All You Need to Know About The Dinah Shore Weekend 2014
By Stephanie Brooke Smith
In a little less than a month from now, the largest, and most well-known lesbian events in the world is coming for its 24th annual festivities in Palm Springs! Yep, you guessed it: The Dinah Shore Weekend, presented by Club Skirts, is here once again ladies! This event, April 2 through the 6th, is 5 days of non-stop celebration that includes performances by top recording artists, sporting events, pool parties, and a variety of other fun and exciting entertainment. Somewhere in the midst of all of these festive activities, is the chance to make multiple social connections, make new friends, run into some familiar faces, and maybe even fall head over heels in love with one of the many lovely ladies that will be out celebrating right alongside you. Hey don’t think this can’t happen because love is an unstoppable force of nature and with a city full of lesbians, it can’t be stopped. My advice to you: lay back and let it all in ladies, have fun at all of the events, but don’t forget to keep yourself open to possibilities, the possibilities of freedom, friendship, and love.
Along with this, The Dinah gives us all the chance to actually embrace who we really are and who we have the potential to become. What better way to make friends or to fall in love than by being your true self? We are free to be ourselves: no cover up, no more hiding behind a fictitious façade, and no more masking our true feelings: the world is ours for the taking and I, for one, am going to take full advantage of that!
Now, before we go and take on the world, here are the details of what you can expect to encounter at this year’s Dinah Shore Weekend:
On Wednesday, April 2, is the Official Pre-Party to kick off Dinah Shore Weekend at the Hilton Hotel. Then on Thursday night at 8 p.m., we’ve got “The Dinah Comedy Night” that will be hosted by Suzanne Westenhoefer. The event will be headlined by Fortune Feimster from “Chelsea Lately” on E! alongside the British comedian Gina Yashere that you all probably saw on Last Comic Standing. These two comics will be joined by stand-up comedian Erin Foley. You are guaranteed to have a great night full of laughter and good times. The Dinah Opening Party kicks off Thursday evening at Zeldaz Nightclub with music by the masterful DJ ILL G.
To keep the party going, we’ve got the TGIDF (Thank God It’s Dinah Friday) Pool Party! There will be a live performance by R&B artist Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King and a live Sirius XM Radio broadcast that is bound to keep you dancing away the afternoon with all the sexy ladies in their little bikinis.
And coming back this year is The Dinah Film Festival at the Hilton Hotel on Friday, April 4 at 8:00 p.m. Produced by award-winning filmmaker JD DiSalvatore the Dinah film Festival will showcase a variety of quality lesbian films including “Dyke Central” and the short film “Secrets & Toys.”
Later on Friday night, you better put on your dancing shoes and be ready to strut your stuff at The Dinah White Party. There will be a special performance by the first female and non-American hip-hop artist Iggy Azalea. This party has been dubbed the “largest Friday night party for women on the planet” and I have no doubt that Iggy Azalea will rap this statement into truth. Later in the evening, there will be celebrity red carpet arrivals and Curve Magazine’s VIP Party as well.
On Saturday, starting bright, but not too early, at 10 a.m. is the exclusive L Word Pool Party. This is one wet and wild adventure that you don’t want to miss ladies-it’s known for being “the largest lesbian pool party in the world!” Not only is this pool party going to be the largest of its kind, it is going to feature thousands of smoking hot women in tiny bikinis laying poolside being rocked by some fine DJs at the Hilton Hotel main pool. Plus an exclusive performance by Hunter Valentine, the alternative indie pop rock band and stars of “The Real L Word” Season 3, that will set the mood just right for the rest of the evening’s pleasures.
To keep the rhythm going, stick around and watch the Battle of the DJs! The Dinah is bringing this new element into the mix this year, which will be hosted by Dinah’s resident DJs Lezlee, Asha, Lisa Pittman, Saratonin and Amara. This battle will consist of two rounds over the course of two days featuring some of the best DJs on the West Coast.
In addition to the L Word Pool Party, The Dinah Pool Party II will be in full swing at The Saguaro where it’s the prime time to get your retro on with old school music playing while you relax poolside at “the hippest pool in Palm Springs.”
Later on Saturday evening, the headliners of this year’s musical performances, Tegan and Sara, will be coming through Palm Springs in honor of The Dinah while on their “Heartthrob” world tour. They will be putting on a concert just for you at 7:30 p.m. at the Palm Springs Convention Center. If you still feel like partying after watching Tegan and Sara, stick around for The Black Party, which is “the largest party of the weekend.” There will a special performance by EVE!
The Dinah will also be playing host to the “Celebrity Poker Tournament” with all the proceeds going to the Human Rights Campaign. The celebrity poker players include Jill Bennett from “Second Shot”, Chef K from “The Taste”, Guinevere Turner from “American Psycho”, Ari Fitz from “The Real World Ex-Plosion”, and Francine Beppu from “The Real L Word” among others.
The next morning at 10 a.m., is The Wet and Wild Pool Party at the Hilton Hotel main pool. If you drank too much the night before, take tons of aspirin and drink lots of water or just keep on drinking what you had the night before, no one will judge you-promise! Plus, there will be a special performance by Mary Lambert, widely known for her vocal work with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in the pro-equality song “Same Love”.
Later on Sunday night, is The Dinah Closing Party at Zeldaz Nightclub. There will be a live performance by Thea Austin, former lead singer of Snap! and successful solo artist, that will bring The Dinah Shore Weekend to a much dreaded, but necessary, close.
Well, the party does have to end sometime, but you will definitely have memories that will last a lifetime. The Dinah is a one-of-a-kind experience and you’ll probably need a good couple of weeks to recuperate fully from all of the excitement from 5 days of constant celebration. Be sure to live it up while you can because we are never guaranteed to have a tomorrow. Try not to miss a thing if you can help it, The Dinah, well that’s one thing you definitely do not want to miss. See you there!
IF YOU GO
Dinah Shore Weekend 2014
April 2 – 6
Palm Springs, CA
Info: www.clubskirts.com
