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Four Winners Announced

1. Alena Callimanis of La Quinta
2. The Larson Family of La Quinta
3. Jo Wheet of Palm Springs
4. Martina Jimenez of Hemet

Special Hours and Holiday Dining for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will operate on a special holiday schedule December 21 through January 5. The first tram up each day will be at 8:00 a.m., the last tram up will be at 8:00 p.m., and the last tram down will be at 9:30 p.m.

On December 25 and January 1, Ride ’n’ Dine tickets—which include Tram admission and dinner at Pines Café (a cafeteria-style restaurant)—are available for purchase from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Dinner service begins at 11:00 a.m. Combination tickets are $41 for adults and seniors, and $27.50 for children (ages 3-10).

Peaks Restaurant will serve special holiday dining menus on December 25 and January 1. Holiday dining in Peaks Restaurant begins at 11:00 a.m. and is $79 for adults and seniors. A separate menu for children ages 3-10 is also available. Tram fare is not included. Peaks Restaurant will also continue to serve its regular menu. Reservations are recommended for holiday dining on December 25 and January 1 in Peaks Restaurant. To make a reservation, call 760-325-4537 or visit https://pstramway.com/dining/.

REMINDER: Choir performances kick off the holiday season December 4, and continue Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays through December 15. The annual Tree Lighting Ceremony hosted by KESQ’s Patrick Evans takes place December 8 with “American Idol” winner Abi Carter lighting the Tram’s landmark 45-foot tree comprised of over 4,000 LED lights.

High School Choirs Perform Holiday Favorites at 8,516 Feet

The holiday choir season begins December 4 at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s Mountain Station, continuing a decades-long seasonal tradition. Visitors can enjoy holiday favorites performed by high school choirs on select dates through December 15.

For the 2024 holiday season, the Tramway is proud to present the following line-up:

• Wednesday, December 4 – Martin Luther King High School Choir
• Thursday, December 5 – La Quinta High School Chamber Singers
• Sunday, December 8 – Palm Springs High School Choir and String Quartette
• Wednesday, December 11 – Cathedral City High School Choirs
• Thursday, December 12 – Coachella Valley High School Concert Choir
• Sunday, December 15 – Encore High School for the Arts Madrigals

Showtimes are at 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. and are included with regular Tram admission. Performances are on the Pines Café Stage with food and beverage available for purchase from either Pines Café or the Lookout Lounge. (Note: The December 8 performance is outside on the Desert View Terrace at 5:30 p.m. as part of the tree lighting ceremony. There will also be a 7:30 p.m. performance inside).

KESQ’s Patrick Evans to Emcee Ceremony

Abi Carter, Season 22 “American Idol” winner and Coachella Valley native, will serve as the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s 2024 celebrity tree lighter at the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Sunday, December 8, 2024. KESQ Meteorologist and “Eye on the Desert” Host Patrick Evans will again emcee this year’s event at the Tramway’s Mountain Station. Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. with the Palm Springs High School Choir and String Quartet performing holiday favorites. Immediately following, Carter lights the Tram’s landmark 45-foot tree comprised of over 4,000 LED lights, which can be seen throughout the Coachella Valley.

Carter stole the hearts of “American Idol” viewers during her audition, singing her rendition of Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” which earned her a Platinum Ticket. The judges, Blake Shelton, Lionel Richie, and Katy Perry, boasted about her performance, agreeing she could be the next winner of the show. During her “Hometown Hero Visit,” Carter visited places that meant the most to her, one of those being the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. During her visit, Carter expressed how she visited the Tramway as a child, and it always held a special place in her heart.

Carter became the first recipient of the Platinum Ticket to win the competition and the eighth female winner overall, along with stand-out artists like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Jordin Sparks. Since returning home to the Coachella Valley after her win, Carter sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” and dropped the first puck at a Coachella Valley Firebirds game at Acrisure Arena; she sang the national anthem at the 2024 United States Olympic trials for gymnastics; and held her first full concert, “No Amount of Dark,” at Acrisure Arena. Carter will also be performing at Stagecoach in Indio in 2025.

The tree lighting ceremony is open to the public and is included with regular Tram admission.