The first weekend of October brings a nice change in the weather — double digits! — and the start of a jam-packed month of events.
Take a deep breath, exhale, and let’s begin.
• See related story: 50 Things to do in October
Art
Scraps, Fashion, Textiles, and Creative Reuse, which opened Oct. 1 and runs through Jan. 14 at the Pal Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center. Showcasing three sustainable collections created with recycled fabrics, the design center exhibition demonstrates the versatility of scrap materials within a zero-waste design world.
Music
Joshua Tree Music Festival, Oct. 4-7. An emphasis on family fun and overall well-being includes special programs for kids, yoga and healing sessions, art installations, and a marketplace brimming with local artisan vendors and farm-fresh eats (with plenty of vegan options, too). The lineup includes artists from as far as Austria and as close as the Coachella Valley — rising names you’ll be able to say you heard first here.
Chicago, Oct. 6. The iconic 1970s American soft-rock band performs a selection of chart toppers at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY FANTASY SPRINGS RESORT CASINO
Chicago performs Oct. 6 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio.
Comedy
Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, Oct. 5. Hollywood power couple Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman (best known for roles in Will & Grace and Parks and Recreation, respectively) get personal during the Palm Springs Speaks series with “an oral history” of their 20-year relationship onstage at the Richards Center for the Arts.
Shopping
Palm Springs Vintage Market, Oct. 7. Head to the Palm Springs Cultural Center for the season’s first vintage market, featuring antiques, furnishings, and fashion.
Halloween
It’s never too early to start the celebration. Idyllwild’s infamous haunted house, called “Fort of No Return” opens Oct. 5 with spooky hayrides. The opening night band is Aquarius Soul, and a new group will vie featured each night. The event runs on Fridays-Saturdays through the first weekend of November.
• See related story: Halloween 2018: Where to Go, What to Do
Theater
The Indio Performing Arts Center stages, “Into the Woods,” a Tony Award-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine . This modern twist on the Brothers Grimm brings together Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (of beanstalk fame), a Baker, his Wife and a dancing cow. Runs weekends through Oct. 21.
Speaker
Kareem Abdu-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, will appear and reflect in his life experiences Oct. 5 at Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon. His talk is based upon his critically-acclaimed 2017 memoir, “Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court,”