Things to do / Travel Guide
January
Every year, Palm Springs plays host to the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films in mid-January. Featuring over 350 new shorts from around the world and more than 20,000 attendees a year, it's one of the country's largest film festivals catering to short films.
In addition, the unique Golf Cart Parade is a one-of-a-kind family-friendly event featuring uniquely-decorated golf carts, marching bands, and costumed characters parading through the streets. It makes for a pretty strange and interesting spectacle - a sure sight to see on the second Sunday of each January.
February
In early February, there's the Verizon Tour de Palm Springs bike event. Open to any willing cyclist, participants race through the streets of Palm Springs through several different courses, all in the name of charity and good fun.
For almost two decades, the Death Valley Trail Marathon and 30K have been challenging runners each February. Runners in this race take on miles and miles of scenic wilderness trail on a gravel jeep road.
March
In mid-March, Palm Springs is host to the Palm Springs Native American Film Festival and Cultural Weekend. The festival showcases a dozen feature and short films produced by Native Americans, all shown at the Camelot theaters. Every year the festival ends with a gala dinner and includes panel discussions of the films, an art exhibit, and Native American musical performances.
In late-March each year, Big Bear Lake is home to the annual Springfest and Brewfest, two beer-filled and sun-drenched ways to usher in the springtime. Springfest is known for its famous crazy pond skimming competition, while Brewfest is a great opportunity to sample local breweries' latest recipes. Pond skimming, for the uninitiated, is a “sport” (or something like sport) popular in ski towns, where “contestants” race down a ski slope and try to skid across a strip of ice cold snowmelt, often with outlandish costumes and a flair for improvisation. As you can imagine, the typical run ends with the contestant crashing into the water less than half way across, and as you can also imagine, the “sport” goes well with beer.
April
In the beginning of April each year, Big Bear Lake hosts the annual Bear Mountain Beer Festival. The day of beer, food, and fun in the cool air of early spring in the mountains is well worth attending.
Held in late-April in Indio, the Coachella Valley Music Festival is a three-day multimedia experience featuring top entertainment acts like Coldplay and Weezer, as well as all types of food and art exhibits. Tickets are on the expensive side, costing about $80 for a single day with discounts for multi-day or weekend-long passes.
May
In Big Bear Lake in early May, the family-friendly Spring Air Fair brings arts and crafts, games, and live entertainment to the resort town's charming outdoor beer garden.
Palm Springs' renowned Smooth Jazz Festival draws jazz artists from around the country to perform at this annual fundraiser, held in the Indian Canyons Golf Club in Palm Springs each May.
June
Fans of classic film noir will be in heaven at the annual Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs. Held in early June, the festival features the classic black-and-white films at the Camelot theaters.
Cool sounds and beautiful mountain scenery are the name of the game in mid-June in Big Bear Lake for the annual Big Bear Lake JazzTrax Summer Festival. The festival's shows are held nightly at the snow summit's beautiful mountaintop amphitheater.
July
Palm Springs holds two significant art events in July that are free of charge and open to the public. The Street Fair is held every morning in July with arts, crafts, food, and live entertainment throughout downtown. And every Thursday of the month the city plays host to Village Fest on Palm Canyon Road. A full of range of activities, including arts and crafts, a farmer's market, live music, and tons of food, are on offer each week.
August
Over 500 hotrods are on display during the Oldies Classic Car Show in Big Bear Lake in mid-August. Vendors, tourists, and hotrods from near and far fill the streets during this festival each year.
The small town of Idyllwild hosts the Jazz in the Pines festival each year in late August. Concerts are held in a grassy amphitheater downtown. The festival is a very popular event, so if you're prepared to pay the $45 price tag (per head), try to order tickets in advance.
September
Palm Springs' Rocktoberfest held downtown every year at the end of September is a celebration of the music of the 50s and 60s, performed live by stars of that era. The festival is also known for the classic car shows that are held in conjunction with the concert.
Big Bear Lake International Film Festival is a three-day event held in mid-September showcasing films in a variety of genres from short-length student films to animation to independent feature-length films.
October
For over 35 years Big Bear Lake has held its annual Oktoberfest. The event actually begins in mid-September and runs every weekend until the end of October. Festivities include traditional German-themed contests like log swinging and stein holding, as well as dance troupe performances, live German folk music, and the world's highest-elevation bier gartens.
For a luxurious and one-of-a-kind social event, check out the annual Dinner in the Canyons, a $200-a-plate charity event held in the Andreas Canyon in mid-October. After you polish off your gourmet meal, prepare to be wowed by Native American dance and music performances and make sure to save some time to check out the silent auction.
American Heat, the name given to the annual motorcycle and hotrod weekend held in mid-October in Palm Springs, is one of the country's premier motorcycle rallies, and is a great time to stroll around downtown, checking out the classic cars and motorcycles.
November
Art Affaire, held in early-November in Whitewater Park in the small town of Rancho Mirage in the Coachella Valley, is one of the region's premier art festivals. The beautiful mountain setting and the lingering sounds of live jazz make for a magical event.
December
If you've been to the southwest U.S. you know the cherished place that tamales hold in the cuisine. Ranked by the Food Channel as one of the United States' top 10 “All-American food festivals,” the Indio International Tamale Festival held in downtown Indio is the magnet for all tamale-lovers. Tamales are often eaten and given as gifts during the Christmas season, making for the perfect timing for this mid-December festival. The festival is free to the public and features live mariachi music, a carnival, and fireworks.
Christmas in the Village and the New Year's Down Slope Celebration are two big holiday celebrations held each year in Big Bear Lake. The town fills with carolers during Christmas in the Village event, when the whole town dons a serious Christmas holiday spirit. On New Year's, make sure to head to Snow Summit and count down to the new year with an amazing view of the nearby skiers and snowboarders gliding down the San Bernardino Mountains in a brilliant and steady stream of lights.
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