Your Handy Gay Guide to IGLTA 2025 in Palm Springs
Get the scoop on what to do between the 2025 IGLTA Global Convention in Palm Springs – from quick eats between panels to poolside after‑parties and cultural escapes, we’ve got your all‑in‑one guide to maximizing fun and forging queer connections here in Gay Palm Springs!
Palm Springs will be hosting the IGLTA Global Convention for the very first time, from October 21–25, 2025 – cementing our status as the gay travel capital of the desert (maybe the planet). You can expect international queer tastemakers, industry insiders, and wide‑smiling gay men flocking to our sun‑soaked oasis.
With over 325 days of sunshine and nearly 50% LGBTQ-identified population – our little desert oasis embodies gay belonging on a grand scale. So if this is your first time here in Palm Springs, breathe deep, let that mid‑century modernism envelope you, and get ready to live your best gay life for the week!
If you have anything you’d like to contribute to this article, please email us (and let us know why).
In the meantime, here’s Your Handy Gay Guide to IGLTA 2025 in Palm Springs 😎
Before the Convention: Arrive, Unpack, Explore
Touchdown & Checkin
Palm Springs International Airport delivers you in style in our newly renovated (renovations ongoing to be exact) adorable (outdoor!) airport. 🛬 For an immediate taste of Palm Springs, grab a quick espresso at The Pink Door – located conveniently near baggage claim – before you hop in your Uber.
Tell your driver to drive down 3400 E Tahquitz Canyon Way (they likely will by default for at least a few blocks) so you can see the "Pillars of Palm Springs" project – a showcase six art installations on the median of Tahquitz Canyon Way, running from the Airport to Palm Canyon Drive. You’ll literally see for yourself how much community matters here!
Check into a gay‑owned or queer‑friendly resort. Palm Springs has more gay resorts than anywhere on Earth: 11 inside the city and another in nearby Cathedral City. Many are clothing-optional resorts for men-only (that range from mild to wild, depending on your interests). Browse Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels for the most mid-century-made-modern boutique hotels you can imagine. Or check out our Best Clothing-Optional (Men-Only) Resorts in Gay Palm Springs and Santiago, Descanso & Twin Palms Resorts: A Three-Way Comparison articles.
First Night Vibe-Check
Keep it low‑key and ease into vacation mode Stroll through downtown Palm Springs. It’s very walkable and brimming with restaurants and shops that will infuse the spirit of Palm Springs as fast as you get there from the airport.
We love shops like Peepa’s (and new Peepa’s Men’s Store), Destination PSP, and GayMart in the Arenas district (our official gayborhood district).
While you’re on Arenas, pop in for happy hour at one of our beloved local queer watering holes, like Blackbook (great bar food too!), Dick’s on Arenas (hey, daddy!), or QUADZ (video bar)!
Then eat your heart out at Ponzu (sushi), Clandestino (Mexican), or Ash & Vine (American fusion).
If you find yourself downtown on a Thursday and you aren’t *too* allergic to families with children – check out Palm Springs Village Fest, a weekly Thursday night street fair for local craft vendors and food trucks. Or walk on over to the Palm Springs Art Museum (Thursday nights are free for locals) and grab a bite at Livs.
Check out our Hot & Delicious: 5 New Palm Springs Openings You Need To Try, Best Gay Shopping in Palm Springs and The Best Sex Shops and Adult Play Gear for Gay Men in Palm Springs for further inspo ;)
Between Sessions: Quick Escapes That Won’t Hijack Your Schedule
Eats & Pick-Me-Ups
There are lots of options nearby the Palm Springs Convention Center. It helps to remember that everything is less than a 10 minute drive in any given direction in this town – and there’s really no traffic (yay)!
If you want to sneak away for a lunch break, grab a sandwich at Sherman’s Deli & Bakery or something with chicken over at Chicken Ranch – quick, delicious, and curated for ease.
Koffi is known for its coffee, baked goods, egg sandwiches, sandwich wraps, and local charm. It’s great if you're darting back to the Convention Center between panels. With three locations in town, your closest location will be Koffi Central, which is walkable from the Convention Center.
Pocket Escapes
If you can squeeze in 45 minutes or less, escape to the Moorten Botanical Garden. It’s not a big place, and it’s pure cacti and botanical bliss!
If you want a dose of creative inspiration, check out the Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center or The Lofts Art District. And while you’re there, drop in Revivals for some thrifting (because you’ll also be helping humans in need through AIDS support via DAP Health)!
