Palm Springs, CA

The lot at Arenas Road and Indian Canyon Drive has been fenced off, and the new Arenas District Pride Flagpole is expected to arrive this week, according to onsite workers. The Palm Springs City Council approved the project on July 21, 2025, entering into a license agreement with Palm Springs Pride for its construction, installation, maintenance, and operation. The landmark flagpole will represent a powerful symbol of hope, freedom, and equality for the LBTQ+ community in the heart of Palm Springs.

The Arenas District Pride Flagpole Project will feature the Gilbert Baker–designed Pride flag, considered the artist’s most significant piece of LGBTQ+ art. Baker, who passed away in 2017, first created the rainbow flag in 1978 at the request of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk. Originally crafted with eight stripes and later refined to six, the flag quickly grew into an international emblem of LGBTQ+ rights and liberation.

“This project honors the countless activists—Black, White, Latino, Asian, and Native-born—who have fought tirelessly for LGBTQ+ equality since the flag was first raised in San Francisco,” said Ron deHarte, President and CEO of Palm Springs Pride. “In Palm Springs’ 87-year history, no other cultural or civic group has proposed funding a landmark flagpole to honor their community. The LGBTQ+ community is doing just that.”

The new landmark is located at Arenas Road and Indian Canyon Drive, a key gateway to the Arenas Business District, Palm Springs’ first certified business district. The project is spearheaded by the Arenas District Merchants and managed by Palm Springs Pride, a nonprofit organization that has served the community for 40 years.

Alongside the Pride flag, approved alternative flags include the Transgender Pride flag, the Leather Pride flag, the Bisexual Pride flag, and the California state flag. On national observances such as Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day, the United States flag will also be displayed. Flags may be lowered to half-staff in accordance with presidential, gubernatorial, or local proclamations.

Exact location of Landmark Pride Flag

“You can support the Landmark Pride Flag,” added Mitch Battersby, Palm Springs Pride Director of Volunteers and a project lead. “We’re actively raising funds for the Arenas District Pride Flagpole, an incredible piece of art that will symbolize hope and commemorate the fight for equality among activists of all backgrounds.”

Supporters can make financial contributions to the project through Palm Springs Pride’s official donation page: Donate Here.

Palm Springs, long celebrated as one of the most welcoming and inclusive communities in the nation, will soon have a landmark flagpole that reinforces its spirit of pride and inclusivity for generations to come.

Update:

The Flagpole has now been installed and the community is awaiting the flags to be strewn up.

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