Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend, popularly known as “The Dinah”, is a five-day weekend getaway and music festival catering to the LGBT communities that takes place annually in California in the United States. It is considered the largest lesbian event in the United States and the world. Held each spring in Palm Springs

Palm Springs

Palm Springs is a desert city in CaliforniaPalm Springs may also refer to:* Palm Springs, Florida* Palm Springs, Hong Kong, a residential development in Yuen Long, Hong Kong* Coachella Valley, also known as the Palm Springs area...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, the event offers a series of pool parties, night entertainment, live concerts by Top Ten Billboard recording artists, comedy shows, sport-games and social networking opportunities.

Primarily catering to the lesbian demographics, The Dinah celebrates the tapestry of women around the world attracting some 10,000-plus participants from countries such as Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 and Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. Over the years, it has gradually rallied the corporate support of market leaders such as Miller, MTV/LOGO Networks, here tv!, Sirius Radio, Showtime, O.B. Tampons, Shake Weight and Bacardi among others.

History/Creation

The Dinah Shore Weekend was named after the late Dinah Shore – a singer, TV personality and renowned golfer born Frances Rose Shore in 1916, who lived in the Coachella Valley and is credited for having founded in Palm Springs the Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Tournament in 1978. The event now coincides with the Kraft Nabisco Championship women’s golf tournament.
The first unofficial Dinah Shore Weekend took place in 1986 when women began to flock to Palm Springs in conjunction with the tournament. After-dinner parties following the golfing turned benefits for the Human Rights Campaign and the AIDS Service Foundation.

The first Dinah Shore Weekend was produced in 1991 by Mariah Hanson under her Club Skirts Presents The Dinah Marquee at The Palm Springs Museum.

Activism and Humanitarian Endeavors

The Dinah has become a platform to mobilize the LGBT community around LGBT-oriented humanitarian projects and social issues.
Hanson has teamed up with a variety of organizations and lent her support to various humanitarian causes and activist movements such as GLAAD, NOH8, LOVE IS LOUDER, The San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Community Center, The Women's Building, National Center for Lesbian Rights, Jon Sims Center, Ladies Philharmonic, Uhuru Movement, HRC, Lyon Martin Health Clinic, Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Center, and Equality California.
Hanson just ended her second term on the Board of Equality California and also sits on the "Women's Night" committee for the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. Both organizations are named charity recipients of The Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend.

The Dinah Timeline & Highlights

Year	Highlights
1991	First Club skirts The Dinah at The Palm Springs Museum featuring Martha Wash.
1993	First Major magazine to sponsor The Dinah: Out Magazine.
1994	First long term contract with a major hotel: The Riviera Resort.
1994	Expanded to Sunday night making it a full four-day event.
1995	Ellen DeGeneres Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....  attended as guest at the Friday night White Party.
1997	Received proclamation from republican and conservative Mayor Kleindienst acknowledging March 29th as Gay Tourism Day Dinah Shore Weekend Day.
1998	Signed ten-year contract with The Wyndham.
2000	Added Doral as second overflow hotel.
2001	Added Wednesday night & making it a five-day event.
2003	Added Wednesday night & making it a five-day event.
2006	The Dinah joined forces with Planet Out to produce the exclusive Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend. Headline performances by The Pussycat Dolls Pussycat Dolls The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995... , En Vogue En Vogue En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music... , and Joan Jett.
2007	The Dinah teamed up with L Word's Ilene Chaiken Ilene Chaiken Ilene Chaiken is an American television producer, director and writer. Chaiken is best known as being the co-creator, writer and executive producer of the television series The L Word...  to produce an exclusive L Word event with actresses Kate Meonnig, Leisha Hailey Leisha Hailey Leisha Hailey is an American actress and musician most widely known for playing Alice Pieszecki in the Showtime Networks production The L Word...  and Jane Lynch Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...  called “be Scene”. Headliners featured India Arie and Uh Huh Her.
2008	Colbie Caillat Colbie Caillat Colbie Marie Caillat is an American pop singer-songwriter and guitarist from Malibu, California. She debuted in 2007 with Coco, which included hit singles "Bubbly", "Realize", and "The Little Things". In 2008, she recorded a duet with Jason Mraz, "Lucky", which won a Grammy. Caillat released her... , Lisa Lisa and Pat Benatar Pat Benatar Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States...  headlined The Dinah. The official LOGO Networks and Here TV Red Carpet events launched.
2009	The Dinah boked Grammy nominees Lady GaGa Lady GaGa Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to... , Katy Perry Katy Perry Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a... , and Indigo Girls Indigo Girls The Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. They met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area... , as well as Margaret Cho Margaret Cho Margaret Cho is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and recording artist. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music...  and Uh Huh Her to headline the night parties/concerts.
2010	The Dinah celebrates its 20th milestone Anniversary. Headliners featured Salt-N-Pepa Salt-N-Pepa Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip hop trio from Queens and Brooklyn, New York, that was formed in 1985. The group, consisting of Cheryl "Salt" Renee James, Sandra "Pepa" Denton, and Deidra "DJ Spinderella" Roper, was one of the first all-female rap crews.... , Ke$ha, Martha Davis Martha Davis Martha Davis may refer to:*Martha Davis , lead singer of the new wave band The Motels*Martha Davis , vocalist and pianist who performed as "Martha Davis and Spouse"*Martha Davis , who wrote "Brutal Need"...  and The Motel, and Paradiso Girls Paradiso Girls The Paradiso Girls were a girl group and the brainchild of Jimmy Iovine, an attempt to create a European spin–off of Iovine's other girl group The Pussycat Dolls. After forming in 2007, the group consisted of seven members but by 2008 this had dropped to five... . Celebrity photographer Adam Bouska Adam Bouska Adam Bouska is an award winning American fashion photographer who runs a photography studio based out of West Hollywood, California. He is known for pictures of male models in particular, and is considered a rising 'superstar photographer' in the gay community...  and Jeff Parshley hosted a “NOH8” Sunday Pool Party.
2011	Chely Wright Chely Wright Richell Rene "Chely" Wright is an American country music artist and, starting in 2010, gay rights activist. On the strength of her debut album in 1994, the Academy of Country Music named her Top New Female Vocalist in 1995. Wright's first Top 40 country hit came in 1997 with "Shut Up and Drive"... , Natasha Bedingfield Natasha Bedingfield Natasha Anne Bedingfield is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle...  and Dev and The Cataracs headlined The Dinah. Actress Brittany Snow and MTV/Logo hosted a “Love is Louder” Sunday Pool Party to raise awareness on school bullying and discrimination. Celebrities attending included Laurel Holloman Laurel Holloman Laurel Holloman is an American actress, best known for her roles as Randy Dean in the 1995 indie film The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, Justine Cooper on Angel, and Tina Kennard on the Showtime series The L Word.-Career:Laurel attended the University of North Carolina and...  (“The L Word The L Word The L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood... ”), Fernanda Rocha (“The Real Housewives of Orange County”), Whitney Mixter and Rose Garcia (“The Real L Word”).

