WATCH: RANCHO MIRAGE WRITERS FESTIVAL FILM CLUB, NOV. 15
This free series held the third Thursday of every month, September through June, highlights films that focus on D-Day. Rancho Mirage Writers Festival founder Jamie Kabler and Peter Bart select the lineup, and this month they’ll screen 1958 Oscar winner The Bridge on the River Kwai.
GROOVE: RODNEY CROWELL, NOV. 15
Legendary Americana musician and songwriter Rodney Crowell, who has penned tunes for everyone from Crystal Gayle to Keith Urban, brings his chart-toppers to the McCallum.
GO: WEAVING DEMONSTRATION AND COMMUNITY SALE, NOV. 15–16
Learn about the rich history of the weaving craft in its cultural context at Palm Springs Art Museum with master dyer and textile artist Porfirio Gutiérrez, who is among a small group of artisans working to preserve the use of plant and insect dyes as used for millennia in the Zapotec tradition.
GROOVE: CELTIC THUNDER, NOV. 16
Known for putting on an eclectic, theatrical show with dramatic visual effects and highly choreographed staging, this young Irish singing group blends traditional Celtic ballads with fun throwbacks. See them at the
GO: MCCORMICK’S CLASSIC CAR AUCTION, NOV. 16
Some 500 classic, sport, antique, and special-interest automobiles will cross the auction block at McCormick’s 65th annual event at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Family-operated for more than 30 years, the auction has become a fixture on the national classic- and exotic-car map. Prices range from $2,000 to $200,000, and there is also a massive car show.
WATCH: CHEECH & CHONG, NOV. 16
The stoner duo found fame with their cult film Up in Smoke and went on to produce multiple Grammy-nominated comedy albums (they won for Los Cochinos in 1973), tour successfully as stand-ups, and advocate for the advancement of cannabis decriminalization and research. They’ve reunited onstage and their tour makes a stop at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon.
PHOTOGRAPH BY @BEARLEADERCHRONICLE
GO: CATHEDRAL CITY HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL & FOOD TRUCK MASH-UP, NOV. 16–18
Featuring everyone’s favorite festival activities — such as tethered balloon rides, the nighttime balloon glow, and the pancake breakfast and hot air balloon race — this year’s event expands with a car show, kite display, fireworks, and food trucks.
SEE: MANUFACTURING VICTORY: THE ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY, NOV. 16–JAN. 20
Designed by the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, this traveling exhibit illustrates how ordinary Americans responded to President Roosevelt’s 1941 call to action in aid of England, transforming the United States from an isolationist nation reeling from the Great Depression into the world’s greatest industrial power.
WALK: COACHELLA VALLEY HEART WALK, NOV. 17
Lace up your kicks and head to the Civic Center Park in Palm Desert for a 5K in support of the American Heart Association. The festival area has a kids’ zone, food tent, and water bowls for four-legged attendees.
GROOVE: PAULA ABDUL, NOV. 17
If we’re being “Straight Up,” we’re still Head Over Heels for pop icon Paula Abdul, who makes a desert appearance at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.
GO: PROPS & HOPS CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL, NOV. 17
Craft beer and historic aircraft are a winning combo at this annual beer fest, where attendees can sample suds from more than 25 craft breweries and also sign up to ride in vintage military planes. Take your pick from the P-51 Mustang, C-47 Skytrain, and B-25 Executive Sweet, all of which served in combat. Plus: food trucks (including In-N-Out Burger!) and music. It’s all happening at the Palm Springs Air Museum.
palmspringspropsandhopsfestival.com
GROOVE: JOHNNY MATHIS, NOV.17
With more than 65 years in the music industry under his belt, singer Johnny Mathis is Columbia Records’ longest-signed artist. Hear him perform hits such as “Chances Are” and “It’s Not for Me to Say” at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY AGUA CALIENTE CASINO RESORT SPA
Johnny Mathis
GO: BREW IN LA QUINTA CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL, NOV. 17
Head to the Civic Center Campus in La Quinta to taste concoctions from local and regional breweries alongside eats from area
restaurants. playinlaquinta.com/brew-in-lq
GROOVE: REDWOODS REVUE, NOV. 17
The San Diego–based independent record label Redwoods presents Dani Bell and the Tarantist, the Midnight Pine, Birdy Bardot, Louise Walker, and Low Volts live at Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown.
GO: STAR PARTY, NOV. 17
Observe the inky night sky through telescopes with the Astronomical Society of the Desert at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitors Center in Palm Desert.
WATCH: BOB NEWHART, NOV. 17
Noted for his deadpan delivery, comedian Bob Newhart has been entertaining audiences around the world for more than 50 years. He has won three Grammys, hosted The Tonight Show 87 times, and starred in two eponymous television sitcoms. His stand-up act comes to the McCallum.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY RANDY RAINBOW
Randy Rainbow has three sold-out shows this weekend in Palm Springs.
GROOVE: EASTON CORBIN, NOV. 17
You’ve seen him at Stagecoach — twice — now catch the platinum-selling country star onstage at Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella.
GO: A MIRACLE ON EL PASEO, NOV. 17
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, and live entertainment. An average 2,500 attend, and the event benefits local cancer-fighting nonprofit Bighorn Bam.
WATCH: RANDY RAINBOW, NOV. 17–18
YouTube star and comedian Randy Rainbow delivers two evenings of musical spoofs as part of the Outlandish Palm Springs performance series at the Palm Springs Cultural Center.
SEE: SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS FROM THE GLASS COLLECTION OF ARLENE AND HAROLD SCHNITZER, NOV. 17–MARCH 31
Well-known collectors of fine art Arlene and Harold Schnitzer assembled an astute array of glass objets d’art on their travels around the world. Curated by Katherine Hough, this collection showing at the Palm Springs Art Museum marks their menagerie’s first public showing in California.
GO: FALL FAMILY FESTIVAL, NOV. 18
This neighborhood festival at La Quinta Community Park along Avenida Montezuma draws an average 3,000 attendees for activities like pony rides, a petting zoo, a rock wall, and live entertainment.
LISTEN: AMERICA-RUSSIA RELATIONS: EVOLVING OR DISSOLVING? NOV. 18
As part of its annual speaker series, the World Affairs Council of the Desert presents Jonathan Adelman, a professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at University of Denver, in a discussion of global affairs over dinner at Thunderbird Country Club.