If You’re Happy And You Know It, Clap Your Hands For November

It’s here! It’s officially season again, and Palm Springs is bursting with activity and fantastic weather — come on out! There’s so much going on it’s hard to keep up, but I’m gonna do my best to make it easy for you to figure out what to do once you’ve decided on the perfect small hotel.

Before we get into the events, we’ve got some new restaurants in town — be sure to take them for a spin around the block.

New restaurants to try in Palm Springs

Jimmy B’s Grill: It’s in Mercado Plaza (that’s the one with the fountain with a bronze statue of our former mayor perched on it). The sign says “cocktails, steaks” but the menu says breakfast and lunch (no steak and eggs, no steak sandwich at this writing). Cocktails do seem to be accurate. It’s been packed since it opened.

Mickey’s Kitchen Mexican Cuisine: Right next to Shamrock’s at 240 N. Palm Canyon Drive. There’s a little — I’m not sure what to call it, alcove? — but there are some stores and this restaurant back there. 

Play Lounge & Cafe: It’s a café in the morning where you can work, with food available to grab throughout the day. At night, you can sip wine or have a beer as the café becomes a lounge with fun board games, outdoor games, pool tables, darts, etc. 2825 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Building C.

Lay’ Vince: Breakfast and lunch. I’m told the biscuits and gravy are exceptional. They also have a creme brûlée French toast, and a daily special breakfast burrito. 540 S. Indian Canyon Drive.

Canopy Wine Lounge: Opening late November. Excellent wine selection, caviar club, charcuterie, and other assorted eats. 175 N. Palm Canyon (actually faces Belardo, Downtown Park, and Marilyn).

Things to do in Palm Springs

Broadway’s Best in the West: It’s quite the lineup, with Megan Hilty, Jeremy Jordan, Cheyenne Jackson, and Laura Benanti. These shows start in December, but they’re already selling out.

Nov. 8 – Dec. 13: Cabaret6: Desert Stars. Wednesdays. The best vocal artists in the Coachella Valley in six separate cabaret shows at the new Revolution Stage Company  Great sound system, comfy seats, dance floor, full bar and ice cream station. Use promo code PSPSH for a discount. 611 Palm Canyon Drive.

Nov. 2 – 5: PRIDE Weekend! That link will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about official events. This link will get you to events not necessarily on the calendar. 

Nov. 8: Keisha D & Hearts of Soul present A Tina Turner Tribute. No one sings the Queen of Rock and Roll like local superstar Keisha D.

Nov. 11: StreetBar brings the saucy and sassy Siobhan to the stage for a very fun evening.

Nov. 11 and 12: The first Palm Springs Food and Wine Festival at the Palm Springs Stadium Pavilion, 1901 E. Baristo Road. Culinary luminaries include chefs Susan Feniger and Martin Yan, plus a global array of boutique wineries. Tickets start at $110, with discounts.

Nov. 15: Francesca Amari performs Different Drum: The Music of Linda Ronstadt. Her Gilda Radner tribute show won the 2022 Broadway World Palm Springs Award for Best Streaming Concert/Cabaret and the 2023 Desert Theatre League award for outstanding lead female performer in a cabaret/review.

Nov. 17 – 20: McCormick’s Classic Car Show & Auction. It’s a huge event. If you’re an auto enthusiast, this is the place for you.

Nov. 17 – 19: Cathedral City Hot Air Balloon Festival. I have wanted to go to this for years just to see the balloons. This year it’s getting a check mark on my bucket list.

Nov. 18: Props & Hops Craft Beer Festival at PS Air Museum. Great venue, lots of space for lots of brewers.

Nov. 22: Tod Macofsky presents 1963. Macofsky’s sold-out performance of this show last year had the audience on its feet screaming for more.

Nov. 26: A Very Dirty Christmas with Skyler Gentry, Deven Green and Handsome Ned. “Intended for mature audiences yet appropriate for none, as these revelers get your candy canes, eggnog, and snow balls in order. Not appropriate for youths unless they are little bastards.” Their words, not mine. Sounds raunchy and ridiculously fun.

Nov. 29: Brian Scott, the desert’s favorite cowboy, performs his show Unexpected.

Theatre

The Bent — Not entirely straight, not entirely gay, The Bent is excellent theatre no matter what the production.

Desert Ensemble Theatre — Very cool and unusual choices in shows. At least one original play a season, all of them good.

Dezart Performs — Equity theatre space with thoughtful plays that are deep but never skimping on the comedy.

Palm Canyon Theatre — Our local community theater in the historic Frances Stevens building, one of the first schools in Palm Springs.

Revolution Stage Company — The newest addition to the theatre scene, they plan to have something fun during the day and in the evenings. Full bar, ice cream station, a dance floor (when needed), and a kickass sound and lighting system.

Clubs

The Purple Room — Ticketed shows Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. So Rat Pack inside you’ll squee.

PS Underground — No matter what the show, you’ll have a unique and very fun experience. The food is also chef’s kiss.

Oscar’s — There’s plenty of other things going on other than the wildly popular Sunday T-Dance.

V Wine Lounge — Siobhan was recently added as their recurring Friday night artist in residence, rounding out Mondays with Leanna & Miguel, Tuesdays featuring Keisha D and Hearts of Soul, Wednesdays for Karaoke & Cocktails, and Thursdays with Leanna & the Trio presenting Music & Martinis.

Toucans Tiki Lounge and Cabaret — It’s a party.

Reforma Palm Springs — Aside from the jammin’ music, they also serve dinner. In fact, their drag brunches are some of the most creative I’ve seen. Last month they had a Hocus Pocus brunch, and this month they’ve got “1989 (Taylor’s version)” and a Lady Gaga Brunch. Saturdays.

Palm Springs Cultural Center — There is so much going on here. Movies, theater, music, film festivals, booze, and food. Music starts early on weeknights upstairs with a variety of performers during the week. Great happy hour.

Activities

Mogo Silent Disco — Everybody’s listening to the same music in their ears, except the people walking by you. Great fun for all involved.

Desert Tasty Tours — This super easy walking tour offers six delicious dishes in six different locations over three hours. Includes a trip to Marilyn, and my favorite sculpture, Isabelle. Get a little art, a bit of history, and a lot of food.

PS Historical Society Tours — They offer 14 tours, some walking, some biking, all terrific.

Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure — From their website: “An interactive scavenger hunt that combines the fun of the Amazing Race with a one-and-a-half hour sightseeing tour of Palm Springs. Guided from any smartphone, groups make their way among well-known and overlooked sights, solving clues and completing challenges while learning the local history. You’ll discover iconic sights and hidden gems while learning why movie stars have been flocking here since the 1920s.”

Check out Hiking with T. This is her October column; her new one will be out mid-November. This is a great time to experience the outdoors in the desert and discover why people have been coming here for 2,000 years.

That’ll do it for me for November events. See you in December, and look for my next few posts about breakfast, lunch, and dinner in PS. If you make the wise choice to “come on out,” maybe I’ll see you out and about on the streets of Palm Springs!