And if you’re looking for ALL of the pink we have in Palm Springs, swing by Trixie Motel – a pink paradise located in uptown Palm Springs, opened by Drag Race icon Trixie Mattel. If you can’t afford to stay there, you’ll be glad you at least saw it. There’s even an entire HBO series you can watch about the making of it – appropriately titled Trixie Motel.
Search Homes at Modern Living Palm Springs
Evening Shenanigans: When Palm Springs Comes Alive
Late-Night Culture
For more cocktail kitsch, check out PS Air Bar – Palm Springs only aviation themed restaurant & speakeasy bar, located (hidden) inside of the Bouschet market. You’ll be seated in first class seats (literally), and there might even be a drag queen or lounge singer serenading you throughout the evening.
And nothing says Palm Springs like The Purple Room – an old-Hollywood chic supper club hosting intimate entertainment accompanied by a classic surf 'n' turf menu. This is one of the regular spots the Rat Pack used to perform back in the day!
If retro kitsch is your after-conference vibe, check out the Art Museum’s somewhat secretive evening programming or a moonlit stroll around Forever Marilyn – a 26-foot tall Marilyn Monroe statue by artist Seward Johnson. The statue is now located in Palm Springs Downtown Park in front of the Palm Springs Art Museum (100 feet to the right of where she used to be more prominently placed)... Why was she moved when locals overwhelmingly wanted her to stay put? Because apparently Trina Turk wanted it that way 💸
Nightlife, The Gay Way
The Arenas District is where all the gays gather, of course. It’s a short block with plenty of bar hopping to be had. Look for the iconic “DRAG QUEEN CROSSING” caution sign, and consider it a warm welcome from a local drag queen. 👑
For a complete list of all events, drag shows, and weekly happy hours, visit our friends at Gay Desert Guide!
Just a short drive from Arenas, the popular Tool Shed is always hopping on Sunny Dunes Road – the original leather + Levi bar in Palm Springs. There’s plenty of cruising to be had there, especially on “Underwear Night” Thursdays and “Beer Bust” Sundays.
If you’re feeling extra thirsty, Club 541 – Palm Springs only sex club – is just a short walk across the street. Need we say more? 😈
After the Convention: Prolong Your Desert Paradise
Embrace the Nature
Go for an unforgettable hike in Indian Canyons or Tahquitz Canyon – peace, natural beauty, and powerful inspiration all wrapped into a mid-afternoon escape.
If you’ve got a half-day to kill, take a ride up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to Mt. San Jacinto State Park – the second-highest mountain range in Southern California. Once you reach the Mountain Station (elevation 8,516 feet above), you’ll have two restaurants and a bar to choose from, observation decks, over 50 miles of hiking trails, and THE most stunning views of the Coachella Valley there are.
If you’ve got a car rental or bike rental from BIKE Palm Springs Rentals, why not check out what Palm Springs modernism is all about? Neighborhood tours are one of the most inspiring things to do here because Palm Springs has one of the most concentrated collections of mid-century modern homes on the planet! It’s not difficult to stumble upon one of the many midcentury gems we have around here – just drive through virtually any neighborhood!
From Twin Palms to Old Las Palmas, each distinct neighborhood is perfect for Insta-mood shots that showcase Palm Springs at its most iconic. Neighborhood tours are the next best thing to Modernism Week.
Explore on your own, or check out our MCM Architecture Self-Guided Tour (complete with GPS directions)!
Count Your Blessings – And All Of Your New Friends
In Palm Springs, friendships form as easily as cocktail orders. Whether you're chatting with a fellow delegate by the pool or meeting new locals at a bar, Palm Springs is built for connection.
And let’s be real: year-round fabulous weather, plus gay-owned resorts, drag-run hotels, and a culture that embraces you like nowhere else – that’s the kind of hospitality that turns fleeting visits into lasting memories and friendships. So come for the IGLTA conference, stay for everything else. You’ll find your people here.
What brings you to this year’s IGLTA 2025 Conference? Let us know!
Curious About Buying, Selling, or Relocating?
In addition to being one half of The Palm Springs Guys – Glen Nadeau is one of Palm Springs’ top-producing Realtors, known for his no-pressure approach, deep market expertise, and genuine commitment to his clients.
A member of The Caldwell & Linger Group – ranked a Top Real Estate Team by Palm Springs Life Magazine – Glen is also backed by COMPASS, which remains the #1 ranked brokerage in the country. Glen takes great pride in knowing that his clients are in such good hands.
