Executive producer Chris Diamond chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about the 2024 White Party Palm Springs music festival.
White Party Palm Springs has long been celebrated as a premier LGBTQ+ festival, drawing revelers from around the world to partake in its unique blend of music, fashion, and entertainment.
Jeffrey Sanker who was the founder of White Party passed away in 2021 and they have continued the festival since his passing. The first White Party was in 1990, and was founded as a positive way to celebrate, bind together, and find community following the AIDS epidemic that had been devastating the LGBTQ+ community for 10 years prior.
In its 34-year run it has attracted a community of all ages that attend the festival, from festival goers that have been attending since 1990 to younger crowds enticed by their headline artists and weekend celebrations. The reimagined Palm Springs event has many incredible new additions in store for 2024, including partnering with The Saguaro Palm Springs hotel, where they will throw their all-new pool party series throughout the weekend.
On the 2024 White Party Palm Springs festival, he said, “White Party Palm Springs will be amazing this year. We took a survey last year and have made dramatic changes this year. We are focused on lower pricing, world class DJs, more music and dancing. We have changed the venues and have created a whole new look.”
“Also, Ava Max for the T-Dance will be an incredible party and should not be missed,” he added.
On having Ava Max as a headliner, Diamond said, “I wanted to book Ava for the last couple years as I love her music and energy. Last year we
were not able to secure her, but we tried again, and I think this year is an even better time. It’s super exciting for me and I think she is very relevant to our community and will help attract some new people that may have not been to White Party before. I love and have followed her music since the beginning.”
Regarding his job description as executive director, he remarked, “My job involves everything from selecting the location, overseeing the creative, the production, the ticketing, the promoting, the guest experience, and most of all selecting a team that will help us create the best party possible.”
On being a part of the digital age, Diamond said, “It has been a learning experience. It’s super exciting and fun. Almost
everyone I know uses social media and streaming and I enjoy watching so many things from all over the world.”
When asked about his future plans with the music festival, he shared, “We are hoping to reinvent the experience of White Party and we are working to bring the younger crowd to help take the party into the future. The experience of White Party is one you won’t find anywhere and we are hoping to continue growing the brand.”
He opened up about some of his proudest professional moments. “Taking over the festival three years ago was quite a challenge,” he admitted.
“I had been Jeffrey Sanker’s friend for over 20 years and watched the festival grow,” he said. “I was super proud of our first year as we had booked new up and coming talent of Raye and Netta, followed by legend Paula Abdul. This was quite a production, and I was super proud of it also as we celebrated Jeffrey Sanker’s life.”
“Last year I was so excited to present the first ever drone show at our festival, which I felt was so incredible to be so close out in the desert valley and was a memory I will never forget,” he added
On the future of the festival for the next five to ten years, he foreshadowed, “Again, I am hoping to attract a younger crowd to the festival and I am trying to refresh and reinvent. We have changed the production team this year and hope to have an all-new look. I am hoping to watch the party grow over the next 5 to 10 years and really become a super legendary event.”
Regarding his definition of the word success, Diamond said, “Success is a big word and one that I strive for every day of my life. It means you need to work hard, always be positive, and to strive for the things and events that I am involved in hopefully have a good outcome.”
Diamond concluded about the White Party Palm Springs festival, “I want people to come and have the best time, meet new friends, feel like they are comfortable being themselves, and hopefully have great memories that last for a lifetime.”
To learn more about this forthcoming music festival, check out its official website.
