This April more than 15,000 women from all over the world will descend on the town of Palm Springs, Calif., for the biggest lesbian event on the planet, The Dinah Shore Weekend slated for April 2 to April 6 (thedinah.com).
The epic annual world-renowned weekend is a five-day affair packed with, not just non-stop activities, spectacular comedy shows, live concerts, philanthropy and legendary pool parties, but also premier talent in music, fashion, arts, film and television.
Created and produced by Mariah Hanson under the Club Skirts marquee, The Dinah originally began as a weekend of merriment aligned with the Kraft Nabisco Championship (formerly known as the Dinah Shore Golf Championship).
Hanson produced her first solo Dinah Shore Weekend in 1991, and has since continued her tradition bringing in national sponsors and booking entire hotels to complete occupancy. In almost a quarter of a century The Dinah has evolved into an international event that has been making headlines around the globe, and has been featured in documentaries and TV shows such as Showtime’s The L Word and The Real L Word.
Today, The Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs is considered the biggest lesbian event of its kind in the world.
Serving as a gauge of tolerance and acceptance for lesbians and the LGBT community as a whole, The Dinah carries with it significant historical and social relevance. The Dinah is not only a hugely popular travel destination for lesbians but also, and most importantly, is a life changing experience for women. In the course of five days out of the other 360 days of the year, The Dinah allows them to be who they truly are without fearing the judgment of others, and as well gain a tremendous amount of self-worth.
Still considered taboo in many countries and among many cultures, homosexuality remains a mystery for those on the outside looking in, keeping displaced judgment at the forefront. And even though the LGBT community has worked tirelessly to make tremendous strides in the ongoing fight for equality, there is still a majority of gay women who live in secret.
And for those of us who have the freedom to walk the streets holding hands with our partners, it’s difficult to fathom the idea that our lifestyle is not the same for a majority of others, but rather the exception. We take for granted the fact that our reality is still a dream many wish would come true. But every year for the past two decades, The Dinah has been making that dream come true.
Celebrating this year its milestone 24th anniversary, The Dinah, once again, delivers a stellar slate of Top Ten Billboard headliners that make up one hell of a line up – one of the greatest in The Dinah’s history.
Mariah Hanson, founder and producer of Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend, describing 2014 as a “banner year” for the event said, “I’m very honored and grateful to have the opportunity year after year to be producing The Dinah. I look forward each year to hear the stories my customers share about how their Dinah experience was life-transforming. This year is a banner year for us. Our lineup is heavily represented by successful artists from our LGBT community, all of whom were not only excited to play The Dinah, but proud. It’s a good year for us and we are honored to present these artists on our stage and thrilled that our festival has reached the stature that it has. We’re anticipating this year’s Dinah to be our most attended to date. You haven’t seen anything like it yet!”
Headlining this year is lesbian cult favorites Tegan and Sara. The pop sensation duo will bring their Heartthrob world tour to The Dinah with an exclusive concert Saturday, April 5 at “The Black Party” at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
Also set to top the bill is Grammy-Award winning, rap titan Eve who will perform her slew of music anthems including her mega hit “Let Me Blow Your Mind”.
Additional live performances feature hip-hop’s biggest revelation Iggy Azalea, Mary Lambert –the voice behind Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ VMA award-winning pro-equality “Same Love” – Grammy Award-winning R&B diva, Evelyn “Champagne” King (known for her multi-million selling classic old-school smashes “Shame” and “Love Come Down”), Thea Austin, the legendary voice of “Rhythm is a Dancer” by Snap!; and power, pop/punk band and stars of The Real L Word Season 3, Hunter Valentine, to name a few.
On the comedy front, The Dinah Comedy Night hosted by Suzanne Westenhoefer will be headlined by Fortune Feimster of E! Chelsea Lately. The loveable Southern comic will be joined by Last Comic Standing alumni, British comic Gina Yashere and stand up’s fastest rising star, Erin Foley.
Returning this year is the Celebrity Poker Tournament with all proceeds going to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Also making a comeback is The Dinah Film Festival. Produced by award-winning filmmaker JD DiSalvatore (Shelter, Marine Story and Elena Undone), The Dinah Film Festival will showcase a variety of quality lesbian films.
The Dinah is bringing back the magic of the hugely popular, groundbreaking lesbian drama, The L Word, with an exclusive L Word Pool Party hosted in association with Showtime. L Word iconic stars, Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig will, respectively, step back one more time into their famed Alice Pieszecki and Shane McCutcheon shoes for an exclusive meet and greet.
Joining The Dinah’s exclusive L Word cast member reunion is Laurel Holloman (aka Tina Kennard) who will be showing and selling her prints of a series entitled Written on the Body, poolside at the Palm Springs Hilton Hotel. As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the official television debut of The L Word, Club Skirts and Showtime are proudly commemorating the nostalgia of a memorable era in lesbian culture that celebrated out loud our “girls in tight dresses who drag with mustaches”!
The Dinah has undeniably come to represent an ever-growing movement that has crossed over to mainstream bringing more and more visibility to the lesbian community – one that had never existed before.
A cultural phenomenon that has over these past 24 years reached epic proportions, The Dinah Shore Weekend has not only become one of the hottest celebrity hotspots, but also a trendsetting event that entertainment industry insiders watch and jockey to book their artists’ performances.
Building on its reputation as the ultimate entertainment hub, in less than two decades, Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend has positioned itself as an event the entertainment industry’s most elite go to.
From Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Natasha Bedingfield, Chaka Khan, Colbie Caillat, The Pussycat Dolls, India Arie, Chely Wright to Lady Gaga (among many others) pop music’s biggest superstars have all joined The Dinah’sty.
There’s no denying The Dinah features a phenomenal line-up of talent ever to perform at a lesbian event. And this year will be no exception!
Already making a lot of noise, The Dinah 2014 is well on its way to be the biggest Dinah ever.
