The vision for a live Performing Arts Center became reality with the Grand Opening of The McCallum Theater in 1988, named for one of the deserts Pioneer families, McCallum. Palm Desert was chosen for its central location with the goal to entertain, educate & enhance the lives of their patrons and serve all of the desert communities.
The McCallum Theater gained acclaim by audiences, entertainers and peers alike as one of the most prominent theaters in the United States hosting extraordinary performances year round.
Within a short distance of The McCallum Theatre is the sought after resort community of BIGHORN Golf Club in Palm Desert and the upscale Homes in Indian Wells each with the unique desert resort lifestyle.
The McCallum Theatre is located on the College of the Desert Campus in Palm Desert, California and seats over 1,100 guests. Some of the famous performers include personalities such as Johnny Cash, George Burns, Diana Krall, Kathy Griffin, Elizabeth Taylor and Oprah to name a few.
Some of the other communities around The McCallum include, Venezia, a small gated community with just 64 homes, reminiscent of an Italian Village. One of the newer communities in Palm Desert is The Gallery and Brenna at Capri and Amatista at Capri each are newer homes in gated communities with low homeowner fees.
Looking for an easy carefree way to enjoy the desert, Palm Desert has many “Lock and Leave” condo’s, where your HOA takes care of everything while you’re away, just a short distance from The McCallum Theatre is, Desert Falls Country Club with Championship Golf & Tennis. Monterey Country Club is a private guard gated community with Championship Golf and Tennis. Palm Valley Country Club also has Championship Golf & Tennis with state of the art Health & Fitness, Spa and Clubhouse, each of these communities offer the ease of Lock & Leave Fairway Condo’s with prices starting at $200,000 and go up to $600,000.
Initially fund raising for The McCallum was based on pure ticket sales. When Ted Giatas took over as President, he and Jack Jones developed a new concept for fund raising by creating entertaining television advertisements and from there the entire structure of the McCallum Theatre fundraising efforts changed. The McCallum Theatre now functions as a non profit organization with hundreds of volunteers that help keep the theater running smoothly, with over 400 team members that volunteer as ushers and other needed positions.
The McCallum Theatre hosts private concert events and performances for students and teachers as part of their academic program to advance the performing arts; through this program the theater hosts over 37,000 students annually. Additionally, The McCallum Theatre can be rented for private parties or events.
Tickets can be purchased online, or at the box office.
- View Upcoming Events: McCallum Theater – Calendar
- Buy tickets online: McCallum Theatre – Buy Tickets
McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts
73000 Fred Waring Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92260
Box Office
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm
*Extended hours on performance days, and summer hours may vary
Phone: 760.340.ARTS ext. 2787
Toll-Free: 866.889.ARTS ext. 2787