Press

• Rival parties toast 20 years at the Dinah: LA Times

• Dinah 2011: Mary B interviews Mariah Hanson from Club Skirts: GayTravel.com

• The Dinah’s Mariah Hanson Nets Another Big Star!: LezGetReal.com

• Fernanda Rocha, Real Lesbian Housewife of Orange County, Poses Topless for NoH8: LA Weekly

• Natasha Bedingfield Is Back and Rocking The Dinah: Curve Magazine

• Mariah Hanson Blows It Out at Dinah Shore 2009: SheWired.com

• Interview with Mariah Hanson: AfterEllen.com

• Brooke Means Business: Talking to Dinah Shore Masterbrain Mariah Hanson: Autostraddle.com

• Mariah Hanson, la diva du Dinah Shore: Tetue.com

• Ten Money Questions for Mariah Hanson: Queercents.com

• PROFILE: Mariah Hanson: Echelon Magazine

• Dinah Turns 20 With Mariah Hanson At The Helm: OurSceneTV.com

• Interview: Mariah Hanson, Les’preneur Extraordinaire: Cherrygrrl.com

• Win a date at The Dinah with "The Real L Word's" Whitney or Rose: San Diego Gay & Lesbian News

• The Dinah :: At 21...She’s Legal!: EdgeOnTheNet.com

• NBC Last Call with Carson Daly: NBC Last Call with Carson Daly

• Julie Goldman's Celesbian Interviews Special: MARIAH HANSON: AfterEllen.com

• The Seattle Lesbian Exclusive Photos From The Dinah: TheNextFamily.com

• Exclusive Interview With The Dinah Pioneer Mariah Hanson: TheSeattleLesbianNews.com

• Femalefyimag.com: Femalfyimag.com

• NATIONAL PROFILE The Dinah turns 20: Talking with Mariah Hanson: Windy City Times

• PerezHilton.com: PerezHilton.com

• Girls' Guide to Dinah Shore: Advocate.com

• Club Skirts Presents The Dinah, Celebrates Its 20th Milestone Anniversary With A Music Legend: Salt N Pepa: Top40Charts.com

• How Can You Make Salt-N-Pepa Even Better? Add A Sprinkle Of Spinderella: Queeried.com

• Salt-N-Pepa Reunites With Spinderella: AntiMusic.com

• Natasha Bedingfield headlines The Dinah 2011: Music-news.com

• here! TV Parties with the Dinah Girls: Heretv.com

• Natasha Bedingfield Named Headliner For 'The Dinah': http://www.kesq.com/news/26874451/detail.html Kesq.com]

• Actress, Artist Laurel Holloman: Glammagazine.com

• Laurel Holloman on the Dinah, acting and art: Windycitymediagroup.com

• Laurel Holloman on Art, Motherhood and the Balancing Act That Makes for a Truly Great Life: EdgeOrlando.com

• Newsmagazineblog.com: Newsmagazineblog.com

• Katy Perry Headlines The Dinah 2009: Musesmuse.com

• The Dinah Weathers the Storm: Curvemag.com

• Freshmen class of Dinah 2011: Palmsprings.metromix.com

• From the closet to club skirts: OFC interviews ‘out’ country music artist Chely Wright: OutFrontColorado.com