Season is upon us in the desert so there are lots of great events going on. Be sure to check out the entire calendar!
TOUCH-A-TRUCK FAMILY FUN DAY
Nov. 2, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Location: Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert, 71701 Gerald Ford Drive, Rancho Mirage. Phone: 760.321.0602 From Big Rigs to emergency vehicles, there will be plenty of trucks for your kids to explore. Come enjoy music, entertainment, and more. Price: $9.95 museum admission.
FAMILY FUN: MAKERSPACE SUNDAYS
Nov. 3, & Dec.1, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Location: Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert, 71701 Gerald Ford Drive Rancho Mirage. Phone: 760.321.0602 Price: $9.95 museum admission. MakerSpace Sundays are held in the MakerSpace area in the Annenberg Gallery the first Sunday of the month (children need an adult partner). No additional fee for the workshop, cost is included in the Daily Admission Pass.
DATE HARVEST FESTIVAL
Nov. 9, noon to 10:00 p.m. Location: Rancho Las Flores Event Venue, 48400 Van Buren, Coachella. Price: $20 adults, Family Pass (2 Adults and 2 Kids under 12) $30, children under 12 and Veterans with ID are free. Date Harvest Festival is a one-day artisan food festival celebrating Coachella Valley’s incredible date industry. Families will enjoy food, best in show competitions, live music from the Los Lonely Boys and many more. There will be dates of all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Fun for the whole family!
ALOHANA PALM SPRINGS
Nov. 9, 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Location: 2300 E Baristo Rd, Palm Springs. Announcing ALOHANA, A Palm Springs Celebration of Tiki Culture with a Tiki Marketplace. Enjoy hula performances and lessons, a historical talk with Sven Kirsten, the signature ALOHANA cocktail in the Tiki Lounge, live music and DJ along with a film interactive performance produced by Among Friends. Tickets: Tiki Marketplace $5; Tiki Marketplace and interactive movie $20. For more information email alohanapalmsprings@gmail.com.
PALM SPRINGS VETERANS DAY PARADE
Nov. 11, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Location: Downtown Palm Springs. The City of Palm Springs proudly presents the 23rd annual Palm Springs Veterans Day Parade on Monday, November 11 at 3:30 p.m. on Palm Canyon Drive. The parade lasts approximately one hour and concludes with a post-parade patriotic concert and fireworks finale at the intersection of Amado Road and Palm Canyon Drive. For more information, visit www.psveteransday.com
FALL FAMILY FESTIVAL
Presented By: About Families Inc. Nov. 17, 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Location: La Quinta Community Park, 77865 Avenida Montezuma, La Quinta. Join us for fun, entertainment, resources and more at The 13th Annual Fall Family Festival. Free Admission.
A MIRACLE ON EL PASEO
Nov. 17, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Location: The shops on El Paseo, 73061 El Paseo, Ste. 200, Palm Desert. Ticket pricing: Adults (21 and over) – $50, Youths (6 – 20) – $15. Billed as “the most festive party of the year,” this annual holiday soirée takes over the west end of Palm Desert’s ritzy El Paseo shopping boulevard with a five-story Ferris wheel, fashion presentations, local eats, a visit from Santa, a tree lighting and live entertainment. The event benefits local cancer-fighting nonprofit Bighorn Bam. bighornbam.net.
CATHEDRAL CITY HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL & FOOD TRUCK FIESTA
Nov. 22-24. Visit www.hotairballoonfest.com for schedule of daily events and specific locations. The events include balloon tether rides, night time balloon glow, romantic dinners, sunrise pancake breakfasts, hot air balloon rides, musical entertainment, gourmet food, Kids’ Zone family-friendly activities and so much more! General admission to the Balloon Festival is free; however, tickets and/or passes are required to participate in certain activities throughout the weekend.
WILDLIGHTS
Nov. 23 – Dec. 24, 6-9 p.m. Location: The Living Desert, 47900 Portola Ave., Palm Desert. Price: Adults $12, Members / Military (with ID) $10, Children (3 – 12 years old) $10, Children (under 3) free. Nearly a million twinkling lights deck The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens for WildLights, a holiday season mainstay in the Coachella Valley. Stroll the string-lit pathways, ride a camel, and check out the model trains with more than 3,300 feet of specially decorated track. WildLights begins November 23 and runs select nights through December 24.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS FEST
Hosted by DuBarry Hay Charitable Foundation and Old Town La Quinta. Nov. 29, 1:00 – 7:00 p.m. Location: Old Town La Quinta. Free admission, all ages! 100% of raffle proceeds benefit the DuBarry Hay Charitable Foundation to create and bolster mental health initiatives for teens and young adults in the Coachella Valley.
