Nightlife

As recently as 20 years ago, the concept of “nightlife” in Palm Springs was limited to a handful of lounges with DJs or the occasional live group, playing tunes for two different crowds—the early 20-somethings or the late 60-somethings. Antiquated “cabaret” ordinances in the city of Palm Springs, which has the valley’s only real downtown, banned outdoor dining and made it mandatory that neighborhoods around the downtown area were quiet after 9 p.m. This put a severe crimp on any high-stepping, hip-shaking, hollering fun. When the sun went down in the desert, people had dinner and went to bed early, all the better to get up for a dawn tee time or a few laps around the pool.

As Palm Springs began dying on the economic vine, the market forced a change, and in the late 1980s the city created Thursday night VillageFest to attract locals to the downtown area and encourage visitors to come early for the weekend.

VillageFest turned the sleepy downtown into a vibrant, crowded party where shops, restaurants, and bars stayed open late to entice business from the street fair. At about the same time, The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies opened downtown, followed by several new nightclubs and restaurants with live music. Cafes put tables and chairs out on the sidewalks. People started going to bed a little later and playing golf a little later the next morning.

In the large resort hotels, nightclubs, and dance spots opened to entertain guests and became favorite local hangouts. Then the casinos came along and stepped up the pace once again.

Desert nights have changed considerably in the past 20 years, but the variety and quality of entertainment is still nowhere near what you will find in Los Angeles, San Diego, or the beach communities in Southern California.

Sometimes there are too many fun things happening to get to all of them in one visit. The next time you come, you may find nothing but a few bars with recorded music. If that happens, do what the locals do—go to bed early and pop up the next morning for another day of brilliant sunshine.

One benefit of the desert’s laid-back attitude is the rarity of cover charges. Only a few nightclubs routinely charge at the door, and those that do will rarely have a cover charge on Sunday through Thursday nights. We have noted those establishments with a cover charge policy. It is always a good idea to call ahead to verify this, particularly on weekend nights in season. One thing to keep in mind is the age requirement for entering casinos—it’s 21, though families can bring their children to eat in the casino restaurants.