From October through May, Cabot's Pueblo Museum closes at 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Starting this month, Desert Nights on the Blvd. opens at 4 p.m. on Saturdays on Pierson Boulevard. The two schedules were set by different organizers, but they now line up across the winter. The city's free street series and the museum's new ticketed concerts mostly fall on alternating Saturdays, so from Friday, Nov. 20, through April, most weekends have something planned after dark.
Desert Nights moved two hours earlier
Season 2 of Desert Nights on the Blvd. began in October with two shows from 6 to 10 p.m., one on Oct. 10 and the Kissed Alive KISS tribute on Oct. 24. Beginning Nov. 7, the city moved the series to 4 to 8 p.m., and those hours run through the May 29 show. It goes back to 6 to 10 p.m. in June.
On a winter Saturday, that means the music starts in daylight and finishes by 8 p.m. The series takes place outdoors on Pierson Boulevard at 66120 Pierson Blvd. Admission is free, and each night has live music, food vendors, local makers and family activities. The next show is Saturday, Nov. 21, with Idol X, a Billy Idol tribute.
The street series ends at 8. The city has also put a second kind of evening on the calendar, a few blocks away at a venue it owns.
The Pueblo now stays open after 4 p.m.
Normally Cabot's is a daytime stop. In the October-to-May season, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Pueblo Sessions changes that. The new monthly live-music series runs from 6 to 10 p.m. at 67616 Desert View Ave. and starts Friday, Nov. 20.
The Coachella Valley Independent reported that the series is hosted by Vowel Productions, which is Steven Kippel and Alvaro Sandoval, and that some dates are booked with other local promoters. The Independent also noted that the museum is owned by the City of Desert Hot Springs. According to Kippel, the series is meant to bring people to the museum and to the city. He described the opening night this way:
"The first show is a dark-wave, synth-wave show, which I think really fits the mood of the museum, which is kind of otherworldly in its feel."
Kippel told the Independent that the shows are all ages. He wants younger audiences to see bands on stage and start their own.
HOLY WATER and LANDROID headline the Nov. 20 opener, with Palm Shadow and MODESTY supporting and DJ sets by Luna Negra. Cabot's events page lists food vendors and a beer garden.
What each evening costs
Desert Nights is free. Pueblo Sessions is ticketed. The museum's ticket page prices the Nov. 20 show at $20 in advance, $25 at the door or $50 for VIP. Online checkout adds fees, so an advance ticket comes to $22.22 and VIP to $54.02. A pass for the whole series costs $128.21, or $318.98 for VIP, including fees. With six shows on the schedule, the general series pass works out to about $21 a night. That's a little less than six advance tickets bought one by one at $22.22 each. Check availability on the ticket page before you go.
How the two calendars fit together
Except for the opener, every Pueblo Sessions date falls on a Saturday. Almost none of those Saturdays are Desert Nights dates. Here are both schedules together, with the city's holiday parade added:
| Date | Event | Where | Hours | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Pueblo Sessions: HOLY WATER, LANDROID | Cabot's Pueblo Museum | 6–10 p.m. | Ticketed |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Desert Nights: Idol X, Billy Idol tribute | Pierson Blvd. | 4–8 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Holiday Parade & Festival | Palm Drive, then downtown | Parade 5:45 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Desert Nights: Thomas Nicholas Band | Pierson Blvd. | 4–8 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Pueblo Sessions: Giselle Woo & the Night Owls | Cabot's Pueblo Museum | 6–10 p.m. | Ticketed |
| Sat., Jan. 9 | Desert Nights: Live local band | Pierson Blvd. | 4–8 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Jan. 23 | Pueblo Sessions: Monde UFO | Cabot's Pueblo Museum | 6–10 p.m. | Ticketed |