CHRISTMAS IN PARIS
Nov. 30, 11 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Location: The Shops on El Paseo, 73061 El Paseo Ste. 200, Palm Desert. Do you hear what I hear? It’s Christmas in Paris at The Shops on El Paseo! Join the fun, fantasy and five-star food trucks at this year’s Christmas Walk on El Paseo and celebrate the magic of the holiday season. Enjoy enchanting holiday decorations, live music, street performers and your chance for an insta-worthy seasonal selfie inside our Giant Snow Globe!
BREAKFAST WITH SANTA
Dec. 1, 14 and 21 at 9:00 a.m. Location: La Quinta Resort, 49499 Eisenhower Drive, La Quinta. La Quinta Resort & Club presents Breakfast and Holiday Photos with Santa! Each of the three days begin with a 9:00 a.m. seating at Morgan’s Restaurant with a buffet style breakfast. Bloody Mary/Mimosa Bar additional charge. $35 adults/$25 children Resort Guests/Club Members; $40 adults/ $30 children Non-Resort Guests/Locals. To Make a Reservation Call: 760.564.4111.
TUBA CHRISTMAS
Dec. 6, 3:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. Location: The River at Rancho Mirage, 71800 Hwy 111, Rancho Mirage. Free public concert (beginning at 6PM) of holiday favorites played on a variety of instruments of the Tuba Family … a real “Heavy Metal” band!
CITY OF LA QUINTA TREE LIGHTING
Presented By: City of La Quinta. Dec 6, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Location: La Quinta Civic Center Campus, 78495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta. Everyone is invited to celebrate the holiday season in La Quinta’s very own winter wonderland. The Tree Lighting Ceremony will include live performances, crafts, cookies, hot cocoa, pictures with Santa, and complimentary rides around Civic Center Park on a holiday train! This event is free and all ages are welcome.
INDIO INTERNATIONAL TAMALE FESTIVAL
Dec. 7-8, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday; 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Location: Oldtown Indio between Hwy 111 and Indio Blvd. Festival fills the streets of Miles, Towne, Smurr & Requa with live music, rides, vendors of all kinds, and, of course, tamales! The event draws an average 100,000 tamale-hungry attendees. The festival has been running since 1992 and is a “Top Ten Food Festival” as voted by The Food Network.
PLAYTIME WITH SANTA
Presented By: The Gardens on El Paseo and El Paseo Village. Dec. 7, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Location: The Gardens on El Paseo – center lawn area, 73545 El Paseo, Palm Desert. Join The Gardens on El Paseo and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Desert for Playtime with Santa. Pose for photos with Santa, have your face painted, a balloon creation twisted or just lounge on the Center Lawn enjoying lawn games. A $15 donation to participate benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Desert. Snowfall at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS PARADE
Dec. 7, 5:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Location: Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. The Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade kicked off in the early 1990’s along Palm Canyon Drive and has been held every year since on the first Saturday in December — becoming a much-loved holiday tradition in downtown Palm Springs! The parade allows residents and visitors to celebrate the spirit and joy of the holiday season. Over the past 22 years, the parade has featured a host of marching bands, performing groups as well as the Budweiser Clydesdales, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Snoopy and the Gang — and of course Santa and Mrs. Claus! Yet more than anything else, it is the parade’s signature floats adorned in thousands of colorful holiday lights and huge Macy’s-style balloons that keeps the crowds coming back for more!
NORTH POLE VILLAGE AND SNOWFEST
Dec. 14, 11 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Location: Cathedral City Civic Center, 68700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero, Cathedral City. This free annual event captures all the holiday spirit and places it at one location with a beautifully lit Main Street at Santa’s North Pole featuring holiday music and carolers. Children’s bike giveaways start at 5:30 followed by the holiday tree lighting ceremony at 6:00 pm. After the ceremony, be sure to stay for the arrival of Santa and a photo opp. There’s also a 20,000 Candy Cane Drop, Snow Bubble Play for Kids, a free movie at the Mary Pickford Theatre, free ice skating passes to Desert Ice Castle, and a silent auction featuring “Charlie Brown Christmas Trees” decorated by local celebrities benefitting the Cathedral City Boys and Girls Club. There will also be an outdoor market featuring holiday arts & crafts, food, treats, and beverages including hot chocolate and cider.
