Palm Springs Weekday Getaway

It’s no secret weekends are generally the most popular time for travel.  Save money and take advantage of lower resort rates by booking Sunday through Thursday.  Enjoy a peaceful getaway with fewer crowds. Go ahead, use up some of that PTO you so well deserve.

Here are some ideas to kickstart that weekday getaway in Palm Springs.

Mid-Week Happy Hours 

Shanghai Red’s offers drink specials from 4 – 6 pm. Sunday night is a great night to catch some live entertainment.

Or try your luck at the nearby Agua Caliente Casino, home of the ever-festive 360 Sports Bar. You can parlay their happy hour from 3 – 5 pm into a happenin’ weeknight full of food and fun.

In the Uptown Design District, afternoons differ from the happy hour at 1501 Uptown Gastropub. Tuesday through Sunday from 3 – 5 pm, you will enjoy discount deliciousness like chilled mesquite tri-tip or a date & arugula salad harvested from local ingredients. Wash it down with a dizzying selection of craft beers or a 1501 classic martini.  Trio also offers a Happy Hour every day from 3 – 6 pm in the bar, including drink and food specials. Try the Prime Rib Sliders or the Trio Mac & Cheese.

Paul Bar/Food is a place you need to find. It’s off the beaten path but well worth the visit.  Their happy hour runs from 4 – 7:15 pm Wednesday through Sunday, but time becomes irrelevant in this speakeasy throwback. Immerse yourself in a 1920s aesthetic as you heat up your palate with a succulent pork chop dappled with date chutney and flanked with bacon and corn mash. Now, cool down your weeknight with a black Manhattan or the popular frozen sidecar poured by the friendliest staff on Vista Chino. Have a ball with Paul!

Liven It Up with Music & Entertainment

The Ace Hotel is a mainstay of millennial mirth. On Monday, Bingo & Trivia night is back in the King’s Highway lounge beginning at 7 pm; Zen out on Tuesdays with sunset yoga led by Power Yoga Palm Springs, free and open to all; and experience jazz under the stars every Wednesday with dinner. Whatever weeknight you prefer to party, you can always Ace it!

The Palm Springs Cultural Center offers live music on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays from 5 to 7 pm.

Another daily destination is the Marlin Bar at Tommy Bahama. Float away on a coconut cloud… we’re not just being poetic; coconut cloud is the name of one of their cocktails. As the spirits slide down your sipper, the spirit of the surroundings rises. Live music ignites the night from 5 to 8 pm, so you’ll have plenty of time to rest up for tomorrow’s mid-week mayhem.

Rawkfist gets raucous every Thursday with live music at The Village. Hearty eats and healthy pours characterize this local watering hole, where hip meets hoppin’!

Elevate your weekend eve at PS Air, a cozy cabaret fashioned to feel like you’re aboard a vintage cross-country flight. Each Thursday night, you can swoon to the sounds of country heartthrob Brian Scott, a burly baritone who gives new meaning to the term “fly the friendly skies.”

Palm Springs is the epicenter of LGBTQ+ realness, and there’s a soiree every night of the week. Whether it’s show tune Monday at Quadz, drag revue Wednesday at Hunters, Quadz, drag revue Wednesday at Hunters, or their Thursday at Chill Bar, we’ve got you covered.

Check the calendar at Oscar’s, a centrally situated venue that often graces your weeknight with wonder. They are always adding new shows and entertainers.

Toucans is a weeknight mainstay, with Latin fever to kick off the festivities and playhouse Thursdays to wrap it up. The glitzy gay vibes contrast with the kitsch Polynesian décor to whisk you away to a tropical escape every evening of the week.

Drag Shows of Palm Springs

Tiki Your Fancy

While we’re on the topic of tiki, Palm Springs boasts exotic enclaves all over town. Drive under the A+ A-frame of The Reef and transport yourself to a South Pacific paradise. The bar is open until 10 pm every weeknight (11 pm on Thursdays), so let your palate be the passport to another world.

In Uptown, you’ll find the one-two rum punch of Tonga Hut. Tonga is only open Thursday through Sunday, but its “secret room” truly lives up to its name. Inquire within to book your mid-week shenanigans.

Swing on over to the swingin’est pad around: Bootlegger Tiki. Nifty nautical concoctions pepper their menu, from Barbados Heat to Man Overboard, and they offer a double dose of joy in the form of two happy hours during the week. So, we’ll see you from 3-4 pm AND 10-11 pm Sunday through Thursday!

Old-School Excellence

Palm Springs establishments blend old-school esteem with new-school coolness.

In South Palm Springs, Seymour’s is tucked playfully away in the confines of Mr. Lyons Steakhouse. The interior evokes a jitterbug/flapper feel, and the menu lists cocktail items like Pretty in Pink and Scarlett Simian. This classic bar will transport you with its lush interiors, moody lighting, and a sneaky unmarked side entrance. Seymour’s also features a large outdoor patio with lounge seating and bocce ball for a spirited night under the desert stars.

Melvyn’s at Ingleside Inn is another excellent, long-standing Palm Springs hang-out famous with Frank Sinatra. Stop by the lounge on Sundays and enjoy the jazz jam. The entertainment begins at 3 pm.  This is where the staff is still wearing black ties and some items.

Indulge in a naughty nightcap at Truss & Twine, home of the Fallen Angel and the Hanky Panky. They also serve drinks! Opens nightly at 6 pm. Tailor Shop is the new kid on the block, but what a block party it is! From highballs to low lighting, this is a weeknight done right.

And remember VillageFest, our free open-air fair every Thursday night on Palm Canyon.

So, why wait for Friday? TGI-midweek in Palm Springs!

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