White Party Palm Springs canceled for 2025 and future of event remains uncertain
Organizers say they're "taking a pause" to reimagine the event.
Speculation about 2025’s White Party Palm Springs has run rampant in recent months and organizers have finally announced that the massive party event has been canceled.
After taking down the website, stopping updates to their social media, and refusing to respond to press questions about the future, organizers have confirmed the circuit party is “paused.”
“We’ve cherished the decades of incredible memories and vibrant celebrations that White Party Palm Springs has brought to the LGBTQ community,” executive producer Chris Diamond told Homoculture. “While it’s bittersweet to take a pause, this gives us an opportunity to reflect and explore new ways to innovate and evolve.”
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How the ‘Godfather of the Circuit Party’ created the world’s largest gay party
And it’s happening this weekend in Palm Springs.
“Thank you for your energy, support, love, and commitment to the longest-running gay destination event in the country. White Party Palm Springs started in 1989 as a safe space to gather, meet new lifelong friends, dance, and celebrate our uniqueness, diversity, and beautiful community.”
Jeffrey Sanker launched the original party in 1989, which was so popular that he repeated it. Year after year, the event grew in popularity and continued to evolve, drawing more prominent names and massive crowds.
The event evolved from featuring a single DJ for three days to entire festival lineups featuring headliners, including pop gay icons such as Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Kesha, Mary J. Blige, and Kylie Minogue. The event production rivaled that of mainstream festival giants.
When Sanker died in 2021 of liver cancer, he passed on the reigns to Diamond.
“Two months before he died, [Sanker said], ‘I’m probably not going to be here much longer,’ and that was the first time that we really talked about his illness like that,” Diamond told GayCities. “I told him I would do my best to keep it going for him.”
Diamond has not committed to bringing the circuit party back in 2026.
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