While Coachella and Stagecoach are the best known music concerts presented in the Palm Desert area, many more concerts and events go on throughout the year, including free outdoor concerts presented by Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and Opera In The Park presented by Palm Springs.
 

Coachella - In next door Indio the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival is held at the Empire Polo Club and runs two consecutive weekends in April hosting about a total of 250,000 people from all over the world.  This outdoor event features musical artists from many genres of music, including rock, pop, indie, hip hop, and electronic dance music, as well as art installations and sculptures. Across the grounds, several stages continuously host live music.

Stagecoach - The Stagecoach Festival is an outdoor country music festival. Various artists perform on multiple stages, whether they be mainstream or relatively unknown, ranging from folk, mainstream country, bluegrass, roots rock, and alternative country. It is the highest-grossing festival centered on country music in the world. The festival acts as a sister event to Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, taking place the following weekend at the same site.

Indian Wells Music Festival – This festival, renamed the Garden Jam Music Festival in 2019 has been providing great music for the last two decades and boasts Rock, Blues, Jazz, and Country music from world class entertainers. The 2019 event was held under the Indian Wells Tennis Garden shade structure, offering seating for 2,000 patrons. It is currently on hiatus and will return for an exciting Spring of 2024!

Acrisure Arena - The new $500 million arena with a capacity of 11,000 seats for concerts was built with 10,000 sq feet of acoustic lapendary panels for superior arena sound engineering and was designed to offer great views from all seats. It is located at I-10 and Cook Street, less than a 10-minute drive from SCPD and includes modern executive suites and premium hospitality clubs. More than 40 concerts and 150 other events are expected to be offered year-round, including top concert acts, family entertainment and even professional bull ridng.

BNP Paribas Open - one of the premier professional tournaments in the world, takes place annually in March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, considered Southern California’s ultimate tennis center. The BNP Paribas Open is the largest professional two-week combined ATP and WTA Tour tennis tournament in the world with 96 players in the singles and 32 teams in the double draws. It attracts star-studded players from around the world and draws over 450,000 attendees.

PGA Tour Golf Tournament – is one of many golf tournaments held in the Palm Desert area. This January marked the 60th anniversary for this event. Formerly known as the CareerBuilder Challenge, the tournament will be now played as the Desert Classic, a moniker serving as homage to the event's debut in 1960 when it was played as the "Palm Springs Desert Golf Classic," won by Arnold Palmer. Featuring its popular pro-am, post-round concerts and some of the game's most visible stars are all part of the tournament allure. 2019’s anniversary event also marked a giving milestone for the tournament's charitable arm of Desert Classic Charities, as the decades of giving have now reached the $60 million mark of philanthropy for desert causes.

Palm Springs International Film Festival - Entering its 30th year in 2019, the Palm Springs International Film Festival is one of the largest and most well-respected film festivals in North America. Its culturally diverse program of 200± stellar films from more than 60 countries represents the best in international cinema, earning the Festival an enthusiastic and loyal audience of nearly 137,000. The Palm Springs International Film Festival is the premier presenter of world cinema on the North American continent.

The Festival brings together industry reps and executives from Los Angeles, celebrities, film aficionados from across the country and filmmakers from around the world. The festival also features filmmaker tributes and special events and an annual star-studded Awards Gala that honors the best and brightest performances of the past year. The Festival screens the largest selection of films submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Best Foreign Language film category. The Festival has become a stunning prognosticator of Oscar nominations. Of the recent Palm Springs Film Festival Gala winners, 87.5% received Oscar nominations. The 2019 awards include Bradley Cooper and Spike Lee.

Modernism Week - This is a 10 to 11 day event with an estimated 152,000 attendees, focusing on mid-century modern design and architecture that makes the Palm Springs area so unique. Over 375 events including the Palm Springs Modernism Show at the Convention Center; Frey II House Tours; exterior and interior home tours, walking and bike tours, double-decker bus tours, films, lectures, interior design tours, swanky parties and other special events highlighting midcentury modern architecture, interior, and landscape design, art and vintage culture.

National Date Festival & Riverside County Fair – held in February each year it celebrates the desert's favorite crop, dates. You'll also see Llamas, Dairy Goats, Pigs, Poultry and Rabbits; Camel & Ostrich Races; WGAS Motorsports Monster Trucks, stage shows, concerts, contests, games, crafts, Fair Food, and a carnival with midway action. It's said to be one of the best fairs in California because of its location and "date".

La Quinta Arts Festival – Ranked # 1 Fine Art & # 1 Fine Craft Festival in the Nation.
Presenting 220 foremost contemporary artists in a spectacular outdoor gallery, this four day event guarantees patrons an unparalleled cultural experience. Amenities include music, performance art, and trendy food, refreshments, wine and beer.
 
The Indian Wells Arts Festival - a colorful, diverse ecosystem of art with more than 200 juried artists traveling from across the nation and as far as Japan, Africa, Central and South America, the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond each year to showcase their contemporary and traditional fine art and high quality craft. Art enthusiasts stroll the concourse of its world-famous venue, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, transformed into an artisan village and festive outdoor marketplace with thousands of one-of-a-kind pieces of art for sale amid live entertainment with jazz melodies floating on the air; perfect cocktails and foodies’ delights available in the shaded open-air pavilion; and hands-on artist demonstrations ranging from textile weaving, painting, and sculpting.

Click Here to Return to Local Area Menu

Click Here to Return to Home Page