The tell-tale signs that high season in the Valley is here are everywhere. Parking spaces are at a premium, traffic moves slowly everywhere on Highway 111, decent tee times are as scarce as hen’s teeth, and trying to snag a lox and bagel at Sherman’s on the weekend requires superhuman patience and endurance. You might even find yourself thinking fondly of 115-degree days in August when the Valley feels virtually deserted.
Yes, a crowded Valley can be a bit annoying. But, the upside is really big. Many of us can remember the Valley 25 or 30 years ago, when the desert was not as lively in the high season as it is now. Sure, there was the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, but the Indian Wells Open was nowhere near being considered the unofficial “fifth” Grand Slam event, and nothing much was happening by April.
The fact is, our Valley has become one of the premier destinations in the world thanks to its sports, recreation, and architecture. The numbers tell the story: 135,000 people attend the Palm Springs International Film Festival each year; over 50,000 fans follow 156 golfers in La Quinta at The American Express Golf Tournament (and 2.2 million television viewers typically watch a PGA tournament on any given Sunday); Modernism Week attracts more than 130,000 architecture aficionados; and 250,000 music lovers descend on Indio for Coachella and Stagecoach. But, the really staggering number comes from Indian Wells, where record-breaking attendance at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament was 493,440 in 2024.
The positive economic impact is undeniable. The 130,000 visitors from the U.S., Canada, France, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, and the UK who come for 11 days of modernism tours, parties, and lectures contribute over $68 million to our local economy. As Modernism Week CEO Lisa Vossler Smith says in this month’s Q&A, the event started 20 years ago with a few hundred people in attendance. Now, there are over 350 events and a dozen bus tours daily.
And beyond the immediate economic benefit of Modernism Week is the benefit of awareness. As Vossler Smith points out, the popularity of the event not only helps preserve architecture here in the Valley but also educates visitors so that they might return home and feel the call to become preservation activists in their own cities. Frankly, I think that’s worth spending another five minutes hunting a parking space.