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White Party Palm Springs: The Basics
Get ready for a wild weekend of back to back circuit parties and poolside dancing at White Party Palm Springs, one of the best gay circuit festivals in the United States.
White Party Palm Springs is an annual gay dance party festival held in the gay-friendly neighborhood of Palm Springs, California. The event is held during the month of April, typically spanning a long weekend.
Produced by Jeffrey Sanker, the festivities begin Friday afternoon and extend through Monday early morning. Take a look at the White Party Palm Springs Official Website, if you haven’t already.
Gay men from all around the United States and the world make the trip to sunny Southern California. Everyone flocks to this small desert town to enjoy pool parties by day and dance away the weekend nights.
A quite international crowd attends White Party as well! I met several guys from Israel and my friend David also flew in from the UK!
Read more below to learn more about what to wear to White Party Palm Springs, what White Party events are like, where White Party is held, and more tips for a successful weekend.
Where is White Party Palm Springs Held?
The Hilton Hotel Palm Springs hosts White Party each year. The daytime pool parties were at the Hilton Hotel pool.
They lined entire pool area with cabanas and small pop-up bars. The energy is super high! A main stage is set up and dancers perform in front of the live DJ all afternoon.
The Palm Springs Convention Center hosts the nighttime dance parties. The space is very large and accommodates the crowd nicely.
There are adequate bathroom facilities, powerful air conditioning and adequate bar staff. It is a relief that you never have to wait more than a few minutes in line!
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What is White Party Like?
White Party is certainly carefree. After all, its a vacation weekend in paradise! People are friendly and eager to meet other guys. There’s a relaxed vibe since the weather is warm and people are dancing under the desert sun! I found it very easy to make friends at WPPS.
Here’s a little clip of one of the Whit Party 2019 performances at the outdoor concert.
Since the prices of White Party tickets are not exactly cheap, the crowd tends to be primarily between 30 and 40 years in age. There are relatively few guys younger than 25 at the event.
I met many working professionals while in Palm Springs and I even ran into some friends I met at other party-driven events like Tel Aviv Pride!
White Party dance parties are quite intense. They play primarily circuit music with dark, heavy beats. World-renowned circuit DJ’s usually play, like DJ Nina Flowers, DJ Dan Slater and about a dozen more.
The pool party dance music is a bit more lyrical, with some pop songs mixed into the party’s beats for the daytime vibe.
What to Wear to White Party
You may be wondering if wearing white at ant parties is mandatory. I’ll fill you in. The trends for White Party Palm Springs are a bit different than those for White Party in Miami.
White Party has themed nights which they announce in advance. Attendees largely follow the planned themes. In 2019, one dance party was military themed and the majority of men had some sort of themed clothing on.
Given that most people dress quite scantily in the parties, sometimes men only carry a themed circuit party accessory.
Most importantly, everyone does in fact wear white at the White Party main event. Most wear some sort of white trunks or shorts. In 2019, the theme of WPPS main event was “gods.” Many gung-ho partiers added some rather elaborate accessories to their look.
I certainly recommend making sure you have something white to wear. I recommend a pair of jockstrap-like white underwear as well as some white tube socks with stripes along the top, if that’s your style. For more inspirational options, check out my list of the best gay underwear and jockstrap brands.
If you don’t have time to order something online in advance, there are plenty of shops in Palm Springs that sell gay party-themed clothing and accessories.
Where to Stay in Palm Springs for White Party
Many men choose to stay in the Hilton Palm Springs, the host hotel for WPPS. Staying directly next to the parties definitely has its perks.
I personally booked a Palm Springs VRBO vacation rental with friends, not too far away. Our own place afforded us more space, a private pool and jacuzzi, a large yard and full kitchen.
If you have a group of friends headed to WPPS, book a vacation home rental! We were only four minutes away by car to the convention center.
Save some cash these easy ways to save money on Airbnb and VRBO.
Palm Springs Travel Tips
The Convention Center parties will have a clothing check available, so you can store any shorts, electronics or other items you’d like to keep aside. However, note that the Convention Center will not allow backpacks inside.
So, whatever you are bringing, make sure you can keep it in your pockets. I had to ditch a little drawstring bag that I thought I would be able to bring into the party. The convention center is quite strict.
The clothing and accessories sold in the stores on East Arenas Road are not expensive! It may make more sense to wait until you arrive in Palm Springs to pick out your outfit. I bought some extra white items the day before the main party and there was still plenty of selection.
If you can afford to take the time, a recovery day after the long weekend is a smart idea. I found myself running on little sleep, and by the end of the weekend I was ready for some rest.
Many of my friends took an extra day off of work to have a day to decompress and prepare for the work week ahead.
Sometimes it sounds like a great idea to go straight from a red-eye flight to the office, but you will thank yourself later if you can work remotely or take an extra vacation day.
Want more gay festival ideas? Here’s a list of more than 40 gay circuit parties around the world.
Need ideas for gay vacations? Explore wolfyy’s full list of gay travel destinations.
