cathedral city hot air balloons

Things to Do This Week, Nov. 18-25

Thirty colorful hot air balloons descend on Cathedral City, the Palm Springs Air Museum appeals to beer and foodie lovers, and Miracle on El Paseo launches the holidays.

JIM POWERS Attractions, Current Digital

cathedral city hot air balloons
Cathedral City brings together 30 hot air balloons, 15 food trucks, live music and more.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY DISCOVER CATHEDRAL CITY
GO: STEVEN FALES, CONFESSIONS OF A MORMAN BOY / THROUGH JAN. 2020

Steven Fales is launching a five-month residency at Hotel Zoso with its “Storytelling Tuesdays” series. Previews begin Sept. 10, leading up to a lavish opening night event Oct. 22. The one-man show tells the story of what happened to Fales and his gay brothers and sisters in the Mormon Church at the turn of the millennium. mormonboyexperience.com

• READ NEXT: Steve Fales Chats About The Story Behind His Performance.

GO: REACH FOR THE SKY:TRADITION + INSPIRATION / SEPT. 11 – JUNE 2020

Music legend Herb Alpert has created totem pole art after being inspired by the work of the Hunt family, and Sunnylands has brought both collections together to display in Rancho Mirage. or the first time in the United States, the new Sunnylands exhibition brings together three generations of Kwakiutl art representing the Northwest Coast’s most significant carving family: Henry Hunt, his son Stanley, and grandson Jason. sunnylands.org

GO: ELECTRICITY PLAY / sept. 17 through NOV. 26

Two once closeted men share a hotel room after their 10th high school reunion in 1983. There’s an “electricity” that draws them back to that same room after each reunion for 4 decades. Their journey is our story. It’s funny, romantic and powerful. electricitytheplay.com

• READ NEXT: Our Review of This Play.

GO: MARX BROTHERS COLLECTION / THROUGH 2019

Bill Marx, the son of Harpo Marx, loans a stunning array of memorabilia from his famous family to the Rancho Mirage Public Library with the hope of revealing a powerful legacy. ranchomiragepubliclibrary.org or harposplace.com

READ NEXT: Our Interview with Bill Marx, Who Talks About Creating Music with His Father.

GO: THE LEGACY WALL / THROUGH NOV. 23

The nationally acclaimed Legacy Wall LGBTQ history installation will make its debut in Palm Springs through Nov. 23. The Legacy Wall is a digitally interactive traveling installation that celebrates the contributions of LGBTQ people to world history and culture. You can see it Nov. 12-23 at the Palm Springs Public Library. legacyprojectchicago.org

• READ NEXT: Our Interview With the Man Behind The Legacy Wall.

GO: DINNER WITH FRIENDS AT CV REP / NOV. 6-24

The complexities of marriage and friendship are examined with wit and intelligence in Dinner with Friends, Donald Margulies’ Pulitzer Prize-winning 1998 play about two married couples who have been friends for many years at this Cathedral City theater. cvrep.org

GROOVE: Vetiver / Nov. 21

Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown is a natural setting for indie folk band Vetiver to present tracks from their 2019 album Up On High, considering that they recorded the intimate-sounding LP’s initial tracking while sitting on the floor of a house in the High Desert. pappyandharriets.com

GROOVE: Mariachi Flor de Toloache & The Villalobos Brothers / Nov. 22

Named after a Mexican plant traditionally used as a love potion, Mariachi Flor de Toloache is New York City’s first and only all-female mariachi band. The Villalobos Brothers craft timeless Mexican folk music and have performed at the Latin Grammys. Both groups appear at the McCallum Theatre for a night of crackerjack canciones. mccallumtheatre.com

• READ NEXT: More on McCallum  Theatre's unique musical acts this season.

MariachiFlordeToloache

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY MCCALLUM THEATRE

Mariachi Flor de Toloache is New York City’s first and only all-female mariachi band.

groove: Paul Anka / Nov. 22

This Canadian musician began his career as a teen idol in the late 1950s and went on to release hits like 1974’s “(You’re) Having My Baby” and pen chart-toppers for Tom Jones and Frank Sinatra. He honors Sinatra with his latest tour, which includes a show at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. fantasyspringsresort.com

• READ NEXT: Paul Anka Talks About Dedicating His Tour to Frank Sinatra.

