Palm Springs Pride turns 40 this year with a smaller footprint than last year. The festival runs three days, Friday, Nov. 6 through Sunday, Nov. 8, down from the four-day Nov. 6–9 run in 2025. The festival also announced three stages, where last year's set-times page listed four. The city's share of the cost has gone the opposite direction. In October 2025 the Palm Springs City Council voted 4–0 to raise its annual Pride support from $125,000 to $350,000 through 2027, KESQ reported.
That money doesn't go to the nonprofit. According to the same KESQ report, it pays for the city's own public safety, security and logistics during the event. So the extra spending is going into the closed streets, barricades and staffing that anyone living near downtown deals with. And three days after the Pride parade, the city closes Palm Canyon Drive again for the Veterans Day Parade.
A smaller festival that still costs nothing to get in
Greater Palm Springs Pride Executive Director Jasmine Sullivan Waits spoke to the money side directly in the Oct. 2 headliner announcement.
"At a time when nonprofits and community celebrations everywhere are navigating a more challenging economic environment, we remain committed to what makes Palm Springs Pride special: keeping this celebration free, welcoming, and accessible to everyone."
The City of Palm Springs repeated that statement in its own Oct. 5 release. The city is now the Presenting Sponsor. PS Resorts is the Primary Sponsor, and The Arenas District, Heimark Distributing Company, US Bank, Tito's Vodka, Viiv Healthcare and DAP Health are Major Sponsors. The theme this year is "Be Included." You don't need a ticket for the festival, its marketplace or its stages. Pride billed its Oct. 17 Pride Equality Walk, which started in the Arenas District, as a fundraiser to keep the November parade and festival free.
The lineup has the anniversary's big names. Aubrey O'Day, a founding member of Danity Kane, and The Cowgays, the Nashville country trio of Adam Mac, Brooke Eden and Chris Housman, are headlining. As of the Oct. 2 announcement, the full performer list and stage schedules were still to come. The parade has five honorees. Fortune Feimster is National Grand Marshal and Cheyenne Jackson is Celebrity Grand Marshal. Marshall Pearcy, known as Dottie DuBois, is Pride Royalty for Life, and Gary Moline is Community Grand Marshal. Kataluna Enriquez was added as the Marsha P. Johnson Grand Marshal on Oct. 12.
What the extra money pays for
The city's higher contribution covers a specific stretch of downtown. Here's that stretch, pulled from Pride's own festival page and driving directions and FAQ, plus the city's parade season release.
| What | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Arenas Road pedestrian zone | Arenas District | Starting Thursday, Nov. 5 |
| Festival zone | Palm Canyon Drive between Amado and Baristo, Museum Way, and Arenas Road from Palm Canyon to S. Calle Encilia | Nov. 6–8 |
| Pride Parade | Palm Canyon Drive, Tachevah to Amado | Sunday, Nov. 8, 10 a.m. |
| Highway 111 closure | Closed at Via Escuela, detour to N. Avenida Caballeros | Parade day |
The Highway 111 line is easy to miss in the FAQ. Pride lists it under parade-day parking, saying Highway 111 will be closed to traffic at Via Escuela on parade day and detours will send drivers to N. Avenida Caballeros. Pride hasn't published closure hours for the Arenas pedestrian zone, only that it starts Nov. 5.
The Arenas District Block Party on Friday, Nov. 6 kicks off the weekend, but the time depends on where you look. Pride's schedule says 6 to 11 p.m. Visit Palm Springs' Pride guide says 3 to 10:30 p.m. Check pspride.org before you plan dinner around it. On the same block, Hunters Palm Springs is listed for "Pride On Arenas" all three days, with posted hours of 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Where Pride itself says to park
Pride's FAQ tells people to park away from Palm Canyon Drive and get there early, since regular downtown parking runs out once the parade starts. These spots are all a 5- to 10-minute walk from the action.
- Downtown Parking Garage, entered from Belardo Road behind the Hyatt, across from the Palm Springs Art Museum. Free, with a four-hour limit.
- The 1,200-space underground structure south of Belardo at Tahquitz.
- Downtown Parking Structure, 275 S. Indian Canyon Drive. Time is limited here.
- Prairie Schooner Parking Lot at Calle El Segundo and Andreas, behind the Hilton. Andreas Road toward Calle El Segundo also has space.
- E. Amado Road and nearby side streets toward the Convention Center.
For the parade only, Pride also suggests Ruth Hardy Park, about a third of a mile east of Palm Canyon on Tamarisk, and Katherine Finchey Elementary, about half a mile east on Tachevah. Both are close to the northern start of the route, which makes them the easiest choice if you live in the neighborhoods around Tachevah and Tamarisk.
The same street, three days later
On Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 3:30 p.m., the 29th annual City of Palm Springs Veterans Day Parade runs Palm Canyon Drive from Ramon north to Alejo. This year's theme is "Honoring All Who Served." Afterward there's a patriotic concert and fireworks with the 300th Army Reserve Band. Visit Palm Springs lists the concert and fireworks at Amado Road and Palm Canyon Drive. That's the intersection where the Pride parade finishes on Sunday.
The two parades have very different schedules. Pride takes a whole Sunday morning plus a weekend of festival setup and nightly crowds. Veterans Day is a weekday afternoon and evening, so the closure lands during school pickup and the commute home rather than during brunch. The city hasn't posted closure times or detours for it, so the parade's start time is the best guide for planning a Wednesday errand. NBC Palm Springs will carry the Veterans Day Parade live.
Seeing the parade without a curb spot
If you'd rather skip the crowds on Sunday, the Pride parade airs live on KCWQ CW 5 and KESQ.com starting at 10 a.m. on Nov. 8. Patrick Evans and Angela Chen are hosting, with Katie Boer reporting from the route. Gulf California Broadcast Company is this year's main broadcast sponsor.
Two grand marshals have ticketed shows that same evening, separate from the free festival. Cheyenne Jackson performs at McCallum Theatre at 6 p.m., and Fortune Feimster plays the Plaza Theatre at 8 p.m.
The run of parades keeps going after November. The 34th annual Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade closes Palm Canyon Drive again on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 5:45 p.m., with the theme "Desert Dreaming: A Retro Holiday." NBC Palm Springs will broadcast that one live as well. Then the 40th annual Palm Springs Black History Month Parade and Town Fair is set for Saturday, Feb. 27, 2027, starting at 11 a.m. downtown. Pride's final stage schedule and any updates to the block party times will be posted on pspride.org, which has the most current information through Nov. 8.
Bernal Smith Group has supported Coachella Valley Pride scholarships and The Center in Palm Springs for years, and we're looking forward to Pride's 40th. If you're hosting friends from out of town that weekend and want help planning around the closures, or just want to talk through which parking spots work best for your part of town, contact us. We'll get back to you quickly.
