between noon and 2 a.m.
What makes Dinah specific isn't just the scale, it's the format. This is a poolside festival, not a club takeover. Days are loud, sun-soaked, and chlorinated; nights are concerts and afterparties. Mariah Hanson has been programming it for three decades, and the headliner list reads like a Billboard chart: Mary J. Blige, Kesha, Megan Thee Stallion. The crowd shows up to dance, not to be seen.
Logistics-wise, plan for heat, distance, and demand. The host hotel sells out a year in advance. Off-property rentals mean rideshare or a car. The desert is unforgiving at 2 p.m. in a swimsuit, so bring twice the sunscreen you think you need and drink water like it's your job.
Full Palm Springs guide →Book the host hotel the day passes go on sale or you're staying off-property. There's no middle ground. Pack like you're attending a four-day pool party that ends in concerts: two swimsuits minimum, reef-safe SPF 50, a sun hat that survives crowds, a light layer for desert nights that drop into the 50s, and one outfit that's entirely white for the all-white pool party (it's non-negotiable if you want the photos). Pace yourself. The temptation is to hit every event, but the women who actually enjoy Dinah by Sunday are the ones who took a hotel break between 4 and 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Pro tip: pre-book rideshares between the host hotel and Arenas Road before midnight. Surge pricing after 1 a.m. is brutal, and the walk is doable but long in heels. Screenshot every wristband and ticket confirmation before you land, because Palm Springs cell service at the pool deck is unreliable when twenty thousand phones are competing for the same tower.
Colorful, party-forward resort that frequently hosts overflow Dinah crowds and pool scenes.
Boho-cool pool hotel that draws Dinah day-trippers and afterparty energy.
The iconic Dinah recovery brunch — bacon flights and bloody marys after a long pool day.
Margaritas on the patio for a casual pre-pool fuel-up between Dinah events.
Arenas Road's main dance floor stays packed during Dinah for late-night spillover.
Lesbian-friendly tiki bar with drag shows that becomes a Dinah weekend staple.
Community hub offering resources and sober-friendly spaces during the high-intensity Dinah weekend.
Palm-shaded desert hike that resets the system before another night of Dinah programming.
Local roaster with shaded patios for a quiet espresso reset between Dinah pool sessions.
Mineral hot springs and grotto soaks in nearby Desert Hot Springs for a full-body reset after three pool days.
The desert sun is the most dangerous thing at Dinah, not the crowd. Heatstroke sends people to urgent care every year, so hydrate constantly, take a shaded break every hour, and don't drink alcohol on an empty stomach in 95-degree sun. Reef-safe sunscreen, reapplied every two hours. If you start feeling lightheaded, get out of the pool deck immediately and find air conditioning.
Buy passes early; wristbands sell out months in advance and single-event tickets are limited and resold at scalper prices. ID and cash get checked at every venue, so keep a slim cross-body bag and never leave valuables on a pool chair (theft from unattended towels is the most common incident report). For late-night transit between the host hotel and Arenas Road, pre-book rideshare or walk in a group of three or more. The crowd is 21+ and party-forward, so if you want quieter moments, build them into your schedule, because Dinah won't build them for you.
If you're a woman who loves women and you've never been to Dinah, go once. It's the only event of its kind at this scale anywhere in the world, and the energy of twenty thousand women dancing around a pool in the desert is something you can't replicate. Build a three-night minimum, splurge on the host hotel if you can, and don't try to do every party. The women who love Dinah are the ones who pick their moments. Worth planning a trip around? Yes, unequivocally.