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When Desert Smash hits, Hollywood sure knows how to rally.
As usual, the 2026 Charity Tennis and Pickleball event was held the first week of March at the La Quinta Resort and Club. Serving as an unofficial kickoff to the BNP Paribas Open, Desert Smash unites actors, musicians, artists and athletes for a cause – this year, the USTA Foundation, which provides tennis, education and mentorship to youth from under-resourced communities.
A week after Lily Collins announced her role as Audrey Hepburn in an upcoming film project based on Sam Wason’s book Fifth Avenue, 5 a.mthe Emily in Paris Bullets packed her bags for the desert to support both the GO Campaign, of which she is an official ambassador, and her husband, film director and screenwriter Charlie McDowell, who played in this year’s third annual Desert Smash Celebrity Pickleball Challenge.
Collins’ in-laws, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, were also present for the pickleball and tennis matches along with participants and guests Naomi Osaka, Yvonne Orji, Nick Kyrgios, Pete Wentz, Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Musetti, Alexander Zverev, Gavin Rossdale and Lance Bass, to name a few.
Amid the heated matches and exhilarating live auctions, celebrity chefs Masaharu Morimoto and Robbie Felice prepared delicious meals for the stars, athletes and guests in partnership with HexClad Cookware, one of this year’s long list of sponsors. Joining HexClad in the 2026 Desert Smash Care Village are David Beckham’s science-backed wellness brand IM8, sustainable fine jewelry brand John Hardy, chic tennis brand Boast, Lucid Motors, Cîroc Vodka, and Dobel Tequila (which has teamed up with No. 1 women’s tennis player Aryna Sabalenka to create its signature cocktail, Marg-Aryna), among others.
For more fine dining favorites, many guests, including sports stars, headed to the nearby Grand Hyatt Indian Wells Resort for the Taste of Tennis, where dozens of local chefs prepared Michelin-worthy snacks. As always, Desert Smash concluded in celebratory fashion with Smash Bash, the exclusive two-day party hosted at nearby Zenyara, a 70-acre private estate with its own man-made white sand beach, which has included Rihanna, Post Malone, Blackpink and Idris Elba as past guests.
Desert Smash 2027 tickets will become available on desertsmash.com early next year.
