Nearly $60 million was added to the desert economy as a result of Modernism Week, an 11-day celebration of mid-century design and architecture, festival organizers said Friday.
Modernism Week featured nearly 350 events around Palm Springs from Feb. 14-24, with attendance estimated at 152,000 — up 20 percent over 2018.
“The 11-day festival generated an estimated economic impact of $57 million for area hotels, shops, restaurants and other local businesses from Palm Springs to Indian Wells and beyond,” event spokesman Bob Bogard said in a statement.
Bogard said Modernism Week’s CAMP — Community and Meeting Place — added a central space for some 38,000 attendees to meet. CAMP featured charging stations, an information desk, box office, cafe, merchandise store and interactive booths.
The most popular events were the red carpet gala at the Christopher Kennedy compound, where the Modernism Week Show House was officially unveiled, as well as a night at the Sinatra estate, the organizers said. The festival lineup also included tours, film screenings, lectures and exhibitions.
Modernism Week Board Chairman William Kopelk said: “Our expanded range of programming continues to emphasize preservation and education and also offer fun and unique experiences through tours, parties and other activities. The worldwide publicity that the event generates continues to help brand the entire Coachella Valley as a mecca for preservation, modernism and architecture, which has a year-round influence on the valley’s tourism and international stature.”
Modernism Week raises money to provide scholarships to local students pursuing higher education in the fields of architecture and design, and also supports state and local groups in their pursuit to preserve modernist architecture throughout California.
Modernism Week’s annual Fall Preview is scheduled from Oct. 17-20.