The Palm Springs International Film Festival gives boost to Coachella Valley economy and local businesses
The Palm Springs International Film Festival is back, and with it comes the celebrities, movie-goers and film enthusiasts. The film festival also brings a much needed economic boost to the local economy.
In 2023 alone, nonprofit arts and culture organizations in the Coachella Valley generated more than $110 million in economic activity, according to an Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study. The figure excludes commercial venues such as casinos, Acrisure Arena, and the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals.
Visit Greater Palm Springs says that boost did include events like the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Modernism Week, and other art and film exhibitions.
Shannon Brown, the owner of a boutique in Palm Springs called Pink Palm, says she looks forward to the rush every year.
"It’s just an influx of people from all over the world," said Brown. "The town gets very busy, and there's a buzz everywhere. It's really very fun.”
Brown has been operating Pink Palm for three years now, and says every January she notices more foot traffic, especially around the Gala.
"The amount of people that come through the store and that are on the streets increases substantially," said Brown. "People that come and visit my store certainly find many things that they can wear to the events or wear out to dinner. They even buy things here and take them back to wherever they're from.”
Since last Thursday, Brown has welcomed in new customers from all over the world. And she says she's more than happy to show them her small piece of Palm Springs.
"I had a couple in here from Australia on Thursday," explained Brown. "They were really nice, and they came here for the film festival. They just wanted to come for the experience and to watch as many of the films as they could."
It's not only boutiques that see a boost though, other businesses like bars and restaurants say big events like the film festival are a lifeline, especially for family-owned businesses.
One business owner, Flora Flood says she's appreciates all of the new faces that come into her restaurant around this time each year. Her business, Maracas, has served authentic Mexican food to its patrons in downtown Palm Springs for more than 20 years. Because the summer can be difficult on restaurants, Flood says she relies on tourists from the Film Festival to get through the rest of the year.
"It really helps us to stay afloat," said Flood. "Because if there's no events coming into the city, obviously we don't have as many tourists, and then our business goes down. So we rely on a lot on the big events like the film festival in the area."
Flood also says the restaurant's central location on Palm Canyon Drive helps bring in movie-goers and film enthusiasts. Oftentimes, people that visit town for the festival attend screenings, and wander around downtown to explore the local businesses.
"Our location is very unique," said Flood. "That's why we've been here close to 20 years, because of where we're at. A lot of people just stop by and they see us and they come right in. We want to make it as memorable as possible when they eat here at Maracas. I want them to leave with good food, and good memories."
Although its true the festival makes parking more difficult to find, and reservations harder to get, the Palm Springs International Film Festival is beloved to small businesses, and is one of the many events that makes Palm Springs so unique.
"It's so much fun," said Brown. "And you might just catch a sneak peek of a celebrity walking around on the streets, or in one of the shops or the restaurants. You never know."
