THE MAJORITY OF FESTIVALS... on the calendar? They have a particularly predictable way of happening but once a year. That's where the whole "annual" thing often comes into the play, in the event's name, and that's how hotel rooms get booked up, long in advance, for fans of the festival know about when it will return for its one, glorious, all-too-short stretch. But sometimes a spectacular is, well, so spectacular that it flutters by another part of the calendar, in a different season, all to appease and please those fans who couldn't attend the main happening (or who could and simply want more of what the main happening delivers).
MODERNISM WEEK, in Palm Springs, is a primo example of just this line of thinking. It's a huge February to-do for the desert resort region, drawing thousands of visitors, and it traditionally lasts about a full third of the month, give-or-take-ish. So it is no shocker that Modernism Week: Fall Preview, a shorter October lark, also draws a large number of mid-century mavens hoping to dig deeper into the vibe of another era. The 2017 outing will frolic from Thursday, Oct. 19 through Sunday, Oct. 22, a shorter run than February but still quite out-sized as far as festivals go. That's four days of sales, house tours, fashion-oriented gatherings, and every stylish thing that has to do with design from six or seven decades back. Tickets go on sale at...
NOON ON TUESDAY, AUG. 1: That's Palm Springs time, of course, so best look at some of the events already posted. An architecture-focused bus tour, on a double decker, led by comedy-loving historian Charles Phoenix, will be folded into the festivities, a look at the Golden Era Hollywood Homes of Old Las Palmas. "Rat Pack Playground," a peek at the homes of Vista Las Palmas, is on the schedule, as is an Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway Cocktail Party. Take a look at all of the larks, then find your best mod-marvelous early '60s wear, the kind of togs that can go from day-to-night at an autumn desert soiree.
