Donna’s Coachella Valley Entertainment Guide-Feb/Mar 2019

High Season. High Times. Salute!

It’s Hot, Hot, Hot in the Cali desert as our Entertainment High Season kicks into high gear. There are so many exciting shows, pro sports, art, and music festivals in the Coachella Valley, that making a choice is the hardest part.

My Coachella Valley Entertainment Guide provides highlights of some of our Valley’s biggest and most popular activities, events, and venues. Embedded links in the articles take you directly to the box office. Cheers!

37th La Quinta Arts Festival®

March 7-10, Thurs-Sun, 10-5PM; Tickets: $17 single day or $22 multi day pass

In the Coachella Valley, Art is as Natural as Breathing

The very essence of our Valley—its brilliant colors, abundant light, and natural beauty—infuses our minds and spirits with inspiration, sparking for many the desire to create striking works of art, architecture, and design.

#1 Fine Art Festival and #1 Fine Craft Festival in the Nation

While there are art shows and galleries in just about every city in the Valley, the La Quinta Arts Festival is in a class all its own. According to a recent press release by the La Quinta Arts Foundation, Greg Lawler’s Art Fair SourceBook (AFSB) ranked the La Quinta Arts Festival #1 in the nation for both judging categories: Fine Art and Fine Craft.

Located at the La Quinta Civic Center Campus, 78495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta. Parking is free, or $10–$15 for Valet.

La Quinta Car Show — Feb. 23, 11am–4pm

77-865 Avenida Montezuma, in La Quinta Cove. Free and open to the public. Enjoy live entertainment, food, drinks, and a beer garden. Prize-winning categories include: Best Street Rod, Best Classic, Best Muscle Car, Best Sports Car, and more.

Mid-Century Modern Homes Reign Supreme in Greater Palm Springs

11-Days, Feb. 14 – 24, 2019

This year’s Modernism Week will offer tours of the Modernism Week Show House: The Christopher Kennedy Compound 2019, five Featured Homes, and curated Signature Home Tours through Feb 24th!

The Modernism Week Show House, The Christopher Kennedy Compound, returns for its fifth year and is named by The Hollywood Reporter as the week’s “No. 1 Must-See Event.” Interior designer Christopher Kennedy brought together 14 of the nation’s most prominent and rising-star interior designers to create unique rooms in this official Show House. Set on a golf course in the posh Indian Canyons neighborhood, this stunning 1962 property is a sight to behold.

Modernism Week Tour of Featured Homes

This year, attendees will be able to tour five Featured Homes located in Palm Springs (tours occur on different days throughout the festival):

• GREEN GABLES: Designed by Palmer-Krisel and built in 1958, this original three-bedroom, two-bathroom home has been completely renovated by H3K Design. The house sits at the gateway to the Twin Palms neighborhood. Feb. 17 | Tickets: $30
• LA VIE EN ROSE: Interior designer Christopher Kennedy presents a spectacular renovation of a 1958 midcentury property in the Vista Las Palmas neighborhood. Furnishings and décor by Kennedy and his team exemplify the sophisticated California glamour for which his brand is known. It is open for tours from February 16–18 | Tickets: $30.
• DESERT EICHLER: Tour a newly built, modernized version of an original Eichler house designed by Anshen + Allen. Homeowners Brad and Heather Fox, stars of HGTV’s Stay or Sell, collaborated on the home’s interiors with fun and colorful décor, creating the perfect vacation home for their family. It is open for tours from Feb. 17–19 | Tickets: $30.
• AXIOM DESERT HOUSE: This stunning home by Turkel Design is a midcentury-inspired pre-fab home built for designers Joel and Meelena Turkel. Celebrating desert design, it is simple, elegant, and replicable. It is available for tours February 22–24 | Tickets: $30.

Signature Home Tours

A favorite of architecture fans, these tours showcase the beautiful features of our desert homes and lifestyles in neighborhoods uniquely Cali. There is still room for Modernism Week Signature Home Tours on February 24. Tour tickets are $135.

Of course, I can’t mention Palm Springs without talking golf, tennis, and polo! These three are the mainstays of professional sports in the Coachella Valley, and the primary reason (other than the warm sun, palm trees, and insane mountains) for living in and visiting here.

Golf Courses from La Quinta to Palm Springs

Golf and the Coachella Valley are almost synonymous. 28% of California’s golf courses are located here, boasting some 124 courses and at least 20 world-class destination golf resorts.

