Let’s hear it for the ladies: The Dinah in Vegas, hits full force this weekend

By Denee Pino

Dinah Shore, the event – not the person, is no secret society or underground disco. It is known far and wide to the female demographic across the country, both lesbian and straight; Dinah is the epitome of the female party. And for many lesbians, it is a rite of passage event that must be experienced, at least once in a lifetime.

The most well-known Dinah Shore event (produced by Mariah Hansen, and known as Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend, producer of the original Dinah Shore Weekend) happens the first week of April in Palm Springs, but GirlBar producers are busy working on their sin city version, and celebrating their 2nd annual version of the Dinah Vegas edition, held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Vegas version will take place this weekend, April 25 through April 28, and will kick off with the crazy welcome party, justly named “Traffic Jam” at the KOI ultra lounge in Planet Hollywood.

Closing the four-day weekend shennanigans will be debauchery, drinks, DJs and dancing at Diablo’s Cantina at the Monte Carlo Resort.

As Out Front gets ready to capture the weekend through photographs, we caught up with co-producers of Dinah Vegas 2013 Dr. Robin Gans and Sandy Sachs to get the scoop on what’s different between Palm Springs and Vegas, and what’s new for the ladies this year.

Out Front: How did Dinah Shore evolve from the Palm Springs to Vegas?

Robin Gans and Sandy Sachs: We had been in Palm Springs for over 20 years, and decided that it was time to take our event to another town that had much more to offer – plus, we wanted to bring our event to the next level!

As beautiful as Palm Springs is, it has its limitations. Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world, and has an international airport. Caesars Entertainment approached us and made us an offer that we could not refuse. After all, this is the the city with no last call and in Palm Springs we had to shut down all bars by 1:40 a.m. This became difficult for our European crowd, as they are accustomed to much later nights, and bar/clubs staying open way longer than Palm Springs. We have more European and South American customers this year because of this.

OFC: What is the biggest difference between Dinah Shore in Las Vegas and Palm Springs?

RG & SS: No last call, great restaurants from the best chefs from all over the world, beautiful Casinos open all night, great nightclubs and pool properties for us to hold our events. And the room rates in Vegas are much less than Palm Springs offers which makes the weekend much more affordable.

OFC: Would you say that because Las Vegas is notorious for the ‘party scene’ that this Dinah Shore event will be even more hard-party hitting than the one in Palm Springs?

RG & SS: Las Vegas is notorious for the “Party Scene,” but parties in Las Vegas are classy, and women dress up here. Our event attracts a different crowd than Palm Springs, which is more like “Lesbian Spring Break.” We set a higher level for style and class here in Las Vegas. There is not much to do in Palm Springs, but maybe drink too much. There is a lot to do here in Las Vegas and no one spends time in their rooms except to get some sleep!

OFC: How does the statement “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” apply to The Dinah?

RG & SS: Does it? That was a statement made before Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. So, what happens anywhere in the world goes on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Don’t think Vegas is any exception.

OFC: Why is it important for Dinah organizers to create a women’s event like this?

RG & SS: It is important because there are not many places women can meet and network other than online. Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world, and with Caesars Entertainment being our presenting sponsor and one of the biggest LGBTQ supporters in the United States it presents a golden opportunity for women to get together.  This city has everything to offer and much more, and we are just getting started. It’s important to give the women’s community the best, and Las Vegas has it all.

OFC: How many people are expected to attend?

RG & SS: We have outsold our advance sales  from last year and we expect many customers at the door, as many women who are staying in our host hotels have not purchased their tickets yet. So we expect another great year, as there is quite the buzz.

OFC: What’s new this year?

RG & SS: We are the first ALL women’s event group to get the Large Flamingo pool for our Saturday Infinity Pool Party. It’s amazing! They have never done this before and this is a tribute to the business we brought them last year, where we could not walk at the Beach Club Pool, and we did not have enough bars to service all of our customers. Also, we only had a portion of VooDoo nightclub last year and this year we have the whole club. We’ve brought back the “White Party” by popular demand. We didn’t have one last year and many women were disappointed so we are bringing it back. Lastly, our Sunday event last year was just an evening party.  gain, our clientele wanted something to do in the day time so we comprised this year by having a Sunday Tea Dance that starts at 2 p.m. and goes until 10 p.m. at Diablo’s Cantina.

OFC: Why is it important for organizers to create a space and event that is lesbian and female exclusive?

RG & SS: Women love to be surrounded by women. It’s a completely different experience that we don’t get very often. It allows lesbians the chance to fully feel comfortable and creates a safe arena for self-expression.

OFC: Now that there is more equality for LGBT folks across the country with more states allowing civil unions and marriage, how does that change the tone of creating an exclusive event for women who love women?

RG & SS: We would love to have lesbian weddings here at the Flamingo! They perform them all the time, and it would be great to offer a wedding package to our customers who want to tie the knot. What a fun way to spend your honeymoon, but at Dinah Vegas!

OFC: What does a festival like this represent on a large scale of what Las Vegas has to offer?

RG & SS: Dinah Vegas shows Las Vegas that the LGBTQ Community is a community that has truly come of age, has money to spend, and likes to have fun Vegas style. We bring a lot of business to Caesars Entertainment, we gamble, we increase their F&B revenue, go to their shows, and join their Total Rewards Program. I can’t think of a better group for Las Vegas to have, and we thank

Caesars Entertainment for sponsoring  this great weekend that is growing every year!

More more info on the events, ticket prices and places to stay, visit www.DinahShoreWeekend.com.