Desert Smash: a star-studded event with a heart for giving

22 years of bringing Hollywood and pro tennis together for charity
By Alison Elsner
“When Desert Smash calls, Hollywood Listens,” according to “The Hollywood Reporter.”

Not so arguably one of the Coachella Valley’s and the country’s most popular celebrity tennis events, the 22nd Annual Desert Smash promises to ignite the sports and culture scenes in a way that’s bigger, bolder, and hotter than ever. Produced by Epic Sports and Entertainment and founded by Ryan Macaulay, this year’s sizzling action – on-court and off – will again showcase two days of court sports, high octane experiences, mega brand sponsors, and as always, celebrity movers and shakers on March 2-3, 2026 at the glamorous La Quinta Resort and Club.

With two nearly full days of curated excitement, food and drink, sports, and laughter, the extravaganza artfully combines tennis, music and Hollywood for charity. Since its inception in 2004, this spirited party raises funds for charitable causes, combining competitive matches with entertainment and VIP experiences. This year, the event will benefit the USTA Foundation, the charitable arm of the USTA which is the governing body of Tennis in the United States.

The USTA Foundation, founded in 1994, is guided by the intrinsic belief that every child deserves the chance to author their best life story—but the reality is, not everyone gets a chance to do so. The USTA Foundation is on a mission to change that throughout the U.S. through the incredible combination of tennis and education.

The marquee event, held Tuesday, March 3, is a celebrity and pro tennis exhibition at the La Quinta Resort’s scenic Stadium Court, featuring epic top-10 WTA and ATP singles matches and two captivating doubles matches, pairing celebrities with tennis pros. With all the players mic’d up, the matches are dynamic thrill rides. Fan options range from VIP on-court seating to live ball playing experiences with current and past pros. Renowned for their incredible talent line-up, past tennis pros have included Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Casper Ruud, Nick Kyrgios, Naomi Osaka, Victoria Azarenka, Alycia Parks, Frances Tiafoe, Ons Jabeur, Victoria Azarenka, Alexander “Sascha” Zverev, Donna Vekić, Barbora Krejčiková (who won her first Wimbledon title in 2024), Stan Wawrinka and other tennis royalty.

Desert Smash purposely dovetails with the start of the BNP Paribas Open, the “fifth Grand Slam,” in adjacent Indian Wells. Charlize Theron and Pink! served as celebrity hosts in 2024 and 2025 respectively, and this year fans eagerly anticipate the announcement of the 2026 host.

Last year’s roster of glitterati saw plenty of other stars on site including “Saturday Night Live” alumni Jon Lovitz and Cheri Oteri. Previous year’s VIP guests have included Justin Bieber, Kevin Hart, Gavin Rossdale, Wanda Sykes, Donna Mills, Randy Jackson, Nicole Ari Parker, Boris Kodjoe, Joel McHale, Kevin Spacey, Rebel Wilson, Jon Hamm, Joe Pesci, Lance Bass and an awe-inspiring cast of others.

After such a huge inaugural success last year, Macaulay plans to bring back the Hexclad “Cuisine Court” to Desert Smash on Tuesday, representing a tasteful and high-profile partnership with the luxury kitchen company Hexclad which brought in some of their impressive list of chef brand ambassadors from all over the country. Like last year, there will be multiple food stations from talented top chefs offering superlative cuisine to accompany the mixologist-based, super premium open bars serving top shelf spirits, margaritas and featured drinks such as the Ace Paloma presented by tequila sponsor Maestro Dobel.

The team is excited to also partner with early supporters including apparel sponsor Boast, pickleball partner JOOLA, Yonex, Marker Broadcasting, Gulf Broadcasting and KESQ-3, and renowned global tennis supporter, IBM. Desert Smash unites the worlds of Hollywood and pro tennis and annually attracts media coverage from “Entertainment Tonight,” “Access Hollywood,” “Hollywood Reporter,” “Vogue,” “Vanity Fair,” “Forbes,” “Fortune,” “Rolling Stone” and dozens of others from around the world, including “Desert Golf and Tennis.”

The convergence of camaraderie and corporate alignment becomes part of the “Desert Smash Sponsor Village” of brands showcasing their products while celebrities work the red carpet, guests sip from multiple premium hosted bars, and high profile DJs spin tunes elevating the energy.

Insiders and VIPs can look forward to the invite-only Desert Smash Bash–the “glam slam after party”-held at Zenyara, the private 80 acre, ultra luxury private estate in nearby Coachella owned by billionaire philanthropist Michael Scott.

Macaulay acknowledges that the scenic La Quinta Resort and Club has been integral to the success of Desert Smash, joining forces early on and now serving as the world-class hospitality venue partner. This year, guests will get to enjoy the spoils of the resort’s recent $90 million renovations and face lift, with all rooms being completely refurbished along with updated event areas, lobby and spectacular new adult pool area and bar.

By creating the ultimate luxury tennis spectator event, Desert Smash is now a command performance for stars, tennis fans, community supporters and media outlets alike, lobbing the standards even higher for fun and philanthropy in 2026!

Let’s party!

Desert Smash
March 2-3, 2026
Tickets: $300 and up

La Quinta Resort and Club
49-499 Eisenhower Drive
La Quinta, CA 92253
desertsmash.com