The Plaza Theatre

The Plaza Theatre has been the room where Palm Springs shows off since 1936, when it opened with the world premiere of Camille — Greta Garbo herself reportedly slipped into a seat as the lights went down. Through Hollywood's golden age the stage and screen drew Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra.

From 1991 to 2014 it was the home of The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, the vaudeville-style revue that kept the theatre's marquee lit for 23 years. After the Follies took their final bow, the building sat waiting for its next act.

That act arrived in December 2025, after a $34 million restoration brought the theatre back — original 1936 decorative stenciling uncovered and restored around the stage, expanded seating, modern dressing rooms, and a state-of-the-art sound system in a room that still looks like the night Garbo visited. The grand reopening gala sold out with Cynthia Erivo backed by the Palm Springs Pops Orchestra, and the calendar has been filling ever since.