Palm Springs Makes a Major LGBTQ+ Travel Move

Palm Springs has strengthened its position as a leading LGBTQ+ destination. Visit Greater Palm Springs is now the first tourism organisation in California to become a Gold-level Global Partner of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association.

The partnership was announced on September 14. It follows years of LGBTQ+ tourism in Palm Springs, which also hosted the association’s Global Convention in 2025.

Visit Greater Palm Springs will now work with the association to support LGBTQ+ travellers and local tourism businesses. It will also help promote Palm Springs as an inclusive destination to visitors around the world.

Hollywood glamour and desert culture

Palm Springs has been known as Hollywood’s desert playground for decades.

Its location just over 100 miles from Los Angeles made it a popular escape for some of the biggest stars of Hollywood’s golden age, with Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball, Cary Grant and Bob Hope among the famous names connected with the city.

Frank Sinatra became particularly associated with Palm Springs after commissioning his Twin Palms home in 1947, complete with its famous piano-shaped swimming pool.

Elvis and Priscilla Presley also honeymooned in Palm Springs, while Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, Rock Hudson, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and Liberace are among many other stars with connections to the area.

That history can still be explored today. The Palm Springs Walk of Stars features hundreds of names across the city, while its neighbourhoods are packed with the mid-century modern architecture that became synonymous with Palm Springs during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

Architecture tours offer another way to discover the homes, buildings and stories behind its glamorous past.

It all gives Palm Springs a culture that goes well beyond its resorts and nightlife. Old Hollywood history, distinctive architecture, LGBTQ+ heritage and dramatic desert surroundings come together in a destination where visitors can spend one day exploring celebrity history and design, and the next relaxing beside a pool beneath the Californian sunshine.

Why is Palm Springs so popular with LGBTQ+ travellers?

Palm Springs has a year-round LGBTQ+ scene rather than one that appears solely around Pride. Visitors will find LGBTQ+-owned businesses, resorts, restaurants, drag shows, clubs and bars, alongside the city’s famous pools, desert scenery and mid-century architecture. 

Arenas Road is particularly important for LGBTQ+ visitors. The downtown area is Palm Springs’ established LGBTQ+ district, with bars, restaurants and clubs clustered together, making it an obvious starting point for anyone visiting the city for its nightlife. 

There is also a big reason to consider a trip this autumn. Greater Palm Springs Pride takes place from November 6 to 8, 2026, with this year marking 40 years since the first Palm Springs Pride event in 1986.

Organisers are expecting more than 200,000 people, with live music, drag performances, community spaces, vendors and celebrations across downtown and the Arenas District. The Pride Parade takes place on Sunday, November 8. 

How to get to Palm Springs from the UK

There are a couple of realistic options for British travellers.

One of the simplest is to fly from the UK to Los Angeles and continue by road. British Airways currently operates direct London to Los Angeles services, while Palm Springs is around 107 miles from LA.

The drive generally takes around two to two and a half hours, although anyone who has experienced Los Angeles traffic will know that journey times can vary considerably. 

Alternatively, travellers can book a connecting US itinerary into Palm Springs International Airport. PSP is only minutes from downtown Palm Springs and has nonstop connections with more than 30 destinations across the United States and Canada, with additional seasonal routes. 

Once you arrive, staying around central Palm Springs doesn’t necessarily require a hire car. Downtown is relatively compact, with taxis, rideshares and public transport available. Hiring a car becomes much more useful if the trip includes the wider Coachella Valley or Joshua Tree National Park, which is roughly one to one and a half hours away depending on the entrance used. 

Why 2026 could be a good time to visit

The new IGLTA partnership arrives as Palm Springs prepares to celebrate four decades of Pride, giving LGBTQ+ travellers both a current reason to discover the destination and a major event around which to plan a trip.

With desert sunshine, an established LGBTQ+ nightlife district, resorts and pools, Pride celebrations and easy access to some spectacular Californian landscapes, Palm Springs offers something quite different from the traditional LGBTQ+ European city break.

For travellers looking towards the end of 2026, the combination of Palm Springs Pride’s 40th anniversary and the city’s strengthened LGBTQ+ tourism commitment makes November an especially interesting time to consider the Californian desert.

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