Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade Fêtes City’s 50th Anniversary

Make plans to attend a special event this month that could only happen in our desert. The Palm Desert Golf Cart, organized by the Palm Desert Area Chamber of Commerce, makes its way down El Paseo Sunday, Oct. 29, and continues a tradition that started almost 60 years ago. Celebrating the city of Palm Desert’s 50th anniversary, and effectively kicking off the fall and winter season, this year’s parade promises to be extra festive.

If time appears to warp, don’t worry. That’s a perfectly normal reaction to 2023’s parade theme: “Golf Cart Time Machine – Take Me to ’73!” Disco balls, bell-bottomed pants, and tie-dyed everything could run rampant, but there’ll be plenty of room for surprises, too. The suggested time travel span is 100 years, meaning decked-out golf carts, floats, and assorted entries can travel back in time to 1973 or forward to 2073 — and anywhere in between.

The parade rolls at noon, but activities galore precede and follow its official start time. The day kicks off at 8 a.m. with a Rotary pancake breakfast open to the public. At 9 a.m., the marketplace booths roll up their shades, and an extended kids and family fun zone opens with plenty of free activities to keep the whole family entertained. And crowds will surely cheer when Fuego, the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ mascot, makes a guest appearance. Expect food trucks and a beer garden, a classic car display, local bands, and a terrific after-parade party for all at Shadow Mountain Golf Club. The Palm Desert Chamber is pulling out all the stops to commemorate the city’s 50^th.