ICONIC

Can’t get tickets to Modernism Week events? These tours are ALWAYS available. View our self-guided modern architecture tours!

Modernism Week is one of the busiest times in Palm Springs, California. It’s an annual event (this is the 18th year!) that shows off the beauty, architecture and history of Palm Springs, through its unique homes and design elements.

What is Modernism Week?

The 2020 Modernism Week runs February 13-23, and it’s full of home tours, art showcases, walking tours and exhibitions. Sadly, many of these great event sell out months before Modernism Week even begins!

What can I do during Modernism Week?

Palm Springs Modernism Week shares all the highlights of midcentury modern architecture, art, interior design and even outdoor and landscape design, plus all the best of vintage culture.

The 11-day Modernism Week festival has more than 350 events including the Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale, tours of iconic homes in more than 30 neighborhoods, and the popular Signature Home Tour on both weekends.

Also offered are architectural walking, biking and double-decker bus tours, tours of the historic Annenberg Estate at Sunnylands, a classic car show, garden tours, nightly parties, and a special series of compelling and informative talks. All events are open to the public, and many events are free or low cost.

What if I can’t get tickets to Modernism Week?

Modernism Week has become a big event, and as often is the case when events get massively popular, it’s nearly impossible to get tickets to a lot of events. Fortunately, there are a few Modernism Week tours that you can ALWAYS get tickets for, and even some free options.

How can I see homes during Modernism Week?

If you’re too late to purchase dedicated event tickets, you can always purchase a tour from Modern Tours Palm Springs. Tours are self-driving, in your own (or a rental!) vehicle and they follow a dedicated route with mapping and guidance built in, so you can go at your own pace, at any time of the day—and get help getting to and from each location easily. Also, rather than having to pay for individual tickets, which can add up, you can buy one of the modern tours offered and play it for everyone in your vehicle. Click here to see the available tours during Modernism Week 2020.

Current self-guided tours being offered are the Modernism Top 10 Tour, a great overview of the most iconic buildings and the stories behind them, making it a great introduction to the architecture of Palm Springs.

If you’re looking for a little more detail, and to see some properties that are both stunning and off the beaten path, the Modern Homes & Buildings 101 Tour is a slightly longer tour offering that delves deeper into desert modernism.

There’s very little overlap between the two tours and they each contain lots of information and different locations, so you can choose the one that interests you most, or do both one of after the other.

Free Modernism Week tours?

Modern Tours Palm Springs has a free tour option called the Seriously Selfie Tour featuring the most Instagram-able spots in all of Palm Springs. The ten-page PDF is very inexpensive, and lists cool buildings and photo spots (but unlike Modern Tours Palm Springs’ self-guided tours, it doesn’t supply driving directions or share any background or historical info). Even so it’s got all the info you need to capture some great photos and make beautiful memories of your visit to Palm Springs.

This great modernism week tour is available by clicking the Seriously Selfie Tour here.

Modernism Week Door Tour

An enduring tour for Palm Springs Modernism Week is the annual Palm Springs Door Tour. If you can’t get tickets to the guided event and you’re door obsessed like we are, download the Modern Tours Palm Springs Door Tour.

The colorful and stylish doors of Palm Springs are a modernist mainstay and the 60-page e-book published by Modern Tours Palm Springs shares photos, exact addresses, and short info snippets about dozens of cool doors and modernist home facades that you can see for yourself in Palm Springs—whether you choose to cycle solo or drive with a group.

While you can and should enjoy as many of the official Modernism Week options as you can, if you can’t get tickets, there’s still opportunities for you to see lots of amazing architecture, modern design, fun doors and to snap some seriously cool selfies!