Cathedral City LGBT Days Kicks Off Pride Season in the Coachella Valley
- Joseph Ruiz
- Mar 10
- 4 min read
Before we jump into this week’s blog, I want to introduce a guest writer. This post was written by my partner, Joseph, who also helps me behind the scenes as my assistant. Real estate can get hectic at times, so you may see Joseph contributing more posts here on the blog. He does a great job capturing local events and community stories happening around the Coachella Valley.
This past weekend we headed to Cathedral City for Cathedral City LGBT Days, which kicks off Pride season here in the Coachella Valley.
As many people know, June is Pride Month across the country. But here in the desert, June temperatures regularly reach 110 degrees or more, which makes outdoor celebrations difficult. Because of that, Palm Springs celebrates Palm Springs Pride in the cooler months when the valley is in season and full of visitors.
Since we had never attended Cathedral City LGBT Days before, I was not entirely sure what to expect. This year’s event also took place earlier than usual, which added to the curiosity.
A Strong Start to Pride Weekend
The celebration actually kicked off the Friday night before with a Pride rally and a drone show.
Unfortunately, real estate calls do not always respect weekend plans, so Jermaine and I were not able to make it to the drone show. From everything I saw online though, it looked like a great turnout and the photos were impressive.
Easy Access and a Relaxed Crowd
The event itself was free until 4 PM. Anyone who arrived before that time could enter without a ticket. However, if you left after 4 PM without purchasing one, you would not be able to reenter.
General admission tickets, which we ended up getting, were around ten dollars plus a few additional fees. There were also options for tables, VIP packages, and meet and greet passes.
For me, the general admission tickets were perfect.
I manage my life while dealing with social anxiety, so I like having the option to step away if things feel overwhelming. Luckily there is a free parking garage located just outside the event area. That meant if I needed a moment to regroup, I could easily step away and return when I felt ready.
Thankfully, I did not need to do that this time.
The layout of the event allowed plenty of space to move around, grab a drink, and explore without feeling packed into a crowd. And of course, Jermaine is always patient with me when situations like that come up.
Drag Royalty Takes the Stage
Before the Saturday evening headliner, the crowd was treated to the Iconic Drag Show presented by One Eleven Bar.
The show was hosted by Morgan McMichaels and featured performances from several fan favorites including Vanity Halston, Jasmine Masters, Selena Estitties, Scarlet Envy, Acacia Forgot, and Mariah Balenciaga, many of whom have appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race.
The performances brought plenty of energy to the stage and kept the crowd entertained leading into the night’s main event.
David Archuleta Headlines the Night
The evening’s headliner was David Archuleta, who first rose to fame during his time on American Idol.
He put on a great show and opened with his latest single Crème Brulee. The set also included Can I Call You, Hell Together, and of course one of his biggest hits, Crush. He also did a cover of Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club.
I thought he was an especially meaningful choice for the event given his personal journey. Archuleta publicly came out in recent years and shares much of that story in his memoir Devout.
Before performing Hell Together, he spoke briefly about how the song came to be.
He grew up in the Mormon faith and knew that coming out could create challenges not only for him but also for his family. That kind of internal conflict must be incredibly difficult. Wanting to live authentically while worrying about how it might affect the people you love is something many LGBTQIA+ people understand.
He shared that when he first came out, his mother struggled to accept it because of her religious beliefs. Over time though, her perspective began to change. Eventually she told him something that clearly stayed with him.
“If you are going to hell for being you, then I guess we are going to hell together.”
The moment resonated with many people in the crowd.
What Pride Really Means
Even though we are now in 2026 and the LGBTQIA+ community has made progress toward visibility and acceptance, many people still face challenges when it comes to coming out.
That is what Pride is really about.
It is not about showing off who we are sleeping with, as some critics claim. Pride exists to show people that it is okay to be yourself. It reminds people who may be struggling that they are not alone.
Sometimes family is not just the one you are born into. Sometimes it is the family you build along the way. The people who see you, support you, and value you exactly as you are.
I wish every LGBTQIA+ person who comes out was met with love and acceptance from their family and friends. Unfortunately that is not always the case. That is why the community continues to show up and support each other.
Thank You Cathedral City
A huge thank you to the City of Cathedral City, along with all the sponsors and vendors who helped make the event possible.
Seeing so many members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies come together in support of Pride was genuinely uplifting.
If this event was any indication, Pride season in the Coachella Valley is already off to a great start. See you at Palm Springs Pride later in the year. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
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