Is The Dinah Ending in 2025?

The Dinah’s touch on Palm Springs — a town where it’s estimated around half of the population identifies as LGBTQ+ — runs deep. Known around the world as the largest music festival/pool party for lesbians and queer women, The Dinah, founded in 1991 by Mariah Hanson, has featured The Pussycat Dolls, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Lizzo, Doechii, and other talented artists on its stage. For 34 years, Hanson’s proclivity and passion for throwing parties has led The Dinah to build a community, with attendance growing from about 1,500 people in its first year to more than 15,000 in 2024. The 2025 event will take place Sept. 24–28. Now, Hanson’s departure from the event operations leaves us wondering: What does the future of The Dinah look like? Here, the longtime host shares with Palm Springs Life a look at the festival’s footprint in Palm Springs, revisits highlights, and speculates on potential successors.  

Tell us about your decision to step away from The Dinah. Why now?

The time just feels right for me. I have always operated very much from my strong sense of intuition, being a Scorpio, of course. I also think it really will help the next [host] to tee off their first time as our 35th anniversary. It’s going to be super beneficial to whoever takes over the event to start off with a bang.

What was the very first Dinah like?

It was incredible. It was at the Palm Springs Art Museum, which is a first-class modern art facility. Our customers were dancing to DJs, standing next to priceless statues. It was an amazing experience. Over the years, it’s just been the measure of its own yardstick. We just keep on getting better every year, looking at what we’ve done well and what we need work on, and how to just make it the most amazing event that we possibly can for our customers.

What are some of your favorite highlights from past festivals?

Chaka Khan was a highlight — she’s one of my favorite artists. Jessie Reyez was a highlight — I just think her messaging about supporting women’s rights and civil rights is so powerful. I’ve been very lucky to have some amazing women on my stage. But there’s nothing better than every year, seeing all these women and allies, and our trans friends and nonbinary friends, people coming from all over the world to celebrate and be their authentic selves in a really safe environment has been super powerful for me, to create that joy.

What is the biggest change The Dinah has seen over time?

The community has grown as the event has grown. Embracing different ways of identifying and creating a safe space for you to be who you are without fear of repercussion or judgment. It’s a powerful event.

How has Palm Springs influenced The Dinah?

Palm Springs is the perfect place to produce The Dinah because it has been so welcoming to the LGBTQIA community. The city council, even when it wasn’t super reflective of our community, has always been very welcoming to The Dinah. Luckily, the city council has always promoted very strong LGBTQIA representation. The city as a whole sees the importance of that. They consider The Dinah a legacy event. … They believe in what we do, and they believe in the message that it sends out to the world that Palm Springs is a safe place.

Your mother was a civil rights activist and would take you along to marches. How do you think that influenced your ability to host an event like The Dinah?

It certainly has made me an activist. I’ve always been committed to advancing our LGBTQIA rights. I’ve been on the board of Equality California and I was on the board of directors for the San Francisco Community Center, two organizations that are really committed to LGBTQIA visibility, rights, and equality. So I definitely am my mother’s daughter, for sure.

What do you hope your final year as host of The Dinah will be like?

I hope it conveys the inclusiveness that we have always stood for. We’re committed to creating an environment every year that conveys a sense of freedom for our customers, freedom to be who they are, freedom to love who they love, freedom to express themselves how they want to express themselves, and to accept each other as well. That’s really important to us, too — that we’re bringing people from all over the world to a five-day platform. Even within our own community, we have differences and sometimes struggle with that. And The Dinah is this really magical place where all of that seems to just fade away. People leave it feeling really changed.

What are you looking for in a potential successor?

We’re hoping that whoever steps into the producer’s shoes understands and honors the history of The Dinah and what we’ve tried to create. We also understand that they have their own story to tell. We’re hoping that the sentiment behind The Dinah is preserved, but we understand that it will also have its own particular touch depending upon who takes it over. We’re just hoping that whoever takes it over has an open heart to making sure that our community is well represented and that everyone is made to feel welcome.

What advice would you like to leave that person with?

People need to be seen, heard, and valued, and that needs to be included in every aspect of the event, from the advertising to the way we conduct the event on site, to how we interact with our customers from start to finish. Our goal is to make people feel that their lives matter, that they’re seen, that The Dinah is a place for them to feel strong and connected and in community.

Is this the last Dinah for Palm Springs?

That’s not a question I can answer. Only the new owner can. I’m sure it will stay in Palm Springs, but who knows? I think … it’ll probably go back to April, or that’s what I would do if I were keeping it. We are in talks with a few people and are welcoming anyone who is interested to reach out. We want to make sure we have the best fit possible.

To learn more about The Dinah, or to purchase tickets for the September event, visit thedinah.com.