“Hospitality is what drives me because helping folks achieve their real estate goals is essentially helping them build a better life for themselves.”
Visit Modern Living Palm Springs, or reach out to me directly. Ask me anything – I promise to give you much more support than ChatGPT, Google or the news will.
Your Palm Springs Insider,
Glen Nadeau (pronounced “Ned-oh” as in “meadow”)
📱 Call or Text: 805-220-8097
📨 Email: glen.nadeau@compass.com
🔎 My Google Business Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Drag & Fly Tours: Anita Doll’s Five Eras of Palm Springs
The five eras that shaped Palm Springs – from yesterday’s sacred springs to today’s LGBTQ+ mecca – through the eyes of local drag queen Anita Doll. Her Drag & Fly Tour blends history, humor, and high camp aboard Palm Springs’ most fabulous attraction.
Gregory Douglass, Anita Doll & Glen Nadeau
Have you ever gotten Palm Springs history lessons from a drag queen on a tour bus with music videos, trivia, and actual prizes? Because that’s how we roll in the desert these days – literally.
Recently, The Palm Springs Guys experienced the iconic Drag & Fly Tours hosted by Anita Doll and Miss B. Guided (aka Rosemary Galore), and Palm Springs has never been more fabulously educational.
Anita, a former journalist turned storytelling showgirl, guides guests through five distinct eras that shaped Palm Springs into the queer desert utopia it is today – all aboard a luxury “theater on wheels” that turns history into herstory.
Thanks to Anita (a.k.a. JD Cargill), we now have a sassy, smart, and deeply thoughtful breakdown of Palm Springs’ queer-coded history – and as far as we’re concerned, it’s a theory worth considering.
If you have anything you’d like to contribute to this article, please email us (and let us know why).
In the meantime, here is Drag & Fly Tour’s Anita Doll’s five eras of Palm Springs...
Era 1: The Agua Caliente Era (Ancient–19th Century)
Cahuilla people courtesy of the Palm Springs Historical Society
Before the movie stars and muscle gays, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians were the first to call Palm Springs home – for thousands of years before Western settlers. The sacred hot springs were the literal and spiritual lifeblood of this region.
They believed in at least three genders, recognizing a “Two-Spirit” identity long before Westerners caught up. Their worldview instinctively saw gender as non-binary, rooted in spiritual and social balance – which means that this level of Queer wisdom has been around longer than all 1 million seasons of Drag Race.
The spring, still bubbling beneath the luxurious Séc-he Spa, was much more than just a spa day back then. It was survival, spirituality, and sanctuary. The stage was being set for Palm Springs eventually becoming a place of healing, transformation, and deeper connection.
In many ways, this era centers around the healing power of water – a resource so vital that it defined where and how people lived for generations.
Era 2: The Founding Mothers Era (Late 1800s–Early 1900s)
Nellie with her sons Owen and George. Photo courtesy of the Palm Springs Historical Society
The early 1900s gave us the original wellness influencers: a fierce group of women who built guest houses, sanitariums, and health retreats around those mineral-rich waters and our refreshingly dry desert air.
Enter Nellie Coffman (who built the iconic Desert Inn in 1909), Pearl McCallum, Cornelia White, Ruth Hardy, and more. These ladies created what Anita calls the “Girl Power Era,” establishing Palm Springs as a healing hideaway, rooted in the belief that the mineral-rich waters and arid desert air offered therapeutic benefits – especially for those suffering respiratory conditions.
They were building empires before they could vote, honey.
Today, their impact still echoes. The site of the Desert Inn is now home to the Rowan Hotel, and the Marilyn Monroe statue is just a stone throw away – both symbols of modern Palm Springs still standing on historic ground.
Era 3: The Hollywood’s Playground Era (1920s–1960s)
Liberace in Palm Springs
Once word got out about Palm Springs, the stars began to descend. Why? Because Palm Springs was just far enough (100 miles) from Hollywood that paparazzi wouldn't follow. Locals still refer to this as the “100 mile” rule.
Actors were also contractually obligated to still be close enough if they needed to be called into the studio last-minute. Palm Springs was the perfect escape.
Later, once cameras did arrive, the resorts were walled, gated, and gloriously hush-hush. Resorts were discreet, and owners were known for fiercely protecting their guests' privacy.
From the silent film era to the Rat Pack years, Palm Springs became a secret escape for the famous and fabulous during this era: Liberace, Rock Hudson, Truman Capote, Tallulah Bankhead, Marlene Dietrich, Cary Grant, and dozens more.
