Club Skirts Dinah Shore :: 25 Years of Girls, Girls, Girls!

"You have come a long way baby... To get where you've got to today."

Though the line has its beginnings in a time when "baby" was rooted in a world still dominated by chauvinistic and homopho-bic ideologies, it is no less relevant an idiom when it comes to expressing a long, hard-won fight for acceptance, both individual and societal, for self-expression and the freedom to love who you love. "Baby" has earned the right to a triumphant place in the sun and a celebration of every version of the female race.

Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend is arguably one of the best places for women and lesbians to celebrate and enjoy those hard-fought freedoms, and has been for the last 25 years. One of the earliest promoters, Mariah Hanson, offered her insights about those changes: "Our community has become very hip and accepting and this attitude creates a well-rounded atmosphere in which people from all over the country can come together and define themselves, not by their similarities alone, but by their differences too. And that's what makes life interesting. What can we learn from each other? How are we different? I love hearing stories of women who meet every year at The Dinah for their annual sojourn. They made friends years ago, but live in all different parts of the world and The Dinah serves as the common ground on which they come together to celebrate their lives."

Little did Hanson know a quarter-century ago, when launching the event, that it would become her enduring legacy to the LGBT community and become one of Palm Springs' premier events. When asked what the biggest challenge she faced when starting, Hanson shared this: "The biggest challenge at the beginning was to convince the hotels and the city of Palm Springs that The Dinah was here to stay. My goal was really to make Palm Springs its permanent home. I'm beyond thrilled to see that Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend has now evolved into one of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley's largest tourism boosters, and undisputed biggest lesbian event of its kind in the world."

She opined further, "I strongly believe that the natural symbiosis The Dinah and the City of Palm Springs share has continuously been a match made in heaven. Today, more than a tradition, The Dinah has become a Palm Springs institution and a staple event sharing the spotlight with the likes of the Coachella Music Festival, Stagecoach, The Palm Springs International Film Festival and LPGA golf tournaments, to name a few. We're proud to be one of the early pioneers!"

The event has gone from a small, one-night, sold out event at the Palm Springs Modern Art Museum with 1,500 participants filling every gallery, to an event that sells out multiple host hotels, with five days of sun-filled pool parties, world-class entertainment and 15,000-plus attendees. It is considered one of the largest lesbian events of its kind, featuring major corporate sponsors and drawing women from around the world.

Each year, major entertainers line up to perform at The Dinah. Past performers include The Pussycat Dolls in '06, India.Arie, Jackie Warner, Showtime's "The L Word stars," Leisha Hailey, Kate Meonnig and Jane Lynch in '07, Pat Benatar, Colbie Caillat, Uh Huh Her, Lisa Lisa and the return of "The L Word" stars in '08. 2009 turned out to be a stellar year with Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, as well as The Indigo Girls, Margaret Cho and the return of Uh Huh Her. 2010 offered up Salt 'N Pepa, Sarah Shahi, The Paradiso Girls, British siren Lolene and the legendary Martha Davis and The Motels. It also introduced another newcomer, Ke$ha, who with her debut CD that same year, went on to have five Billboard Hot 100 hits.

In 2011 The Dinah showcased Natasha Bedingfield and Dev and The Cataracs. 2012 brought in the legendary Chaka Kahn, Nina Sky and another newcomer, Wynter Gordon. In 2013, Karmin headlined, along with Havana Brown and Uh Huh Her again. And finally, for 2014, the stages were booked with a lineup of Grammy winners and nominees: Tegan and Sara, Mary Lambert, Eve, Evelyn Champagne King, Thea Austin and the record-breaking chart topper, Iggy Azalea.

2015 is no exception. Featured performers include Christina Perri, singer of "A Thousand Years," the mega hit from "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn." Other events feature newcomers BeBe Rexha, Olivia Somerlyn and Ivy Levan with Crystal Waters singing her classic hits "Gypsy Woman," "100 Percent Pure Love" and "Makin' Happy." Taking time out from her tour to perform at The Dinah, is Meghan Trainor. The Dinah runs from Wednesday, April 1 through Sunday, April 5, beginning Wednesday night with the official Pre-Party at the Hacienda Cantina and Beach Club. Thursday evening features a comedy night with Gloria Bigelow, Dana Goldberg, Dinah Leffert and Suzanne Westenhoefer at the Palm Springs Convention Center and, later that same evening, The Dinah Opening Party at Zelda's Nightclub on Palm Canyon Drive.

Starting Friday afternoon at the host hotel is the TGIDF Pool Party at The Hilton's main pool, followed by the first headliner concert featuring Christina Perri at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Capping off the night at the same venue is The Dinah White Party with Ivy Levan.

Saturday returns revelers to The Hilton's pool with Battle of the DJs (TBD) and a second pool party at The Hilton's main pool with Crystal Waters performing. That evening's concert with Meghan Trainor, returns to the Palm Springs Convention Center, along with a night of dancing at The Black Party and a performance by BeBe Rexha. Sunday sums up the weekend with the final Wet and Wild Pool Party back at The Hilton featuring Rolls Royce and ending the weekend, The Dinah Closing Party finishes up the weekend at Zelda's Nightclub. It's a weekend packed with music, dancing and plenty of hot desert fun!

When asked to sum up what Hanson is most proud of regarding The Dinah, she was quick to answer with this: "My staff. They are about as amazing as it gets. I am so blessed to work with exceptional women, from my top brass, to those women who fly across the country to work the trenches of the weekend - ticket taking, handling will call, etc. They sense, and rightly so, that they are a part of something that is so much greater than the sum of its parts and creates such joy for women who are coming from all ends of the earth to experience The Dinah. I am honored to work alongside such incredible women." She immediately added this, as well: "Apart from that, I also have the best customers in the world. I know that sounds mushy, but when you go to the event and see all the amazing energy coming together with such unity in an unabashed effort to simply celebrate our lives together, you'll see why I say it. Magic happens there."

For tickets and more information about Club Skirts The Dinah, or for VIP passes, hotel information, a full schedule of events and even book your travel, go to thedinah.com