The Desert Guide

Nightlife

Honesty first: the desert is an early town. Dinner patios fill at sunset, and much of the valley is quiet by late evening, because the best hours here are dawn and dusk and everyone plans around them. That said, there is a real night out to be had in every part of the desert, from Thursday street nights in Palm Springs to touring headliners at the arena to live music under high desert stars.

Palm Springs

Downtown Palm Springs along Palm Canyon Drive holds the densest run of bars, lounges, and late kitchens, and Thursday's VillageFest keeps the street itself lively into the evening. The city's nightlife has long been anchored by its LGBTQ bar scene, which stays the most dependable energy in town after dark. Pool time is the other half of desert nightlife; warm nights at the vacation home, with the mountains going purple, are what people come back for.

Down valley: Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, and La Quinta

Evenings down valley center on long dinners and shows. El Paseo and The River at Rancho Mirage carry the restaurant-and-a-movie kind of night, the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert books touring acts through the cooler months, and the valley's casino resorts add late tables, lounges, and concert rooms. Acrisure Arena, in the center of the valley, is where the biggest touring names land.

Joshua Tree and the high desert

Nightlife up the hill means two things: Pappy & Harriet's and the sky. The Pioneertown roadhouse draws touring bands that have no business playing a room that small, and its calendar is worth checking before your trip. After that, the show is overhead. The high desert has some of the darkest night skies in Southern California, and a patio, a blanket, and a late clear night at your vacation home beat most clubs anyway.