This was the era of mental health and personal freedom. Queer (but closeted) stars with “career-ending secrets” could live, love, and lounge under the radar – poolside martini in hand. 🍸
Notable venues included El Mirador, Ingleside Inn, the Desert Inn, the Oasis Hotel, and the Racquet Club (where Marilyn Monroe famously caught the eye of her agent).
Era 4: The Modernism Era (1940s–1970s)
The Sinatra House History with Piano Shaped Swimming Pool
Eventually, Hollywood’s elite stopped renting and started building.
As stars like Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope began buying and building homes, they hired the top architects of the day (now known as the Modern Masters – Albert Frey, Donald Wexler, William Krisel) to design custom homes that mirrored their liberated lives.
It was all about clean lines, indoor-outdoor living, and a fresh way of thinking – modernism as metaphor. Open floor plans met open sexuality, and a new aesthetic was born. Modernism symbolized freedom of thought and lifestyle – again tying back to health in terms of creative and personal expression.
The stars settled in, and the culture of design, art, and inclusivity blossomed. Even behind the scenes, queer influence shaped Palm Springs’ look and feel.
So next time you’re touring a MCM house in Palm Springs, remember that you’re walking through decades of queer-forward design thinking.
Search Homes at Modern Living Palm Springs
Era 5: The Queer Era (1980s–Present)
Then came the 1980s. A dark time, indeed – but also one of resilience.
As AIDS devastated our community, many sick gay men came to Palm Springs seeking the same healing energy their predecessors had. Gay men from San Francisco who were HIV+ had nowhere else to turn because the only hospitals who would treat them were here in Palm Springs. They essentially came here to die – and be cared for with dignity until then.
This marked the beginning of Desert AIDS Project (now DAP Health) – and from there, something powerful bloomed.
Palm Springs became a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community. Over the decades, a chosen family gathered: survivors, lovers, best friends, and allies. Now, it’s a place where representation reigns – from KGAY 106.5 FM to rainbow crosswalks and a majority-LGBTQ city council.
Today, inclusivity is a lifestyle here in Palm Springs: The city is now a global queer mecca, where identity is celebrated, and the healing, expression, and liberation continues.
The Common Thread: Health
As Anita brilliantly summarizes, health is the throughline across all five eras:
The Agua Caliente: Water as sacred life force
Founding Mothers: Wellness retreats in the healing desert air
Hollywood: Emotional and mental refuge
Modernism: Design as freedom of thought and spirit
Queer Era: Healing and community through crisis and recovery
Why You Belong Here, Too
Anita Doll’s Drag & Fly Tours
Whether it’s the sacred wisdom of the Agua Caliente or the fierce resilience of the queer community during the AIDS crisis, Palm Springs has always been a place of transformation, freedom, and healing – especially for those of us seeking to live our best gay lives. And thanks to Anita Doll’s Drag & Fly Tours, this rich history is now more accessible and entertaining than ever.
So, if you're planning a visit (and you absolutely should), add this drag queen-hosted joyride to your must-do list. Between the sunshine, the architecture, the pool parties, and now the most fabulous sightseeing tour on wheels, Palm Springs proves again and again that there’s nowhere quite like it.
What’s your favorite piece of Palm Springs queer history? Share your experiences!
If you’re curious to learn more about all the fun you can have here in Palm Springs and our beautiful Coachella Valley, check out some of our blog favorites, like:
Curious About Buying, Selling, or Relocating?
In addition to being one half of The Palm Springs Guys – Glen Nadeau is one of Palm Springs’ top-producing Realtors, known for his no-pressure approach, deep market expertise, and genuine commitment to his clients.
A member of The Caldwell & Linger Group – ranked a Top Real Estate Team by Palm Springs Life Magazine – Glen is also backed by COMPASS, which remains the #1 ranked brokerage in the country. Glen takes great pride in knowing that his clients are in such good hands.
“Hospitality is what drives me because helping folks achieve their real estate goals is essentially helping them build a better life for themselves.”
Visit Modern Living Palm Springs, or reach out to me directly. Ask me anything – I promise to give you much more support than ChatGPT, Google or the news will.
Your Palm Springs Insider,
Glen Nadeau (pronounced “Ned-oh” as in “meadow”)
📱 Call or Text: 805-220-8097
📨 Email: glen.nadeau@compass.com
🔎My Google Business Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️