New Duo Takes Over Legendary Palm Springs Party The Dinah
After 35 historic years, the sapphic mecca will change hands as Mariah Hanson turns the queer paradise over to longtime Dinah team members Bella Barkow and Rose Garcia.
Featured image: courtesy of TheDinah.com
When Mariah Hanson launched a one-night event 34 years ago at a Palm Springs museum, she couldn’t have predicted that she had kick-started what would become a Palm Springs institution and fabled sapphic mecca: The Dinah. Now, three decades later, the event is known as one of the longest-running queer music festivals and party paradises, which hosts upwards of 10,000 attendees in the Coachella Valley annually for epic concerts, pool parties, and events with star-studded line-ups and new kids on the block. Last year, when the founder and producer announced that she would be stepping back, we celebrated her immense and glittery contribution to our culture and community, but also wondered what would happen next.
Today, Hanson announced that The Dinah has been sold to queer event producer and longtime Dinah Operations Manager Bella Barkow and highly talented Dinah emcee, reality TV star, and real estate entrepreneur Rose Garcia. With tough shoes to fill, the duo is ready to step into the honor of building on the cornerstone set in place by Hanson – and excited to steer The Dinah into a future where it will continue to serve as a a rite of passage for queer women, and as a “destination event defining visibility, freedom, and celebration on a scale rarely achieved in LGBTQ+ entertainment.”
“Rose and Bella are the perfect duo to take over The Dinah,” Mariah Hanson said in a statement release. “Through their big hearts, business acumen and commitment to preserving what is most beloved about The Dinah, I am genuinely excited to watch them take The Dinah to new heights. The Dinah is my life’s work. I can’t begin to explain how important this event has been to me, and the powerful way I have seen it change hearts and minds, year after year,” she said. “That The Dinah will continue to be a game changer in our community and a beacon of hope for all of us, especially in these trying times, leaves my heart full. The Dinah is in good hands.”
Related: The Dinah’s Mariah Hanson Takes Her Final Bow
As they chart the course to the next chapter under their new venture, BellaRose Productions, Garcia and Barkow acknowledge the powerful and impressive history of The Dinah. “Mariah has had 34 years of success, and we don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” Garcia tells GO. “It’s a place where our community gathers, where we feel safe. We are going to try to continuously emulate what she did,” she says. Speaking to the extraordinary talent Hanson has brought in over the years, Garcia adds, “How do you top bringing in Lady Gaga, Doechii, Meghan Trainor… How do we top that? We can’t. We have to take the baton and keep the success going.”
The new partners plan to lean into Hanson to help navigate the changing of the guard and keep this elite production going. And they have not only a wonderful and longstanding professional relationship, but years of friendship that have served to cement the trust.
Known to many by way of The Real L Word, Garcia is also a prominent Latina lesbian entrepreneur and leader in the real estate space. She has emceed The Dinah and other major queer events for 13 years, offering her talents pro bono for love of the community, The Dinah, and Mariah Hanson.
Bella Barkow brings extensive experience in large-scale LGBTQ+ event production. From her early days in West Hollywood nightlife to producing speed-dating events for queer women and managing major festivals including LA Pride and the Outloud Festival, she has established herself as a key figure in California’s queer event scene. Bella joined The Dinah team in 2018 and rose from Pool Party Stage Manager to Operations Manager, making her well-equipped with intimate knowledge of the festival’s inner workings.
How did this happy new venture come to be? Initially, when Garcia heard about Hanson’s retirement plans, she didn’t think to take it on. “But when I heard Bella was going after it, my ears perked up,” she tells GO. “It would be a really good collab if we’re able to do this,” she thought to herself.
“We found our way to each other, and had this “Aha!” moment—to bring the best of two separate worlds together to unify into this amazing production team.”
With so much greatness in place already, it’s hard to imagine there could be more to dazzle. But the leaders of this new venture have some thoughts.
“We’re going to bring some fresh new ideas, and bring back some older activations that have disappeared,” Garcia says. “Comedy is big. We want to give a platform to queer comics who need a stage.”
BellaRose is also excited to roll out the welcome for single and solo travelers. They want people to feel comfortable coming to the event on their own. “I promise, not only will you be greeted by me, but by thousands of other people who are happy to see you there.” Expect “little pop-up stuff that will be fun” and “more sporty stuff for our athletic queers.”
But the best news yet: Dinah 2026 is on the horizon, and the duo couldn’t be more excited to be resurrecting the party to the space where it enjoyed its “mega-peak of pool party greatness.”
The Dinah 2026 will take place September 30 through October 4, returning to the Hilton Hotel and The Zoso. The full program and entertainment lineup will be announced in June, with more details rolling out in the months ahead. Stay tuned for line-up announcements.
