If you know, you know. And if you don’t – pull up a chair.
The Dinah is the world’s longest-running and largest music festival for queer women and LGBTQIA+ people. Five days in Palm Springs, California. Pool parties that have become the stuff of legend. Thousands of sapphic women from every corner of the planet descending on the desert to dance, connect and have a lot of fun. It’s been running for 35 years. And if you’re wondering why it sounds familiar but you can’t quite place it – it’s the festival that was featured in The L Word back in 2004. Jenny standing on that balcony, mouth open, saying she’d never seen so many women in one place in her entire life. That scene alone sent attendance through the roof and cemented The Dinah as a cultural pilgrimage for queer women globally. It later featured heavily in The Real L Word too, where one of its now-owners, Rose Garcia, was a main cast member.
For over three decades, The Dinah was the vision of one woman – founder Mariah Hanson, who built it from a Palm Springs art museum party in 1991 into an internationally recognised institution. In 2025, Mariah hosted her final Dinah and handed the keys to two people who’d been part of the fabric of the festival for years.
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Enter Bella Barkow and Rose Garcia – the new co-owners, operating under their company BellaRose Productions. And they’re already making moves.
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First up: Diamond Dinah – a brand new ultra-premium tier that’s selling fast and signals exactly what sort of energy these two are bringing to the table (or should we say, lesbian filled pool).
They’ve explained that The Diamond Dinah is The Dinah’s most exclusive experience. A three-night stay in a Presidential or Junior Suite at the Hilton Palm Springs, two premium passes with all VIP perks included, a curated welcome merch experience, exclusive celebrity meet and greets (based on availability) and priority access to cabanas and daybeds before they go on general release.
Suite options include Jr. King Suites with pool views or poolside access, and one-bedroom Presidential Suites – though the poolside Presidential is already sold out. Inventory is first-come, first-served and extremely limited.
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So who are Bella and Rose?
If you follow us on Instagram and YouTube, you’ll have seen Nonchalant at The Dinah as press over the last couple of years – so we’ve watched these two in action up close. The festival is in good hands.
Rose Garcia has been part of The Dinah world for close to 25 years – first as an attendee, then as its beloved long-time emcee. She’s also a successful real estate entrepreneur heading up the Garcia Real Estate Group and a reality TV personality, having appeared on The Real L Word. She’s a prominent Latina lesbian in the public eye and a Stage 3 ovarian cancer survivor, now in remission. She brings star power, authenticity and deep community roots.
Bella Barkow came up through Toronto’s rave scene before moving into large-scale LGBTQ+ event production in Los Angeles. She joined The Dinah’s team in 2018, working her way up from pool party stage manager to operations manager. She’s also worked on LA Pride and the Outloud Festival. Where Rose is the front-facing energy, Bella is the behind-the-scenes force that makes everything run.
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Together, they’re the perfect pairing. And they know it.
When we asked what inspired them to take on ownership, Bella didn’t hesitate: “I was inspired by the love and community I felt first as an attendee and then as a part of the team. I didn’t want to let this beautiful five-day utopia disappear. When I heard Mariah wanted to retire, I jumped into action to see how I could keep this place that was so meaningful to me alive. When I heard Rose was also interested, the partnership just seemed natural.”
On what’s non-negotiable about The Dinah’s DNA, they’re crystal clear: the festival will remain a safe, welcoming and prejudice-free environment for sapphic women, non-binary and LGBTQIA+ people. The world-class entertainment stays. The pool parties stay. The Black and White Ball and Hollywood Party stay. And its identity as a global gathering where people forge lifelong friendships – that’s sacred.
“The festival will continue to be THE annual pilgrimage – a high-energy global gathering where guests forge lifelong friendships and participate in a shared cultural tradition,” they told us.
One thing that came through loud and clear is that Bella and Rose want The Dinah to be more explicitly welcoming to the full spectrum of the queer community. While it’s historically been known as a “women’s event,” they’re actively evolving the space.
“The Dinah is fundamentally committed to radical inclusivity, and our vision moving forward heavily emphasises and expands the role of trans, non-binary, and bisexual representation across all facets of the festival,” they said. “We are actively evolving to be a more explicit and comprehensive space for the entire sapphic and queer community.”
Bella has already implemented gender sensitivity and pronoun usage training for front-of-house staff and plans to expand that across all teams, including hotel and security personnel. We love to see it.
What’s new for 2026?
Beyond Diamond Dinah, they’re introducing community-driven programming that feels very thought-out. New activations are being tailored specifically for single and solo attendees, the sober community, and those interested in sports and fitness. If you’ve ever wanted to go to The Dinah but felt like it wasn’t quite built for you – they’re listening.
The marquee talent and five days of packed events remain the backbone. But these additions suggest an understanding that the community has grown and diversified since 1991, and the festival should reflect that.
When we asked what success looks like in five years, their answer was telling: “We will consider it a success if we continue to grow and expand the audience to reach a more diverse group, both in age, ethnicity and socio-economic women and non-binary persons.”
They also plan to take The Dinah beyond Palm Springs eventually. We’ll be watching that space very closely.
And their message to Mariah Hanson? “We are beyond honoured and thankful for the trust she has placed in us to continue her amazing life’s work. We are committed to ensuring it remains a safe, inclusive, and fun space for many years to come.”
We look forward to it,
Nonchalant x
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This article was written by one of our creative team writers here at Nonchalant Magazine.
