Music festival season is over, and some sense of normalcy has returned to the desert.
But a lack of festivals doesn’t mean a lack of fun. There’s plenty of events for both locals and visitors to enjoy this week, and below we’ve rounded up just a few of them.
Here are The Desert Sun’s picks for the top events to attend the week of Monday, April 27, in the Coachella Valley and surrounding communities.
Revolution Stage Company presents ‘Cockroaches’
Want to be among the first people in the world to see a new piece of theater? “Cockroaches is a piercing Southern Gothic dark comedy that crawls under your skin and lingers like the humid air of a Mississippi summer,” the Revolution Stage Co.’s website states. “Written by Emma Schillage, this unsettling family drama follows three sisters trapped in the decaying remains of their childhood home as they grapple with their mother’s latest — and most theatrical — suicide attempt. The walls of their clapboard house seem to breathe with memories, while something far more sinister stirs beneath the floorboards.”
When: Now through May 3 (see website below for specific showtimes)
Where: Revolution Stage Company, 611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
Cost: $38
More info: revolutionstagecompany.com/cockroaches
College of the Desert ‘Student Art Exhibition’
Want to support some students in the arts? Head to College of the Desert this week to check out this spring’s Student Art Exhibition before it’s taken down next week. You’ll find original pieces in a wide variety of mediums, all hand crafted by hardworking local students.
When: Exhibit on view through May 8
Where: Walter N. Marks Center, College of the Desert, 43-500 Monterey Ave., Palm Desert
Cost: Free admission, with art for purchase
More info: collegeofthedesert.edu/community/gallery/
CV Rep presents ‘Ernest Shackleton Loves Me’
For theater fans, there’s perhaps no better way to cap off the 2025-26 season than attending a critically acclaimed new musical comedy with a tongue-in-cheek script by Tony Award-winner Joe DiPietro (“Nice Work If You Can Get It”). “Ernest Shackleton Loves Me” makes its Coachella Valley premiere this week, and as the CV Rep website says, it’s an “inventive and romantic adventure” about a “sleep-deprived single mom who makes her living as a video game music composer” and is “contacted across space and time, via a crossed connection on her cell phone, by the famous early 20th century polar explorer Ernest Shackleton while he is stranded on an iceberg in the Antarctic in the early 1900s. Inspired by her music, he shares his epic journey with her and, together, they overcome the odds in a timeless, and very funny, musical romance for the ages.”
When: Now through May 10 (see website below for specific showtimes)
Where: Coachella Valley Repertory, 68-510 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City
Cost: $95
More info: cvrep.org/productions
Exclusive Screening of ‘Arthur Elrod: Desert Cool’
Architecture aficionados, this one’s for you. The new documentary “Arthur Elrod: Desert Cool” is screening at the Palm Springs Cultural Center this week, and it “explores the work of the noted Palm Springs designer, whose custom interiors matched the groundbreaking midcentury architecture rising in the desert,” as the event website states. “His work epitomized Modern, innovative desert design. His own home, completed in 1968 overlooking Palm Springs on Southridge Drive, and immortalized in the 1971 James Bond film, ‘Diamonds Are Forever,’ remains his legacy to the city he called home,” and this documentary explores both his personal life and his influential interior design career.
When: 5 p.m. Thursday, April 30
Where: Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs
Cost: $16.81
More info: eventbrite.com
10th Annual Taste of Jalisco Festival
Cathedral City’s Taste of Jalisco Festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, so organizers are going all out with this year’s event. Come honor the 30-year sister city relationship between Cathedral City and the town of Tequila in the Mexican state of Jalisco at this weekend-long celebration of Mexican culture, art, cuisine and more. Activities include a family-friendly carnival, an artisan craft vendor market, gold medal tequila tastings and competition, authentic Mexican cuisine, community folklorico dance presentations and a headlining concert every night including tribute acts Dreaming of You Selena, The Shakira Experience and Santana tribute Savor the Band. Before he headlining act, the live music lineup every day will include local and regional musical groups and other live acts celebrating Mexican art and culture.
When: 5 p.m. Friday, May 1 through 10 p.m. Sunday, May 3 (see website below for full schedule)
Where: Cathedral City Town Square & Festival Lawn, 68-526 Avenida Lalo Guerrero, Cathedral City
Cost: $10.37 for one-day festival admission, $16.74 for 3-day pass for festival admission, $18.87 for reserved seating at a single day’s concert, $22.05 for tequila tasting (if you’re a Cathedral City resident, you get free festival admission all day Friday, all day Saturday and on Sunday before 5 p.m.) Note: A ticket to a headline show comes with free admission to the festival
More info: tasteofjalisco.com
Open Call Talent Project
Come see 53 Coachella Valley performers between the ages of 11 and 73 light up one of the desert’s biggest stages at this annual event. More than just a talent show, this annual variety show features 19 diverse acts in a talent competition setting that “celebrates the arts and nurtures the spirit of community,” as the press release states. “A visually stunning, fast‑paced show featuring a full‑cast finale, this production has become an audience favorite event since its launch in 1999.” Audiences will have the opportunity to join in by voting for their favorite performer at all three performances, and the winners will be revealed at the final show.
