The Dinah’s Mariah Hanson Takes Her Final Bow

In the early 1990s, Palm Springs was hardly the queer mecca it is today. Conservative politics dominated the city, and Mariah Hanson struggled just to get contracts signed for her fledgling event, a sapphic pool party for music connoisseurs. Three decades later, Palm Springs is widely recognized as the “gayest town in America,” and Hanson’s festival—The Dinah—is one of its crown jewels. Over her storied career, she navigated business battles and personal challenges, intentionally elevating the music and talent, and turning a modest gathering into what she calls “a little, tiny queer Coachella” built on her curatorial instincts.

Now, after 34 years at the helm, Hanson is stepping down, making way for the queer cultural landmark to embark on a new chapter—and find one for herself.

“You have to be ready to know when it’s time to pass on the baton,” Hanson tells GO. And with the 2025 Dinah—the last under her leadership—kicking off this week, the time is now. “I’m proud of what I’ve done,” she says.

CURATING A HIT

Since 1991, The Dinah has been far more than a music festival. It’s a multi-day celebration of queer women and their allies, combining concerts, pool parties, celebrity appearances, and community gatherings that draw thousands to Palm Springs each year. Its reputation comes not only from star-studded lineups but also from the culture it fosters—a rare space where queer women can be unapologetically themselves.

“You have to provide a space for everyone,” Hanson says. “The Dinah is reflective of this really beautiful level of inclusion, and that was our goal. People don’t always feel invited, and you have to make it very clear that everyone is welcome, and that transcends to trans people as well.”

That inclusivity has helped The Dinah become a rite of passage for generations of queer people. Walking through the festival, attendees exchange greetings that are now part of its folklore: “Happy Dinah,” they say to one another. “I always tell people, ‘If you can experience five days of a world like this, you can do it for 360 more.’”

The Dinah didn’t start with that aura of celebration—it had to be carefully cultivated. Hanson credits her intuition and dedication for turning a fledgling event into a cultural touchstone. She recalls early panels with major music industry players, like the FestForums convention, where she would name the acts she booked and watch seasoned
professionals gape. “Are you kidding me?” they would ask. “Because it’s this little event that’s had such famous people at it.”

From those early, precarious beginnings—scrambling for permits, navigating conservative city politics, and building trust with both artists and attendees—The Dinah grew into a festival with a unique reputation. It’s not just the concerts, though Hanson’s lineups have been historic, spotlighting acts like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Lizzo before they were household names. It’s the parties, the connections, the sense of liberation, and even the celebrity dodgeball games that define the event.

Over the years, Hanson has been deliberate about maintaining that spirit. She has resisted letting The Dinah balloon into a larger commercial spectacle, even as it has become a high-profile cultural institution. “It could become a really big Coachella, it just depends on who takes it over. I didn’t want to do that, so I didn’t.”

Hanson’s eye for talent has long been one of her signature strengths. “I’ve been doing this for 34 years,” she says. “You get gut reactions about things… Good music is good music. It doesn’t matter what genre you listen to. If you have an appreciation for good music, you can spot it in any genre.”

This year’s lineup is no exception. The festival runs Sept. 24 to 28 with a slate of performers who reflect Hanson’s continued commitment to diversity and all-out talent: L Word icons Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey, rapper Princess Nokia, dance hitmaker Crystal Waters, Canadian pop musician Xana, LA indie-pop artist Mariah Counts, SkyDxddy, Nikki Holland, Icey Xo, Velvet Dive, and Only1Theory.

“No one’s spending the budget on entertainment that The Dinah is,” Hanson says. “There’s just no comparison. When you’re throwing one of the most recognized events in the world, you have to back that up.”

UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS

The Dinah has delivered on more than music and parties—it’s become equally known for the stuff that happens when queer women gather. The festival’s reputation for being fun, flirty, and unapologetically sensual is part of its cultural DNA, but the connections run much deeper.

“Whatever you’re looking for, you find,” she says with a laugh. “And what happens at The Dinah stays at The Dinah. I’m not ratting anyone out… not yet.”

But there are plenty of stories she can tell. Hanson will never forget the time Macy Gray was hesitant to take the stage. Hanson went to talk to her. The stakes were incredibly high, but she had nothing to lose. As they spoke, Hanson shared her own journey, and the two connected on an emotional level. Finally, Hanson gave Gray permission to just take the stage whenever she felt ready. “We had this really beautiful exchange. We just, it was a very soulful thing,” Hanson recalls.

Minutes later, Gray climbed up on stage and invited Hanson out there with her. Hanson preferred to stay behind the scenes, but in that moment, when Gray launched into “Thank You For Being a Friend” and the audience sang along—the words directed right at Hanson— “I could have ended my career right then, because it will never get better than that.”

Even her own family has been touched by the festival’s emotional reach. She recalls bringing her then-89-year-old mother to meet Chaka Khan for a photo, and gets teary-eyed remembering her mother finally accepting her sexuality and coming to The Dinah to be a stand-in mother figure for everyone who didn’t have one. Hanson says that’s what The Dinah is all about.

“I actually think The Dinah is super wholesome,” Hanson jokes, rebutting one of the festival’s more risqué stereotypes. “You know, if you’re going to have sex with multiple partners, you don’t need The Dinah to do that. But there’s also this wholesomeness to the event. It brings you to this space where you belong. That’s something that
people are tearing apart. They’re taking it away from us, no matter how we identify. That’s just something that as you grow older, people try to take from you. The Dinah gives that back.”

PASSING THE BATON

Now, as The Dinah 2025 kicks off, Hanson is stepping back and embracing a very different rhythm of life. In her 60s, she’s healthy and ready to move on.

Hanson always shouldered the stress of producing this behemoth of an event, a skill she considered a “superpower” in her 30s, 40s and 50s.

“I didn’t care how scared I was,” she says. “My favorite thing was when someone said, ‘You can’t do that again’… That’s the worst thing you could say to someone like me because I’m going to want to do it again and again and again, just to prove to you that I really did it.” But that drive has eased with time. “I don’t need that superpower anymore,” she says.

Hanson is humble as she considers all that The Dinah has become during her tenure. “We created a stage for people to shine, but I can’t take responsibility for the fact that they shine. They did that all on their own; we just helped them do it,” she says. But, she adds, “I’ve gotten to a point where I realize my ability to hold that space is shifting. I’m getting older, and there are different directions that I need to go into.”

Hanson is looking forward to mornings with her five horses, 8,000 feet up in the Sierras, riding alongside a babbling creek. She will finally have time for long-delayed projects, including penning a tell-all memoir.

The festival will likely take at least a year off as Hanson seeks a successor. Whoever takes the reins will need the confidence to operate in the spotlight, appearing on news programs, representing the event publicly, and carrying its cultural weight. “Somebody just has to have the confidence to step into those shoes and make them their own,” she says.

The goal now is to pass it on responsibly, allowing both the festival and herself the space to evolve. Until then, Hanson is focused on giving the festival—and its devoted community—the unforgettable, epic sendoff it deserves. Happy Dinah.

Tickets are available now at eventbrite.com. You can find out more about The Dinah 2025 at thedinah.com and stay up to date on Instagram @thedinahshore.

S.E. Jackson hails from the Northeast U.S., but has lived in the Midwest the last dozen years and is proud to call the Twin Cities her home. She especially enjoys the lakes,
the museums, the theater, the family-friendly activities, and, of course, the Minnesota State Fair.