The Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation has reported strong results in its first 90 days of operations, surpassing its initial goals for providing entertainment, supporting nonprofit organizations, and generating economic activity for the city.
According to J.R. Roberts, President of the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation, “I’m thrilled to report we’re doing even better than projected. We’re seeing 66% of guests from out of town and 33% from the Palm Springs Metro Area. This exceeds our projections for economic development. As originally envisioned, the Plaza Theatre is projected to generate $40 million in annual economic impact with an estimated $4 million annual tax benefit to Palm Springs. This has helped keep our hotels, restaurants, bars, and stores busy throughout the week.
Our hotel partners, including Hotel Zoso and the Thompson Hotel, are reporting increased bookings with multiple weekends already sold out.
Thanks to our restaurant partnerships, we’re generating strong pre-show meal sales, driving business to downtown establishments. If you’ve been downtown recently, you can see the transformation. Running shows virtually every night has added incredible vibrancy throughout the week. In February alone, we’ve run 28 different shows.”
Roberts said guest surveys show positive feedback about recent changes in downtown Palm Springs.
Jeffrey Bernstein, City Councilmember and liaison to the Plaza Theatre Foundation, stated: “Restoring the Plaza Theatre was not only the right thing to do for historic preservation, it was also expected that the theatre would become a new economic driver for the city. We are pleased to see that the Theatre’s economic impact is even greater than projected, and this will increase as the Theatre continues to provide year-round programing, even through the summer.”
The theatre serves several local nonprofit groups as resident artists or partners. These include The Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus as inaugural resident artists; Modern Men as ensemble-in-residence; and Palm Springs Symphony as official Symphony in Residence. Other recurring nonprofit partners are Palm Springs International Film Festival and Modernism Week.
The venue is home base for up to ten resident performance groups such as Palm Springs International Jazz Festival; Pops at the Plaza featuring Palm Springs Pops Orchestra; Arts Teach Kids education program; and rePLAY—a Script-in-Hand series by David Zippel.
Oak View Group has partnered with the theatre on operations and brought a range of talent since reopening—including Cynthia Erivo on opening night—alongside comedians like Lily Tomlin and Brad Williams; musicians such as Don McLean and Mickey Dolenz; Broadway performers Lucie Arnaz and Liz Callaway; film screenings with Queens of the Stone Age; family cinema events like White Christmas Sing-a-Long; concerts by Aloe Blacc and Preservation Hall Jazz Band; holiday programs with Jane Lynch; four sold-out shows by Matteo Lane; local performers like Modern Men; stage events such as rePLAY series; and a screening of Camille—the movie that originally opened at this location in 1936.
John Bolton, General Manager & OVG Senior VP said: “The Plaza Theatre has become the heart and center of our community in Palm Springs. Presenting and hosting 94 events in our first 90 days exceeds all our expectations.” He also announced a pilot program offering event tickets through partner charities.
The foundation credits donors with making restoration possible—allowing continued access to arts programming while boosting tourism locally. They are seeking ongoing support via memberships or major giving programs.
For more information about activities at Greater Coachella Valley Chamber—which promotes regional economic vitality by hosting events that connect residents across cities such as Cathedral City, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and others—visit their official website. The Chamber advocates for business growth through networking opportunities, educational resources, pro-business policies, leadership training, community events, business directories, referrals,and partnerships among businesses.