A great place to start is this Palm Springs Life Magazine article that lists golf courses for everyone from newbies to experts. Click Coachella Valley Golf Courses Challenge All Levels of Players by Judd Spicer.

PGA West Golf with its TPC Stadium, Greg Norman, and Nicklaus courses are favorites, as is The Golf Club at La Quinta.

2019 BNP Paribas Open — March 6–17, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden

The BNP PARIBAS OPEN is a Grand Slam for Tennis fans around the world!

Tennis is REALLY HUGE here. I just started playing and am totally hooked. The speed, athleticism, and fierce competitive nature of the sport provide an incredible adrenaline rush. Who knew?

All this means is that if Tennis is your go-to sport, you better get your tickets now for the BNP Paribas Open!

Click Here for Box Office Schedule and Tickets

Empire and Eldorado Polo, Indio

Sun, food, and fast ponies. There is no better way to spend your Sunday than with a glass of Chardonnay while enjoying the games.

Eldorado Polo Club: Through April 1, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Clubhouse Reservations: 760.831.7656 (POLO).

Empire Polo Club: Through Mar. 31, Sunday Polo games are open to the general public. Friday Night Polo games are offered in March on select dates.

Sunday Polo General Admission & Tailgating is FREE; parking is $20 per car.

MID FEBRUARY – MARCH 2019

Select Activities and Events. Click on the embedded links below for all the latest and upcoming events at each venue.

CITY OF LA QUINTA

• LA QUINTA CAR SHOW — Feb. 23, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  At 77-865 Avenida Montezuma, in La Quinta Cove. Free and open to the public. Enjoy live entertainment, food, drinks, and a beer garden. Prize-winning categories include: Best Street Rod, Best Classic, Best Muscle Car, Best Sports Car, and more.
• LA QUINTA FULL MOON HIKE — Feb. 19 & Mar. 20, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
  Top of the Cove at Calle Tecate & Avenida Bermudez, La Quinta. Experience a hike by moonlight! See the beauty of the shadows and the wash of moonlight on our mountains as we look for all types of night creatures along the trail. Registration begins at 6:45 p.m. RSVP Required.
• FIRST THURSDAYS AT LA QUINTA — Mar. 7 & Apr. 4, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  FREE ADMISSION. Visit Old Town La Quinta on the first Thursday of every month from November through April and enjoy live music on Main Street! Happy hour menus and drink prices are extended to 8:00 p.m. alongside regular dinner menus at Solano’s, The Grill on Main, Old Town Tavern-Barbeque & More, and Stuft Pizza Bar & Grill. Dine al fresco, shop, and experience olive oil tastings with complimentary food pairings at La Quinta Olive Oil Company!
• THE SUNDAY CERTIFIED FARMERS MARKET — Every Sunday, 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (Feb. 17, 24, Mar. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31)
  Old Town La Quinta. Fresh produce, herbs, honey, nuts, cheese, fresh-cut flower bouquets, organic meat, fresh-baked breads, olive oils, chef demonstrations, knife sharpening, and live music.
• ART ON MAIN, OLD TOWN LA QUINTA — Feb. 16, Mar. 16, & Apr. 6, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  Art on Main Street features over 100 artists each season showing and selling their paintings, jewelry, mixed media, photography, ceramics, glass, woodwork, textiles, sculptures, and more. These shows are a local favorite and an Old Town tradition, set amidst Main Street’s charming cafes and boutiques. Barry Minniefield from The Voice performs live at every show this season.

AROUND THE VALLEY

RECURRING EVENTS

• PALM DESERT FIRST WEEKEND ON EL PASEO — Through April:
  Palm Desert First Weekend is a citywide celebration on the first Friday of each month. Take to the street for exhibition openings, artist receptions, and extended gallery hours as part of the EL PASEO ART WALK from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. EL PASEO CRUISE NIGHT adds a throwback element as classic cars arrive on the upper level of The Gardens on El Paseo starting at 3:00 p.m. Meet the owners and check out these automotive beauties before they cruise the strip at 4:30 p.m. on the third Friday of February.
• 8TH ANNUAL ART PALM SPRINGS — Feb. 15–18 at the Palm Springs Convention Center
  277 North Avenida Caballeros, Palm Springs. Hours: Friday & Saturday (Feb. 15–16) from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.; Sunday (Feb. 17) from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.; Monday (Feb. 18) from Noon – 5:00 p.m. This premier art fair brings together local and international galleries, showcasing compelling modern and contemporary art.