Genre Electronic music Attendance ≈20,000 Dates 29 Mar – 2 Apr 2017 | Founded by Mariah Hanson Capacity varies per venue | |
Years active 1991–present (unofficial starting in 1986) Location Palm Springs, California, United States, Palm Springs Convention Center, Palm Springs, California, United States Similar White Party, Stagecoach Festival, Michigan Womyn's Music Fe Profiles | ||
Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend, popularly known as “The Dinah”, is a five-day weekend getaway and music festival catering to the lesbian community that takes place annually in Palm Springs, California in the United States. It is considered the largest lesbian event in the United States and the world. Held each spring, the event offers a series of pool parties, night entertainment, live concerts by Top Ten Billboard recording artists, comedy shows, sport-games and social networking opportunities.
Contents
Primarily catering to the lesbian demographics, The Dinah celebrates the tapestry of women around the world attracting some 10,000-plus participants from countries such as Australia, Russia, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, China, South Africa, Belgium and Spain. Over the years, it has gradually rallied the corporate support of market leaders such as Miller Beer, MTV/LOGO Networks, here! TV, Sirius Radio, Showtime, O.B. Tampons, Shake Weight and Bacardi among others.
First events
The Dinah Shore Weekend was named after the late Dinah Shore – a singer, TV personality and renowned golfer, born Frances Rose Shore, in 1916, who lived in the Coachella Valley and is credited for having founded in Palm Springs the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle. The Dinah now coincides with the Kraft Nabisco Championship women’s golf tournament. The first unofficial Dinah Shore Weekend took place in 1986 when women began to flock to Palm Springs in conjunction with the tournament. After-dinner parties following the golfing turned benefits for the Human Rights Campaign and the AIDS Service Foundation.
Official debut
The first Dinah Shore Weekend was produced in 1991 by Mariah Hanson under her Club Skirts Presents The Dinah Marquee at the Palm Springs Art Museum.
Recent years
In 2006 Guinevere Turner featured the event in the TV documentary A Lez in Wonderland (original title: Broute-minou à Palm Springs).
Activism and humanitarian endeavors
The Dinah has become a platform to mobilize the lesbian community around LGBT-oriented humanitarian projects and social issues. Hanson has teamed up with a variety of organizations and lent her support to various humanitarian causes and activist movements such as GLAAD, NOH8, LOVE IS LOUDER, The San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Community Center, The Women's Building, National Center for Lesbian Rights, Jon Sims Center, Ladies Philharmonic, Uhuru Movement, HRC, Lyon Martin Health Clinic, Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Center, and Equality California. Hanson just ended her second term on the Board of Equality California and also sits on the "Women's Night" committee for the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. Both organizations are named charity recipients of The Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend.