Wednesday kicks off the 24th annual Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs, Calif., the largest queer female party and musical festival in the world. Known for its debauchery, infamous pool parties, world-class dance parties and musical talent, the Dinah Shore is the ultimate spring break for queer women, April 2-6.

The Dinah Shore isn’t just about scandalous parties. If you want to have a debauched weekend, if you want to network and promote your business, if you want to leave Palm Springs with new friendships, then it’s the place to be. To make the most of your trip, here’s a rundown on the week’s festivities.

Wednesday kicks off the complimentary Dinah Official Pre-party at the Hilton Hotel from 8pm to midnight. Thursday brings the Dinah Comedy Night at the Palm Springs Convention Center hosted by Suzanne Westenhoefer and featuring “Chelsea Lately’s” Fortune Feimster and “Last Comic Standing’s” Erin Foley and Gina Yashere. Doors open at 8pm and the show starts at 9pm. These opening events are a great opportunity to meet women that you can hangout with for the rest of the weekend.

The Dinah Opening Party kicks off the dancing Thursday night at 9pm at Zeldaz nightclub with the best DJs and a special performance by Palm Springs local, III G, performing her hit, “Wavy.”

On Wednesday and Thursday, all of the Dinah events don’t start until the evening, which is why you should take full advantage of the Palm Springs Dinah VIP program for Wednesday and Thursday Dinah guests. The city has provided a VIP card to Dinah guests offering discounts to Palm Springs sites and attractions. Enjoy the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, the world’s largest rotating tramcar, The Indian Canyons, shopping and dining out.

Local restaurant Frida’s, co-owned by a gay and lesbian couple, hosts a kick off event with a DJ on Wednesday at 6pm. Their food is a fusion of Mexican, Spanish, French, Cuban, Caribbean and Central/South American dishes. Plus they serve the most delicious mixed drinks. All of the proceeds go to the local LGBT community center.

Friday, April 4, from 12pm to 6pm is AfterEllen’s Thank God It’s Dinah Friday Pool Party at the Hilton main pool area. They’ll be DJs, cocktails, dancing, a live Sirius XM radio broadcast with OUT Q’s most popular radio personalities and a live performance by disco diva Evelyn Champagne King.

Friday night at 8pm in the Hilton grand ballroom, you can watch the latest web series and short films with the casts and crew who created them, hosted by JD Disalvatore, award-winning producer of “A Marine Story” and “Elena Undone.” The Dinah’s second annual Dinah Film Festival is screening “Dyke Central,” “Girl Gets Girl,” “#Hashtag,” “Kiss Her I’m Famous,” “Nikki and Nora,” “Little Horribles” and “Secrets and Toys” followed by a question-and-answer session with the casts and crews.

Expect an electric performance from Iggy Azalea at The Dinah White Party, hosted by Curve, on Friday at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The celebrity-studded red carpet arrivals begin at 10pm.

“The L Word” fans won’t want to miss the largest lesbian pool party in the world on Saturday, April 5, from 10am to 6pm at the Hilton main pool. “The L Word” Pool Party, commemorating “The L Word’s” 10-year anniversary, boasts an outside beer garden, thousands of women, go-go dancers, incredible DJs, a performance by “The Real L Word’s” Hunter Valentine, exclusive “The L Word” giveaways plus a photo opportunity from 2:30pm to 5pm with Leisha Hailey, Kate Moennig and Laurel Holloman, aka Alice Pieszecki, Shane McCutcheon and Tina Kennard respectively.

If you want a more chill pool environment on Saturday and Sunday and you like old school music, then you’ll want to attend The Dinah Pool Party II at The Saguaro, from 10am to 4pm. If you’re big into dancing with wet, half-naked queer women in hot weather, then be sure to be at the Hilton’s main pool at 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday for the Battle of the DJs.

Twin heartthrobs Tegan and Sara are ready to make you swoon, dance and sing along on Saturday night. Their concert starts at 8:30pm. Doors open at 7:30pm at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

Music sensation Eve is performing at The Black Party, the largest party of the weekend. Held at the Palm Springs Convention Center, doors open at 9 pm and the celebrity studded red carpet arrivals, with cameos from Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig, begin at 10 pm.

The celebrity poker tournament benefiting the Human Rights Campaign takes place during The Black Party at 10pm. You’ll need a ticket to The Black Party to get on the poker action. With a $50 dollar buy-in, you’ll be playing poker with a lot of your favorite queer women, from actress Nicole Pacent to filmmaker Rolla Selbak to “Real World Ex-plosion” star Ari Fitz. You’ll also be entered into a raffle to win a lot of amazing prizes, like a free weekend for two to The Dinah 2015, including 3 nights at one of the host hotels and two VIP tickets, a weekend for two to Shedonism, Las Vegas’ hottest women’s weekend, a gift basket from Curve and more.

Mary Lambert is singing “Same Love” at The Wet and Wild Pool Party on Sunday at the Hilton main pool at 5pm. From 10am to 6pm, you can get your dance, drink and swim on. They’ll be DJs, go-go dancers, plenty of beverages plus a special performance by Ifalade and Pink Dewberries at 1pm. Due to the popularity of “The L Word” reunion, there will be a second chance to see your favorite characters from 11:30am to 1pm at the Hilton pool.

