Since 1991, thousands of queer women and their allies have gathered annually in Palm Springs, California, for the celebrated event known as The Dinah — a series of women-centric pool parties, entertainment, and the magic of affirmation and inclusion.
Now the event’s creator and producer, Mariah Hanson, is seeking to sell it to another producer, but she says not to worry: The Dinah isn’t going anywhere.
“If no one takes it over, we do have plans to be back in April 2027,” Hanson says. But, she adds, it feels like time for her to move on. The Dinah moved to the fall a few years ago for a variety of reasons, but April is the optimum time for it, partly because Palm Springs can remain baking hot into the autumn.
a large crowd of mostly queer women having fun in a pool in palm springs
Pool party fun at The Dinah 2022.TheDinah.com
The Dinah originally revolved around the annual April Palm Springs-area women’s pro golf tournament named for entertainer Dinah Shore, as women’s golf has a large lesbian following. The tournament has now dropped Shore’s name and moved to Texas, but the queer women’s party in the desert goes on, having long since taken on a life of its own separate from golf.
“I felt it was important to create a space and a platform for our community to live out loud, all while setting the stage for us to transcend isms,” Hanson says — racism, sexism, and more. It is expansive and inclusive, welcoming transgender and nonbinary people, plus the occasional cisgender man. “If a queer woman wants to bring a friend who’s a cis man, we’re OK with that,” she says. The Dinah still celebrates femalecentrism but recognizes a variety of ways to do that.
This year’s Dinah will run from September 24 through 28, offering parties at poolsides, one of them L Word-themed, and nightclubs, plus a ball at the Riviera Resort. L Word stars Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey will be signing their book, So Gay for You, and will appear at other events during The Dinah.
two women in swimwear dancing together closely
Two women dance together at the 2016 Dinah pool party.TheDinah.com
Also set to appear are Princess Nokia, Crystal Waters, SkyDxddy, Only1 Theory, Xana, Mariah Counts, Nikki Holland, and many others. Rose Garcia will again host the pool parties, joined this year by Kaycee Clark. And there will be big-name DJs spinning tunes. Hanson and The Dinah have also been generous to LGBTQ+ organizations, including the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the Human Rights Campaign, Equality California, GLAAD, and more.
For attendees new to The Dinah, Hanson’s advice is “pace yourself.” If you need some time to rest, you can come back and “the magic will still be there,” she says.
The Dinah, she hopes, will help those who attend “embrace life with a little more courage, a little more acceptance and tolerance, and bring that home with them.” Of 2025, she promises, “It’s going to be an amazing year.”
For more information, check out TheDinah.com.
This article is part of The Advocate‘s Sept/Oct 2025 issue, now on newsstands. Support queer media and subscribe — or download the issue through Apple News, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader.
This article originally appeared on Advocate: The history and future of sapphic festival, The Dinah