Kick off a new season in the Desert with the Annual Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade!
This year’s parade theme, Ghosts, and Glitter. Come experience the spectacular color, pageantry, and fun as scores of whimsically decorated golf carts and bands march down El Paseo in the first major event of the season!
You can come early for the Rotary Pancake Breakfast starting at 8:00 on San Luis Rey in the parking lot of the B of A building. Then take the kids to the Kid’s Play Zone opening at 9:00. The Judging will begin at 10:00 and the Awards ceremony will start at 11:00. The parade will start at 12:00 starting at the San Luis Rey intersection and proceed West on El Paseo to Ocotillo.
This now World Famous Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade originated in the early 60s and was organized by a group of local residents who just wanted to have fun. Production was “iffy” depending upon whether a chairman could be found for that year or not. The parade wasn’t an every year event until 1983. In the early days, it was named “Christmas in July” for the benefit of local residents who found the summers boring. The FireCliff Lodge served up turkey dinners and the carts were decorated for Christmas.
Now, the parade is in October as a Season Kick-Off Event with 15,000 to 30,000 spectators lining El Paseo. And believe it or not, organizers field questions about the parade from media around the world! Recent requests for information have come from the Philippines, France, Germany, and Japan.