Fishnets, feather boas and a whole lot of audience participation are heading back to the Coachella Valley this Saturday, October 24, as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” returns for a night of live drag, costumes and interactive Halloween mayhem. The event kicks off with a costume contest and trivia at 6 p.m., followed by the film itself at 7 p.m., complete with a live drag shadowcast acting out the action in front of the screen.
According to NBC Palm Springs, the screening is presented by Trans Rights Art Saves and Heals (TRASH), Creatures of the Night Drag and Festival Theaters. The event is set to take place in the Coachella Valley and promises a special screening featuring live drag performances, costumes, trivia and audience participation throughout the night.
Before the film rolls, attendees can take part in a pre-show Time Warp dance lesson led by drag entertainer Marina Mac, according to the Palm Springs Cultural Center. The venue's event page encourages guests to lean all the way into the spirit of the night: “Dress up, sing along, and embrace your inner creature of the night.”
Proceeds Support The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert
The screening isn't just about spectacle — it's also a fundraiser. The Palm Springs Cultural Center notes that all proceeds from the event benefit The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, tying the night's campy theatrics to a cause close to the valley's LGBTQ community. VIP ticket holders will also receive an interactive experience gift bag, per the same listing.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” has long doubled as more than just a cult movie night. The film, which began as a London stage production in 1973 before its 1975 release, has become a cultural phenomenon inspiring generations of fans, as the station's report notes. Its enduring appeal has been credited to its celebration of individuality and self-expression — themes that continue to draw new audiences to midnight and themed screenings decades after its debut.
A Tradition Kept Alive Through Interactive Screenings
Much of the film's staying power comes from the midnight-movie culture it helped create, with screenings that continue to this day drawing crowds eager to shout familiar lines back at the screen and dress as their favorite characters. That tradition was on full display just last year, when original star Tim Curry made a rare public appearance at the film's 50th-anniversary screening at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.
That Los Angeles event, part of the Cinespia screening series, drew a large, multigenerational crowd that erupted into several standing ovations as Curry, who played the iconic Dr. Frank-N-Furter, took the stage alongside co-star Barry Bostwick. Curry, now 79 and known for greeting fans with his trademark humor, joked with the crowd from his wheelchair — a moment that underscored just how far the film's fandom has traveled since its stage origins more than five decades ago.
Back in the Coachella Valley, Saturday's screening offers local fans their own chance to keep that tradition alive, blending costume culture, drag performance and classic movie-night chaos into one Halloween-season event.
