A new 'dream team' takes the helm at legendary queer women's event The Dinah

The Dinah will go on.

The much-loved annual sapphic event in Palm Springs, California, has new ownership. Creator and producer Mariah Hanson announced last year that she planned to sell to another producer after running the event since 1991, and she’s found one in a company founded by longtime Dinah team members Bella Barkow and Rose Garcia. Their company, BellaRose Productions, announced the acquisition Wednesday.

Both had been pursuing the idea of taking over the event separately, and when they found out about each other, “We came up with the idea that we would make an amazing dream team,” Garcia says. “I hit the jackpot with [Barkow] as a partner. She is the production queen,” familiar with all the inner workings of The Dinah.

Their paths have crossed often while working at The Dinah. “[Garcia’s] professionalism was amazing, and she was just so friendly and nice,” Barkow says. Their skills are complementary, Barkow notes, as she prefers to work behind the scenes, while Garcia is comfortable playing a public role.

Related: 30+ years of The Dinah: A global, queer-affirming celebration

Barkow has been with The Dinah’s team since 2018, rising from pool party stage manager to operations manager. She has managed other large-scale events as well, such as LA Pride and the Outloud Festival. Garcia is an entrepreneur, leading the Garcia Real Estate Group, and reality TV star, having appeared on The Real L Word. She has been an emcee at The Dinah and other major queer events.

Hanson had said The Dinah might take 2026 off if she didn’t find a buyer, but now that Barkow and Garcia have come on the scene, there will be an event this year. The festivities will take place September 30 through October 4. As usual, The Dinah will offer a series of women-centric pool parties, entertainment, and the magic of affirmation and inclusion. While tailored for queer women, the event welcomes everyone, including straight women, transgender and nonbinary people, and even the occasional cisgender man.

The Dinah’s venues this year will be the Hilton Palm Springs and the Hotel Zoso. The entertainment lineup will be announced in June.

Related: What Do You Do After Your Kid Comes Out? Party at Dinah!

Barkow and Garcia plan no major changes to The Dinah. “We want to keep what made The Dinah so successful,” Barkow says, but there will be “a bit of a facelift and touch-up.” As a sober woman, she wants to have more events for that community.

“We all know Mariah had 34 years of amazing success,” Garcia adds. “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel here.” She would like to bring back comedy events, she says, and do something for solo travelers and single people.

Both women have a longtime love for The Dinah, which originally revolved around the annual April Palm Springs-area women’s pro golf tournament named for entertainer Dinah Shore. The tournament has now dropped Shore’s name and moved to Texas, but the queer women’s party has long since taken on a life of its own separate from golf.

Barkow, who came out in at age 13 in the late 1990s, remembers seeing The Dinah featured on The L Word in the early 2000s. “I was excited and said that’s a place I wanted to be,” she recalls. She’s always wanted to have her own events company, she adds.

Garcia has been involved with The Dinah for close to 25 years, first as a fan and attendee. “It became my favorite thing to do,” she says. After being on The Real L Word, she stepped into her emcee role.

They’re working hard to plan this year’s event — “We can’t believe Mariah did this all by herself for 35 years,” Barkow says — but they’re thrilled to be doing so. “I’m very excited and very, very grateful and honored to be part of this ownership team,” Garcia says.

Hanson issued this statement in announcing the transition: “Rose and Bella are the perfect duo to take over The Dinah. Through their big hearts, business acumen and commitment to preserving what is most beloved about The Dinah, I am genuinely excited to watch them take The Dinah to new heights. The Dinah is my life's work. I can't begin to explain how important this event has been to me, and the powerful way I have seen it change hearts and minds, year after year. That The Dinah will continue to be a game changer in our community and a beacon of hope for all of us, especially in these trying times, leaves my heart full. The Dinah is in good hands.”

See pictures from previous events below.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga performs at The Dinah in 2009

Courtesy The Dinah

Mariah Hanson, Wanda Sykes, and Natasha Bedingfield

From left: Mariah Hanson, Wanda Sykes, and Natasha Bedingfield at The Dinah in 2011

Courtesy The Dinah

Tegan and Sara

Tegan and Sarah on The Dinah's red carpet in 2014

Courtesy The Dinah

Dalila Ali Rajah and Andrea Krauss

Dalila Ali Rajah (center left) and Andrea Krauss (center right) having fun at The Dinah in 2014

Peter Szabadi

Pool party

Friends enjoying a pool party at The Dinah in 2016

Courtesy The Dinah

Mariah Hanson and Lizzo

Mariah Hanson and Lizzo at The Dinah in 2017

Courtesy The Dinah

Friends lounging

Friends lounging in a cabana at The Dinah in 2024

Courtesy The Dinah

Pool party

The crowd enjoying a pool party in 2025

RADskillZ