Live Music in Palm Springs: Venues That Actually Book Shows

The small rooms

Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace

An hour up the hill in Pioneertown, this converted roadhouse is the region's most loved small venue and books national acts alongside desert regulars - its calendar runs well into the autumn. Shows sell out, the drive back is dark and long, and the kitchen is part of the appeal. Book tickets and dinner separately, and check the calendar before assuming there is a show.

Purple Room Supper Club

Inside Club Trinidad in South Palm Springs, this is a genuine mid-century supper club - the room the Rat Pack used - now running cabaret, jazz and a long-standing Sunday drag brunch show. Tickets go on sale in advance and the room is small, so book rather than turn up.

Melvyn's at Ingleside Estate

The Casablanca Lounge at Melvyn's runs nightly piano and jazz in the most old-Palm-Springs room in the city. There is no ticket and no cover to plan around - just dinner, a drink and a pianist.

Oscar's Palm Springs

Downtown courtyard bar and showroom with live entertainment and drag brunch. It is the easiest live-music stop if you are staying in the Village and do not want a drive.

The Roost Lounge

Cathedral City piano, karaoke and open-mic lounge - the option when you would rather participate than watch.

Theatres, casinos and the arena

• Acrisure Arena near Palm Desert seats around 11,000 for concerts and takes the biggest touring names in the valley.
• McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert is the roughly 1,100-seat concert hall, with a full season from autumn through spring.
• Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio books arena-style shows in its Special Events Center.
• Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage programmes The Show, its concert theatre, plus late-night bars and dining.
• Palm Springs Cultural Center and the Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum run film, cabaret and concert programming in town.

What is no longer there

Georgie's Alibi Azul on North Palm Canyon was the most reliable live-music bar in Palm Springs and has closed; the space is being re-tenanted. Any list that still sends you there is out of date. A number of downtown restaurants and cocktail bars are described elsewhere as live-music venues - Bar Cecil, Seymour's, Trio among them - but none publishes a regular music programme, so treat music there as a bonus rather than the plan.

Planning a music night

Buy tickets before you travel for Pappy & Harriet's, the Purple Room, McCallum and the arena; the walk-up options are Melvyn's, Oscar's and the casino bars. Pioneertown is a 60-90 minute drive from Palm Springs depending on where you start, so arrange the ride home before the encore. Festival weeks - Coachella, Stagecoach and Splash House - fill hotel rooms across the valley, and side shows appear at the smaller rooms.

More nightlife: best bars, gay bars and Arenas Road, tiki bars.