When: 7 p.m. Friday, May 1; and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, May 2
Where: McCallum Theatre, 73-000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert
Cost: From $28
More info: mccallumtheatre.org/productions/open-call-4/
Plaza Theatre Palm Springs presents rePLAY: ‘Better Late’
You only have two chances to catch this special script-in-hand performance of the play “Better Late” this week, so better late than never. From the writer of “MASH” and “Tootsie ” comes this “razor-sharp comedy about second chances, old wounds, and the hilarity of human relationships,” as the theater website describes it. “Directed by five-time Tony winner Susan Stroman and starring Emmy and Tony Award winner Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld,” “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway”), Emmy Award winner Lucie Arnaz (“They’re Playing Our Song,” “Pippin”), Emmy Award winner Dan Bucatinsky (“Scandal,” “The Comeback,” “Hacks”), and Emmy and Tony Award winner David Hyde Pierce round out this powerhouse ensemble.”
When: 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2
Where: The Plaza Theatre, 128 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
Cost: From $58.25
More info: palmspringsplazatheatre.com/events/
Sunnylands Films in the Gardens presents ‘The BFG’
May is always a good time to head to Sunnylands, because it marks the return of the gardens’ annual free Films in the Gardens series. This year, the series features movies with a theme of “Growing Wild,” inspired by the estate’s exhibition “Curating Canopy: Trees at Sunnylands.” It all kicks off with “The BFG,” a film that follows “an orphan little girl (who) befriends a benevolent giant who takes her to Giant Country, where they attempt to stop the man-eating giants that are invading the human world.” Rated: PG. Run time: 1 hour 57 minutes.
When: 8 p.m. Friday, May 1
Where: Sunnylands Center & Gardens, 37-977 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage
Cost: Free admission
More info: sunnylands.org/event/
Sebastian’s Rodeo Disco
Kick off Palm Springs Hot Rodeo weekend with this special opening night celebration. Dance the night away to tunes curated by club DJ John Ceglia, whose career spans New York’s legendary Studio 54 and Limelight, and who is currently featured on SiriusXM’s Studio 54 Channel. This event aims to combine “disco energy, rodeo attitude, and late-night desert momentum in a single, immersive opening-night celebration,” as the press release states. ” Guests will move through a series of furnished lounges, club rooms, and expansive outdoor patios before returning to a central dance floor shaped by the spirit of 1977 nightlife. … Champagne and craft cocktails will be available throughout the evening.”
When: Doors open at 9 p.m. and event runs until 4 am. Friday, May 1, through Saturday, May 2
Where: Studio 4707, 4707 E. Sunny Dunes Road, Palm Springs
Cost: $44.40
More info: 4707events.com
Palm Springs Hot Rodeo
Whether it’s your first rodeo or not, everyone is welcome at this Greater Palm Springs Chapter of the Golden State Gay Rodeo Association event. Kick off rodeo day one Saturday with the official Grand Entry parade and ceremony at noon, and then experience the excitement of LGBTQ+ rodeo events and competition throughout the weekend. Note: The rodeo itself is in Banning, but there are several related parties happening throughout the weekend in Palm Springs. See website below for full schedule.
When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3
Where: Dysart Equestrian Park, 2101 W. Victory Ave, Banning
Cost: $20 for one-day general admission to the rodeo, $35 for a weekend pass
More info: psrodeo.org/hot-rodeo/schedule
Levitt AMP Twentynine Palms Music Series
Looking for a family friendly getaway to the high desert this weekend? Head up for this creative event, which blends dance, live music and, of course, food, for all ages. It all kicks off at 6 p.m. with a dance activity led by Twinkle Toes Dance Company, which will be followed by opener Neil Soiland, a “Los Angeles–based musician and multimedia artist known for his eclectic, cinematic songwriting,” as the press release states. Closing the concert will be “acclaimed Americana artist Dan Navarro, performing with his band. With a career spanning over 40 years, Navarro is a celebrated songwriter, recording and touring artist, session singer, and voice actor. His extensive credits include songs recorded by Pat Benatar (“We Belong”), The Bangles, and Dave Edmunds.” Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and/or lawn chairs to sit on, and either bring their own food or purchase from several food vendors on site.
When: 6 p.m. dance activity, 7 p.m. concert Saturday, May 2
Where: Freedom Plaza, 6547 Freedom Way, Twentynine Palms
Cost: Free admission, open to the public
More info: 29palmsmusic.org
2026 The Beat Goes One Pickleball Invitational
Head to the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa on Sunday for a day of pickleball fun benefiting the American Heart Association of Coachella Valley. Entry fee includes four games guaranteed, equipment and balls, lunch and beverages and a giveaway bag. The top eight teams advance to bracket play champion awards.
When: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, May 3
Where: JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, 74-855 Country Club Drive, Palm Desert
Cost: $150 per team (2 players per team)
More info: jwdesertsprings.247activities.com
To submit an event for The Desert Sun’s consideration in future 10 things to do stories, send an email to niki.kottmann@desertsun.com with the time, date, location and price of admission for your event, as well as a brief event description, two weeks before the event is scheduled to take place. Photos are not required, but are highly encouraged as part of the submission.
Tip: Send your submission as early as possible to make sure we have it in time, and to make sure your event jumps out in our inbox, put “10 things to do submission” in the email subject line.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Things to do in Palm Springs this week include Taste of Jalisco
Reporting by Niki Kottmann, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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