GO: Cathedral City Hot Air Balloon Festival & Food Truck Fiesta / Nov. 22–24

Hot air balloons have been carrying people into the skies since 1783. Though this signature festival’s history is a bit briefer (in its sixth year in Cathedral City), it grows in scope each edition. This year’s event features 30 colorful balloons (and an exciting balloon race), 15 food trucks, an “Instagram garden,” a health and wellness fest, live music, and more at locations throughout Cathedral City. The Saturday Festival Balloon Flight over Cathedral City is sold out. hotairballonfest.com

GO: McCormick’s Palm Springs Classic Car Auction / Nov. 22–24

Twice a year, 33-year-old auction house McCormick packs the Palm Springs Convention Center’s outdoor event area with more than 500 shiny classic cars. Bid on beauties like a 1960 Chevy Impala and a sleek 1949 Cadillac convertible. classic-carauction.com

WATCH: Cinema Français / Nov. 22–24

Francophiles, take note: This festival at the Camelot Theatre in Palm Springs celebrates the best of French-language films (with English subtitles, for those of us who cannot yet parler français). This year’s lineup includes the 2019 thriller Trois Jours et Une Vie, which centers around a 12-year-old boy and the life-altering events of three days in the winter of 1999. cinemafrancaisps.com

GROOVE: Tom Petty’s Damn the Torpedoes / Nov. 23

Sometimes Spotify and a Bluetooth speaker just don’t cut it. The McCallum Theatre presents this “note for note, cut for cut” take on Tom Petty’s critically acclaimed 1979 album Damn the Torpedoes. mccallumtheatre.com

GROOVE: Smokey Robinson / Nov. 23

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Smokey Robinson takes the Agua Caliente Casino stage in Rancho Mirage to serenade audiences with legendary Motown tunes like “Who’s Loving You” and “My Girl.” 
aguacalientecasinos.com

SmokeyRobinson

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY AGUA CALIENTE CASINOS

Smokey Robinson

TASTE: Props & Hops Craft Beer Festival / Nov. 23

Around nine years ago, as interest in small-batch suds began its now-unstoppable upshoot, Palm Springs Air Museum vice chair Fred Bell and his fellow board members sniffed out an opportunity. “The museum was a spectacular venue, with the views of the mountains and the vintage aircraft,” he says, “and we married the concept [of a craft beer festival] together with great food.”

palmspringsairmuseumfestival

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY PALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM

The culinary pairings come courtesy of food trucks and nearby restaurants, including In-N-Out. (What better partner for a porter than a juicy burger?) Of course, the beer is the star of the show. More than 30 breweries offer tastes of their signature sips.
“You’re going to get a really nice cross-section of beer from some of the most talented people in the industry,” Bell notes. Among them are Babe’s Bar-B-Que and Brewery and the La Quinta and Coachella Valley brewing companies.

Bell says that the “props” part of the festival’s premise is much of what makes it special. Attendees eat, drink, and enjoy live music surrounded by World War II-era airplanes. “Go and see the beautiful Coachella Valley from one of our aircraft,” Bell encourages. “The ambiance is just completely over the top.” palmspringspropsandhopsfestival.com

GO: BIGHORN BEHIND A MIRACLE / nov. 23

Since its inception in 2007, the grassroots group Bighorn Behind a Miracle (BAM) has assisted more than 100,000 local patients in their treatment of cancer. On Nov. 23, they host their 12th annual fundraiser featuring tribute act 
Stevie Nicks Illusion. 
bighornbam.net

GROOVE: The Highwaymen / Nov. 24

Just as the original pioneers of outlaw music joined to form the greatest supergroup in country history, three of today’s best tribute artists honoring Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Johnny Cash have teamed up to celebrate their heroes. See the new Highwaymen live at the McCallum Theatre. mccallumtheatre.com

LAUGH: Randy Rainbow / Nov. 23–24

This Emmy-nominated funnyman cites his wisecracking grandmother as a formative influence on his sense of humor. Like her, capitol antics are among his favorite comedic fodder — his show at Palm Springs Cultural Center will be packed with political musical parodies. outlandishps.com