📬 Desert Dispatch: New Beginnings

January 2026

Author

Jason Ball
December 29, 2025

In partnership with

📬 January 2026 Edition

🌴 A new year and the desert back in the spotlight.

This month, Desert Dispatch leans into beginnings, cultural, creative, and communal. From the return of film festival season to the quieter resets happening all across the valley, January is when Palm Springs starts rolling again.

Consider this your opening scene for 2026. The light is good. The energy is real. And the story is just getting started.

Welcome to the January issue.

🥳 Last-Minute New Year’s Eve Plans in Palm Springs

🎉 Didn’t plan ahead? You’re not alone. The desert is still buzzing with exciting options for ringing in 2026 from high-energy outdoor countdowns to glam dinner parties. Here are great experiences that are still available:

🎆 Celebration & Fireworks at Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs: A must-do if you want the classic Palm Springs NYE vibe: live entertainment, specialty cocktails, food trucks, and a midnight fireworks show under the stars. Tickets include access to all the outdoor festivities and music into the wee hours. 👉 Book it

🕺 Studio 2026 Glam Disco Party at Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs: Dust off the sequins. This glam disco celebration turns the Ace Hotel into a glittering dance floor with DJs spinning glam classics all night long — perfect for a stylish NYE with friends. 👉 Tickets

🪩 The Ball Drop at Oscars Palm Springs: Looking for something fun and offbeat? The Ball Drop show features drag superstars and live performances in two showings on NYE, a lively way to count down before (or after) the midnight party. 👉 Tickets

🍷 Bonus Tips Before You Go: Many restaurants downtown along Palm Canyon Drive are also offering prix-fixe dinners and late-night menus if you’d rather start the evening with food and end it with a toast.

⭐️ Leonardo DiCaprio. Guillermo del Toro. Ethan Hawke. Michael B. Jordan. Amanda Seyfried Head to the Desert

 🎬 The 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) is bigger than ever running January 2–12, 2026. The festival’s official program includes 169 films from 72 countries including 53 premieres. 👉 Full schedule

🌟 Honorees and Awards: PSIFF’s Film Awards on January 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center is a highlight of awards season.

🗓️ Other Events in January

🏃 Palm Springs Health Run & Wellness Festival, January 23–24, 2026
Features a 10K run and bike ride at Ruth Hardy Park — great for fitness lovers and families. 👉 Details

👮 2nd Annual PSPD Open House, January 31, 2026 - 3:00–6:00 PM
Meet Palm Springs Police officers, see demos from SWAT/K9/Drone units, and learn about community programs together. 👉 Details

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🗞️ Palm Springs Now: The Big Stories

🏗️ Development and Infrastructure

  • Billy Reed’s listed for $7.5 million, read more.

  • Coachella Valley’s most expensive home on the market for $62 million, see it.

  • Palm Springs Offers Free Shredding Event for Residents, read more.

🚡 Tourism and Recreation

  •  Soho House project revived in Historic Tennis Club neighhorhood, read more.

  • The best steakhouse according to Desert Sun readers, find out what it is.

🎭 Arts and Culture

  • Palm Springs resident Barry Manilow diagnosed with cancer, read more.

  • Palm Springs Arts Festival set for January 16 &17, detail here.

😍 Palm Springs Embraces Maximalism

Palm Springs has never been afraid of personality, but something new and bold is happening. Maximalism is making a return with layered textures, saturated color, and playful excess.

Designed by London- and Los Angeles-based firm Fettle, Bar Issi is a masterclass in “organized indulgence.

Oasis Magazine

Oasis Magazine

Interior designer Dan Kiser helps frame the moment, arguing that this shift isn’t a trend so much as a return. A response to uncertainty. A desire for warmth, comfort, and spaces that feel rich with meaning. In a city built on escapism and reinvention, maximalism feels less like rebellion and more like a homecoming.

Read the full story to explore why Palm Springs is embracing bold design.

🗞️ Why Local Journalism Matters…And How You Can Help

The Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation (CVJF) exists because strong local news is a cornerstone of democracy. The Foundation works to promote and support sustainable community journalism across the Valley.  Founded in 2020, CVJF has stepped into critical gaps by raising funds for newsroom staffing, internships for emerging journalists, one-time reporting grants, and underwriting key positions like opinion and philanthropy editors.

This year’s Hall of Fame luncheon is February 24 and features Tonya Mosley as keynote speaker. Mosley, co-host of NPR’s Fresh Air and creator of Truth Be Told, brings a sharp, human-centered perspective to conversations about media, trust, and representation. Get your seat today.

And for a deeper dive into why local journalism matters and how you can make a difference, listen to the Life After News episode featuring Randy Lovely, CVJF president. He breaks down the future of community reporting and how our support can shape it:
🎧 “The Future of Local Journalism; How You Can Make a Difference” — listen here.

💻 Pro-Tip: Book Direct & Save
Planning your next getaway? Skip the middlemen and book directly at oldranchinn.com to unlock the Private Rate — exclusive savings just for our inner circle (that’s you).

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📬 Thank you so much for reading the January issue of the Desert Dispatch!

We hope you enjoyed catching up on all the latest news from around the area this past month. We truly appreciate your readership and support!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful 2026!

— Jason and Troy

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