Cathedral City residents will have a shot at a free night with Robin Thicke starting Wednesday, when the ACE Club at Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City begins handing out concert vouchers for the singer's headline set at this year's hot air balloon festival. Only 500 are up for grabs, and they're expected to go fast.
According to discovercathedralcity.com, Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City is offering residents a complimentary voucher for Thicke's headline performance at the 12th Annual Cathedral City International Hot Air Balloon Festival. Vouchers are available at the ACE Club beginning Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, while supplies last, with pickup running through 5 p.m. on Nov. 19. The ACE Club keeps hours of 9 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The giveaway comes with strings attached. Guests must be at least 21 years old, must already be ACE Club members or join on the spot, and need to show valid photo identification with a Cathedral City address to qualify. It's limited to one voucher per resident, first come, first served, while the 500 vouchers last.
Vouchers Aren't Tickets — Here's the Catch
Picking up a voucher doesn't guarantee a seat just yet. Each voucher carries a unique promo code that must be redeemed online for an actual free concert ticket by 5 p.m. on Nov. 19 — the same deadline as pickup. Once redeemed, the ticket grants access to all festival events happening that day, not just the Thicke performance.
Thicke takes the stage at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 21 at the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater, as the festival's site states. That detail differs from an earlier promotion covered by KESQ last year, which described 600 free tickets and listed a 7 p.m. set time at the same venue. Those 2025 figures applied to a separate promotion and shouldn't be confused with this year's 500-voucher offer.
A Weekend of Balloons, Music and Free Play
The 12th annual Cathedral City International Hot Air Balloon Festival runs Nov. 20 through Nov. 22. Friday opens at 5 p.m. and is free for all, featuring a U2 tribute concert, a mini balloon glow and a drone light show. Saturday's ticketed program opens at 3 p.m. with the No Doubt tribute act Just A Girl on the Festival Lawn Glowstage, followed by DJ A-One opening the amphitheater at 5 p.m. ahead of Thicke's set.
Concert ticket holders get an extra incentive built in: they can visit the ACE Club on Nov. 21 between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. to enter the Rock Out Cash In drawing for a shot at splitting $500 in Free Play, per the same account from discovercathedralcity.com.
As reported by Uken Report, the event has grown considerably since it began. The festival drew just a few thousand attendees at its 2015 debut and has since swelled to a record 35,000 visitors, attracting pilots and spectators from around the world. It has also picked up some outside recognition: U.S. News & World Report listed it among the nation's top 14 hot air balloon festivals, and Visit Greater Palm Springs handed it the Palm Award for Visitor Experience.
Vouchers are being distributed at the ACE Club, located at 68960 E. Palm Canyon Drive in Cathedral City, from Oct. 14 through 5 p.m. on Nov. 19. With a hard cap of 500 and a one-per-resident limit, anyone hoping to catch Thicke for free will want to make the trip sooner rather than later.
