by Ryan Baber

One weekend, two camps and a blinding array of starpower—this is Dinah Shore.

With the holiday season finally over, January is, for most people, a month of dietary resolution and financial constraint. But in the lesbian calendar this is even more crucial because the beginning of the year also marks the start of Dinah season. For the 18th year in a row, Palm Springs is preparing to play host to the single largest gathering of lesbians on the planet. With so many concerts, celebrity appearances, off-the-hook pool parties and mayhem we probably can’t even print, three months might not be enough time to adequately prepare. Get plenty of sleep this winter, because, come spring, this is what you have to look forward to.

GIRL BAR

The ladies at Girl Bar are back for their 18th year, and they are quick to remind us that the Dinah is “not just a weekend anymore.” They are kicking things off on Wednesday, April 2 with a cocktail hour Meet and Greet at the Wyndham Resort’s pool deck, but that’s just an engine primer.

The real revelry gets rolling on Thursday with the Funny Girlz 3 Comedy Show and the Opening Kick-Off Night Dance Party at Hunter’s Video and Dance Club. You might want to use this evening to get loose, but you will definitely want to save your A-game for the weekend.

With pool parties Friday, Saturday and Sunday, a skimpy suit and a generous layer of suntan lotion is advisable. You don’t want a sunburn sidelining you for the main events.

On Friday night, the Pure White Party, which has been known to fill the Convention Center, invades the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Zoso. As if two expansive levels of ladies isn’t enough, the highlight of the evening is sure to be the live performance by a legendary singer, Belinda Carlisle.

But that’s not the last of the celebrities performing at the Dinah. “What I’m looking forward to most, no question, is the reunion performance of the Go-Go’s on Saturday at the Mardi Gras Masquerade Party,” enthuses Girl Bar co-owner Sandy Sachs. For their first performance in front of an exclusively lesbian crowd, the Go-Gos couldn’t have chosen a better place.

“We’re riding an amazing wave,” Sachs says. Good thing the ladies will all be in swimsuits!

For more information and to book reservations, visit www.dinahshoreweekend.com.

CLUB SKIRTS

You better be in shape by April, because Club Skirts is planning to hit you with their best shot this year, especially considering the just confirmed appearance by Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.

Early birds can check out one of Palm Springs newest lesbian-owned nightclubs, including Mixies Bar, at the Official Dinah Shore Weekend Meet and Greet. Club Skirts is partnering with Planet Out, Logo, Showtime and Here! TV to bring you some of the weekend’s wildest parties and most memorable events. In fact, for the first time this year, Club Skirts will be advertising its events on television. The Logo Network will be running ad spots that Club Skirts Owner Mariah Hanson estimates will increase attendance by an incredible 20 percent.

On Friday, along with the Dinah Opening Party at Zelda’s Nightclub, comedy lovers can catch lesbian comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer in an original show for the Dinah—and her only Southern California appearance all year.

The days are far from empty with pool parties concentrated mainly at the Doral Hotel pool area. Hanson is thrilled with this venue, claiming that it is “a larger area than we’ve had in the past, with cabanas, volleyball and Frisbees. There won’t be nearly the space restrictions, which allows for greater crowds.” The more the merrier is definitely the name of the game at the Dinah.

With other live performances by emerging superstar, Colbie Caillat, a midnight performance by Uh Huh Her and a fashion show crowning Club Skirt’s largest party of the week, Paris ’08 at The Doral, there is no end to the options. To miss these events, as well as a live appearance by the inimitable Pat Benatar, would truly be a heartbreaker.

For more information and to book reservations, visit www.thedinah.com.