| Sat., Jan. 30 | Desert Nights: Modulo, Maná vs. Caifanes | Pierson Blvd. | 4–8 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Feb. 13 | Desert Nights: Live local band | Pierson Blvd. | 4–8 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Feb. 20 | Pueblo Sessions: Mitchum Yacoub | Cabot's Pueblo Museum | 6–10 p.m. | Ticketed |
| Sat., Feb. 27 | Desert Nights: Michael Jackson tribute | Pierson Blvd. | 4–8 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Mar. 6 | Pueblo Sessions: JJUUJJUU | Cabot's Pueblo Museum | 6–10 p.m. | Ticketed |
| Sat., Mar. 13 | Desert Nights: Live local band | Pierson Blvd. | 4–8 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Mar. 27 | Desert Nights: Sarah Winchester Band | Pierson Blvd. | 4–8 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Apr. 3 | Pueblo Sessions: techno/house feat. KickZologo | Cabot's Pueblo Museum | 6–10 p.m. | Ticketed |
| Sat., Apr. 24 | Desert Nights: Indie & local bands night | Pierson Blvd. | 4–8 p.m. | Free |
From January through April, the two series take turns. In January, Desert Nights plays on the 9th, the Pueblo on the 23rd and Desert Nights again on the 30th. February repeats that pattern. In March, the Pueblo goes first on the 6th, and Desert Nights follows on the 13th and 27th. The city notes that Desert Nights entertainment is subject to change, and it posts performer updates on its own channels.
Dec. 19 is the one night they overlap
On the museum's calendar, Dec. 19 is the only Saturday when both series happen. Desert Nights has the Thomas Nicholas Band on Pierson from 4 to 8 p.m. Giselle Woo & the Night Owls play the Pueblo from 6 to 10 p.m. Because the hours overlap by two hours, you can start the evening at the free show and arrive at Cabot's for the second half. Before you plan around that, confirm the December date on the Pueblo Sessions ticket listings.
The week before, on Saturday, Dec. 12, the city's Holiday Parade & Festival moves the evening to Palm Drive:
- The parade starts at 5:45 p.m. at Palm Drive and Mission Lakes Boulevard.
- It travels down Palm Drive to 2nd Street.
- A free festival follows downtown, with live entertainment, vendors, food and carnival rides. The event listing runs until 10 p.m.
Local businesses, groups and families who want to march can submit the city's parade application and waiver from the same page.
Eating before or after a Pierson night
Delicias Mexican Cuisine is at 66121 Pierson Blvd., right across the boulevard from the Desert Nights address. Its own site lists Saturday hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., so it stays open an hour after the music ends. The Desert Sun featured it in an October 2025 roundup of Desert Hot Springs taco spots, and Palm Springs Life included it among the city's Best of the Best 2026 selections.
A little farther along, Casa Blanca Restaurant at 66370 Pierson Blvd. lists Saturday service from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on its online ordering page. Both kitchens close an hour after Desert Nights ends. That makes it easy to eat after the music, but tight to eat after a Pueblo Sessions show ends at 10.
Seeing the Pueblo by daylight
If an evening show makes you want to see the building properly, plan a separate daytime visit. From October through May, guided tours run Tuesday through Friday at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. They cost $16 for general admission and $14 for seniors, active military and children 6 to 12. Ticket sales close 90 minutes before each tour. Self-guided admission is $13 general and $11 for seniors, active military and children 6 to 12. A grounds-only visit is $5 per person, and children under 5 get in free.
Two free outdoor options fill some of the off weekends. Mission Creek Preserve is free and lists its hours as sunrise to sunset, at 60550 Mission Creek Road. Whitewater Preserve has free bird walks on Nov. 24 and Dec. 8 from 8 to 11 a.m. They start in the parking lot, and no registration is needed. The Wildlands Conservancy expects more closures there this winter because of the strong El Niño forecast. It advises checking the weather and confirming the preserve is open before you drive out.
If you own near Pierson Boulevard or Cabot's and want to know what your home is worth this season, Nick Miller can prepare an appraiser's valuation using current Desert Hot Springs sales. Get Your Home Valuation.
