For three and a half decades, The Dinah has drawn thousands of lesbian and queer women to the desert each fall for a weekend of music, community and unapologetic celebration. Now, the iconic Palm Springs festival is entering a new chapter.
After 35 years at the helm, founder and producer Mariah Hanson has sold The Dinah to longtime Dinah Operations Manager Bella Barkow and veteran Dinah emcee Rose Garcia, ensuring that the event remains independently owned and led by members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The 2026 edition of The Dinah is scheduled for September 30 through October 4, returning to the Hilton Palm Springs and the Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs . Organizers say the full entertainment lineup will be announced in June.
A Cultural Institution in Palm Springs
Founded and built by Mariah Hanson, The Dinah grew from a niche gathering into what many consider the world’s longest-running and most influential music festival and party for queer women. Over time, it became more than a weekend getaway. It evolved into a rite of passage.
Few LGBTQ+ events specifically for queer women have achieved the scale or staying power. The Dinah has generated international media coverage, appeared in television shows and documentaries, and helped define what visibility and celebration could look like for generations of women who often found themselves sidelined in mainstream and even LGBTQ+ spaces.
Hanson called the transition both emotional and affirming.
“The Dinah is my life’s work,” she said in a statement. “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. 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.”
The New Owners: Familiar Faces to Dinah Fans
Longtime Dinah Operations Manager Bella Barkow (left) and veteran Dinah emcee Rose Garcia are the new owners of The Dinah
Rather than passing into corporate hands, the festival will now operate under BellaRose Productions, a newly formed company led by Barkow and Garcia. Both women bring long histories with the event and with queer cultural production more broadly.
Rose Garcia
Garcia is widely known in LGBTQ+ pop culture circles as a breakout personality on The Real L Word and as the real-life inspiration for the character Papi on The L Word. A Latina lesbian entrepreneur, she leads the Garcia Real Estate Group and has been featured in national outlets including Newsweek and BuzzFeed, as well as on Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles” and HGTV’s “House Hunters” .
For years, Garcia has emceed The Dinah’s mainstage events, becoming a recognizable and trusted presence for attendees. She is also a Stage 3 ovarian cancer survivor now in remission, a personal journey she has spoken about publicly. Her new role as co-owner, she says, carries added meaning and urgency.
Bella Barkow
Barkow’s path to co-ownership has been rooted in production and logistics. She began her career in Toronto’s rave scene before moving into West Hollywood nightlife and large-scale LGBTQ+ event production. Over the years, she has worked on speed-dating events for queer women and major Southern California festivals, including LA Pride and the Outloud Festival.
She joined The Dinah team in 2018 as Pool Party Stage Manager and quickly rose to Operations Manager. Insiders say her deep familiarity with the festival’s infrastructure makes her well-positioned to guide its next phase.
Continuity, With Room to Grow
The sale marks a pivotal moment not only for The Dinah but for queer women’s cultural spaces more broadly. Events created specifically for queer women have historically faced funding challenges, shorter life spans and limited mainstream support. The Dinah’s longevity is rare.
Barkow and Garcia have emphasized that their goal is not to reinvent the festival from scratch but to protect what made it iconic while introducing fresh energy. According to the press release, their leadership promises a blend of tradition and innovation, with plans already underway for the event’s 35th edition.
By keeping ownership within the community, the new producers are sending a message about sustainability and stewardship. The Dinah will remain rooted in the culture that built it, even as it adapts to a changing social and political climate.
As Hanson steps back, the desert gathering she launched decades ago continues. For thousands of attendees who have danced at its pool parties, forged lifelong friendships in hotel hallways, or found their first glimpse of queer belonging under the Palm Springs sun, The Dinah’s next chapter is not just a business transaction. It is a passing of the torch.
And if the new owners have their way, the music will keep playing for decades to come.
