White Party Palm Springs won’t happen this year due to the recent death of founder Jeffrey Sanker, but organizers said Tuesday they expect it to return in spring 2022.
Chris Diamond of the White Party Foundation said the event has been rescheduled to April 29 to May 1, 2022. Previously purchased passes for the 2021 event — which was slated to happen this fall — will be honored for the 2022 dates. Additional details were not immediately available.
The 2021 event had already been rescheduled multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally set to take place this spring, it was first moved to September, and then delayed further to late October.
White Party Palm Springs is the largest gay circuit party in the United States and typically attracts more than 30,000 attendees during the Coachella Valley’s spring season. Last year’s event was canceled and became a two-day digital concert streamed over Facebook.
Traditionally, the party takes place over three days from Friday to Sunday with a series of pool and dance parties. The weekend usually kicks off with a theme party on Friday night. On Saturday, guests are encouraged to dress in white. White Party also features internationally renowned DJs and music artists. Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga performed in recent years.
Sanker, who was 65, had his family with him when he died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Hospital after a long battle with liver cancer, reported the Los Angeles Blade.
The L.A.-based promoter helped make Palm Springs the gay-friendly city it is now. When he launched the Palm Springs White Party in 1990, many states still enforced anti-sodomy laws. The event turned into one of the biggest gay circuit parties in the world.
“Jeffrey Sanker was the person who brought the big numbers to town,” Craig Prater, former director of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, previously told the Desert Sun. “He filled hotels, restaurants with great numbers. As a result, gay men came back to the desert because of their fun at Jeffrey’s events.”
In 2014, Sanker was honored with a star on The Palm Springs Walk of Stars, which recognizes notable individuals who have contributed to the cultural and or civic life of Palm Springs. The star remains in front of LuLu California Bistro.
During the ceremony, Sanker was called a “humanitarian and pioneer.”
“He brought entertainment here that was top level,” Ron Oden, a former mayor of Palm Springs, said at the time. “That continued to make the name Palm Springs prominent, not only in California and the United States, but throughout the world.”
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Previous reporting by Desert Sun staff writer Maria Sestito was used in this story.
Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye. Support local news, subscribe to The Desert Sun.
