The 19th annual Modernism Week festival will run from February 15 – 25, 2024. Celebrating midcentury modern design, architecture, art, and culture in the greater Palm Springs area, this festival attracts participants from around the world who help generate a significant economic impact on the local economy. Each year Modernism Week continues to help brand the entire Coachella Valley as a mecca for design, preservation, modernism, and architectural tourism.
While the numbers for the 2024 festival will not be calculated until March, last year the festival had an estimated audience of 105,477 attendees who participated in more than 350 events during the 11-day festival. The festival generated an estimated economic impact of $55,375,425 for area hotels, shops, restaurants, and other local businesses from Palm Springs to La Quinta and beyond. In addition, CAMP, Modernism Week’s ‘Community and Meeting Place’ and headquarters for tours and events, experienced more than 26,000 visitors throughout the festival. The festival offered attendees the opportunity to participate in home tours, talks, parties, and architectural bus excursions in Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and Indian Wells.
Diverse Attendance
Last year, Modernism Week attendees came from all fifty United States and the District of Columbia, with California accounting for the majority of attendees (approximately 37%). Attendees came from 471 of 482 cities in California, or 98% of all California cities. Locally, the Coachella Valley represented 44% of tickets sold in California. In addition to many California visitors, the event was popular with attendees from Texas, Washington, New York, Illinois, and Florida. Attendees came from across the globe with twenty-five countries represented, including Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and many more.
The popular Palm Springs Modernism Show, which last year celebrated its 23rd year, also saw robust attendance numbers. More than 15,000 people attended the popular sale at the Palm Springs Convention Center, on par with the previous year which was the most well-attended show in the company’s history. Additionally, more than 1,200 attendees participated in the opening night preview event that benefitted Modernism Week.
Community Economic Impact
Every year, Modernism Week provides a unique opportunity for dozens of local Coachella Valley organizations and neighborhood groups to produce events that raise significant funds from ticket sales proceeds. These events include guided neighborhood tours, parties, educational talks, and other programs. In many cases, Modernism Week programming is the only fundraising outreach these organizations and nonprofits offer each year.
During Modernism Week – October and Modernism Week 2023, participating partner organizations raised $2,179,529 million. This includes more than $689,543 in funds raised by local neighborhood organizations from home tours (up more than $100,000 from the previous year). Ticket proceeds for official Modernism Week events produced by partner businesses and organizations in 2022-2023 generated more than $1.3 million for various local partner organizations which included: Palm Springs Historical Society, Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs Modern Committee, Palm Springs Preservation Foundation, Sunnylands, Palm Springs Cultural Center, Historical Society of Palm Desert, and the Palm Springs Public Library.
Commitment to Furthering Education
Last year, Modernism Week, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, also supported its long-standing scholarship program by awarding eleven scholarships, the greatest number of scholarships awarded in one-year by Modernism Week to date. The scholarships were awarded to deserving Coachella Valley students who have chosen educational paths in the fields of architecture or design-related programs. The scholarships, which totaled $50,000, also included $20,000 of matching funds from One Future Coachella Valley, an organization that supports Modernism Week scholarship recipients. Since the Modernism Week scholarship program was initiated in 2011, more than $285,500 has been awarded to-date.
Worldwide Visibility
Modernism Week continues to raise the visibility of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley through its widespread media outreach. Last year, the festival continued to garner significant international and national media attention, generating more than 1.765 billion media impressions from a wide range of media outlets. Significant media that covered the festival included Architectural Digest, Denver Post, Dezeen, Dwell, Financial Times, Fodors Travel, Forbes, Hollywood Reporter, House Beautiful, Los Angeles Times, Luxe Travel, Mercury News, Monocle, MSN Lifestyle, MSN Travel, New York Times, Robb Report, San Diego Union-Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Santa Barbara Magazine, Southern California Life, Travel + Leisure, Vogue, and Yahoo Finance.
International coverage included articles in the following countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, Tonga, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
Modernism Week could not offer this economic driver without the support of its top sponsors, including Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery, Brizo, Dunn-Edwards Paints, JennAir, Flor, Natural Retreats, and Willis. The City of Palm Springs is the Civic Presenting Sponsor. Their ongoing partnership with Modernism Week enables the organization to offer a compelling festival to which attendees plan to return each year.