The best way to end the weekend is at The Dinah Closing Party on Sunday night at Zeldaz nightclub. If you’ve been eying a special someone throughout the weekend, this is your last chance to make a move. It’s also your last chance to hang out with the women who you’ll leave Dinah Shore calling your friends. Get your dance on one last time, enjoy the people you’ve met this week and the incredible experiences you’ve shared. Additionally, you’ll enjoy a live performance by Thea Austin.

All photos courtesy of Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend and Frida’s.

The post What to expect at The Dinah this weekend first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Kiyomi Valentine (left) and Lori Michaels

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

Hunter Valentine’s Kiyomi Valentine and Lori Michaels, the singer Bravo television’s Andy Cohen dubbed the “lesbian superstar,” are coming together for an intimate acoustic concert event.

Valentine and Michaels will be featured at an “L Word Pride Party” to be held Sunday, May 4, at The Turning Point in Piermont, N.Y., The event is the first of its kind in the region and designed to serve as a catalyst for future pride parties and events for the Hudson Valley LGBT community.

Christina Sirera, creator of “L Word Pride Parties and Events” is excited to expand her events beyond the New York City area. “My goal is to bring attention to the resources in the community and to support them,” said Sirera. “I strive to provide a place where members of the LGBT community can celebrate themselves with unequivocal freedom and comfort.”

Valentine, who was featured on Showtime’s “The Real L Word,” will be stepping away from her hard-rocking Hunter Valentine front-woman duties for this special solo acoustic show. She plans to feature both cover and classic tunes, as well as some new material. Michaels will follow up with an unplugged piano performance featuring both original and cover material.

Only 75 tickets will be made available for this intimate event which will also feature coming out stories designed to empower the audience and encourage the celebration of LGBT sexuality, equality and music.

Additional information is available on the L World Pride Parties Facebook page and tickets can be purchased here.

The post Rocker, Dyke Diva combine for evening of music, empowerment, equality first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Power, pop/punk band and stars of “The Real L Word” Season 3, Hunter Valentine, is confirmed to perform at the upcoming 2014 Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend — the largest lesbian event in the world.

The in-your-face all female rock band is set to take the stage at the Hilton Hotel in Palm Springs, CA, on Saturday, April 5 at 4:00 p.m. during the legendary pool party.

Read more at TaggMagazine.com

Tagg Magazine is a print and online resource for LBT women in the DC Metropolitan and Rehoboth, DE areas.

The post Hunter Valentine to headline at Dinah Shore first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Singer/songwriter Krissy Krissy

BY The Seattle Lesbian

Twenty-three-year-old out singer, songwriter, musician Krissy Krissy will be hitting the road with all-female bands Hunter Valentine and Girl in A Coma for a fall tour featuring 20-plus dates across the U.S. and Canada- kicking off September 8 in Nashville.

Praised as being a powerful vocal house, California native/Brooklyn raised Krissy Krissy has made tremendous strides in a very short period of time. From garnering a quarter million views in just two days for her debut single “Dreams,” to a top record on I Heart Radio, to an MTV “Buzzworthy” feature, to a #1 spot on MTVU, Freshman Pick of The Week, Krissy Krissy continues to break new ground.

Read more at TheSeattleLesbian.com

The Seattle Lesbian online magazine reaches more than 188,000 readers per week globally.

The post Krissy Krissy, Hunter Valentine, Girl in a Coma announce tour first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The ladies of the Real L World are featured in this video for Hunter Valentine’s catchy “Scarface.”

The post Real L Word and Hunter Valentine: “Scarface” Video first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY KIM HOFFMAN

“I was born into a family of drummers,” says Hunter Valentine’s resident wild child, Laura Petracca. Making noise in the basement until her parents put her in drum lessons at the age of 8, which lasted a year, she eventually picked up drumming again in high school, heavily influenced by god-like drummers like Led Zeppelin’s late John Bohnam and Keith Moon from The Who. Every time she tried to give it up, it found its way back. It was a chance-meet with Kiyomi McCloskey at a gay bar in Toronto that eventually formed Hunter Valentine. Nine years later, they’re zigzagging across the country in one almighty estrogen-packed van on a national tour. And after the whirlwind introduction into reality TV that was “The Real L Word,” they’ve slated a showcase in Japan at the end of November, and as of this past week, their third studio album “Collide and Conquer” was released.

Read more at Curve

Curve, the nation’s best-selling lesbian magazine, spotlights all that is fresh, funny, exciting, controversial and cutting-edge in our community.

The post Hunter Valentine’s Laura Petracca tells all first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Three seems to be Hunter Valentine‘s lucky number! Coming straight out of Season 3 of Showtime’s hit reality series “The Real L Word” into the release of their third studio album, “Collide & Conquer” (available October 23, 2012 via Megaforce/Sony), no one can deny the momentum behind the all-female trio.

For a little background, the group formed after underaged Kiyomi McCloskey (lead vocals/guitar) met drummer Laura Petracca in a crowded bar in their hometown of Toronto, Ontario. The two quickly forged an unbreakable bond over cheap beer and whiskey. Eight years later with two studio albums behind them, the band has grown into a veritable powerhouse that tours 200-plus dates per year around the world. The newest addition is bassist Veronica “Vero” Sanchez.

Read more at TheSeattleLesbian.com

The Seattle Lesbian online magazine reaches more than 188,000 readers per week globally.

The post Hunter Valentine explodes into the mainstream first appeared on Lesbian.com.