Palm Springs VillageFest could return this summer
VillageFest could be making a comeback in downtown Palm Springs this summer. The Thursday night street fair has been closed since the pandemic began in March 2020.
“There is huge support for bringing it back,” said Joy Meredith, a business owner and merchant liaison for VillageFest Palm Springs.
The Thursday night street fair in downtown Palm Springs has been a staple event for almost 30 years, but it’s been shut down since the start of the pandemic.
“For some of these businesses, the vendors that are out there, this was their only show that they did and they made their living on it, so to have it shut down for over a year was very devastating,” Meredith said.
On Sunday, nearly 300 people plan to gather at Oscar’s Café and Bar in downtown Palm Springs for a “fully-vaccinated” afternoon of dancing and drinking, according to owner Dan Gore. The event which will require prior proof of COVID-19 vaccination, identification and a signed HIPPA waiver to attend illustrates one potential “new normal” standard for safe partying.
“We photocopied everything,” Gore said. “In the event that someone needs to see proof, we will be able to access it on the fly.”
Participants will be required to wear masks at all times except when seated at a table, according to Gore, who noted that there was no indoor seating at Oscar’s. Gore said he employed an attorney to help ensure that everything about the event was in full compliance with current Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and local regulations regarding COVID safety.
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Thankfully, the traffic wasn t too bad on Tahquitz Canyon Way in Palm Springs as we drove past and missed the first of Christopher Myers The Art of Taming Horses sculptures. We were able to turn around and park momentarily to quickly absorb the piece and run across the road to the middle island, where these sculptures have been installed, to take photos.
The same went for the remaining five sculptures from Myers installation created for Desert X. Unless you want to cause a traffic jam or loiter illegally on the island in the middle of the road to give the pieces the full attention they deserve, the sculptures, speaking to a fascinating fictional narrative of the history of the Palm Springs area, are drive-by viewings.
Ready to see all of the Desert X 2021 art installations? Here s a map Brian Blueskye, Palm Springs Desert Sun
A structure made of cements and soil. A word garden. A maze made of rugs woven from palm fibers. A homestead.
These are just four of nine installations you can now see at the art biennial Desert X, which opened Friday across the Coachella Valley. Additionally, a mural by Felipe Baeza and sculptures by Christopher Myers, all in Palm Springs, will be on view April 9. Locations for a live smoke sculpture by feminist artist Judy Chicago and artwork by Oscar Murillo are still to be announced.