As the summer season kicks off in full swing, festival-goers flock nearby cities to enjoy the multitude of musically-charged events from coast to coast across the country. The enormous eruption, or bubble if you will, of multi-day festivals have doubled and tripled over the past few years as demands for these types of events have increased exceedingly.
As the stakes get higher and higher for these festivals, it's important to also not lose focus on the centrality of music that surrounds these events. For Splash House, a 2-day gathering that embarks on a mission of music, sun drenched pool fun and more, the setup and focus are simple; parties in the sun accompanied by rising artists. 2 hotels, 2 days and too much fun are what keep attendees from coming back every summer. Splash House in particular, makes it a mission to become a perfectly molded festival – and much more.
photo credit: Jose Negrete (@_josenegrete)
Atmosphere
Nestled away in a serenely picturesque desert landscape is one of the most beautiful backdrops in the country, Palm Springs is known for it's vibrant nightlife scene and oasis-like ambiance. Splash House hosts two official hotels for the event, the 60s-clad decadent Riveria Hotel and the lively Saguaro Hotel (a ten min drive from one another).
It is best described as an upscale Vegas pool party with better music. Welcoming and opening doors allowed guests to roam freely throughout the hotels as the setup was perfect for any afternoon pool party.
Both pools were packed with attendees and an array of eclectic floaties from pizza to unicorns and more decorated both entire pool decks.
At night, the Air Museum parties offered an alternate experience of a more underground feel as guests were dancing from dusk till dawn in a warehouse with bellowing house music.
Photo Credit: Galen Oakes (@onenativeyouth)
Music
Splash House offered an extensive lineup of top-notch talent from fan favorite ODESZA to Dirtybird head honchos Justin Jay and Justin Martin – a little something for every music type. Three sets in particular stood out in mind from the weekend.
Jamie Prado threw down a latina-infused set at the Riveria which resulted in a complete 180 change in atmosphere as his energetic music enticed all attendees to start dancing together. The upbeat vibes flowed through the air as his diversely refreshing tribal based sounds became a huge hit with the audience – one of the best of the entire weekend.
Photo Credit: Nicole Kilpatrick
Lee Foss is known for his outlandish funky beats and his set managed to become the perfect backdrop for an ending on Saturday. He played a fusion of both deep house and tech, a perfect melodic combination, that had all of the crowd dancing in unison together – getting everyone out of the water and onto the dance floor.
There's something about ODESZA's music that just brings people together. The vibrant melodic tunes were almost too perfect for the setting as hit classics were popular among the crowd. Even though the set was just a DJ set the energy remained the same from the two members as they successfully put on yet another unforgettable show.
Photo Credit: Galen Oakes (@onenativeyouth)
Crowd
The one aspect that stood out most from Splash House in comparison to other festivals was the people. An abundance of friendly and warm souls greeted each other with open arms; all being joined together by the love of music. Beautiful girls dance around in bikinis with not a care in the world as guests decorated hotel balconies in comical fashions. There was room to dance and people to meet from all over the country; a really surreal experience and due to the smaller nature of the festival the ability to bond and meet one another was truly something special.
photo credit: Jesse Fulton (@jesse_lee_fulton)
Overall Takeaway
Splash House successfully define what it mean to go above and beyond what it means to be a festival. An escape from reality, lead by impeccable music, beautiful vibes and sheer enjoyment. If you're overwhelming disappointed you missed out this time, cheer up – August is just around the corner…
