5 Splash House first impressions from a Palm Springs party newbie

Ever since I first experienced that special awe that comes with watching a pastel sunset over the Ferris wheel at Coachella, I haven’t been able to get enough of the Coachella Valley’s beloved music festivals.

Whether I really lost myself in deranged delight when Will Smith inexplicably appeared on the Coachella stage this spring and danced off me to the only-at-Stagecoach spectacle that is Diplo playing his annual country set or just chilling with friends at campsites, I have found that nothing – not even passed my dreaded last 30^Th birthday that clearly makes me geriatric by celebratory standards — has dampened my enthusiasm for these signature local events.

Well, almost nothing. For all my inability to say no to every opportunity to get down in the desert, one festival has always eluded me: Splash House.

It’s not so much that it didn’t sound fun — who doesn’t love a good pool party? — but more than that, even the best lineup of DJs (and Splash Houses are usually nothing to sneeze at) still never felt like enough to justify spending three scorching Palm Springs summer days anywhere other than my couch .

More: Splash House 2024: The Ultimate Guide to Tickets, Parking, Who’s Performing and More

But when a Desert Sun editor came calling with an opportunity to check out this year’s version of the desert’s (only?) poolside EDM festival, the music party lover in me knew I couldn’t pass up a chance to see what the desert’s “other music festival” is. is about.

So this morning I threw on my coolest (read: still not very) t-shirt and an absurd amount of sunscreen (I think I got burned anyway) and headed out to the Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel. A few hours later, I’m happy to report that I survived the temps that felt like a billion degrees and even managed to have some fun – and learn a thing or two.

Here are some observations from my first Splash House, or as I’ve always thought of it, the cool little brother in our music festival family that’s always up for anything.

1. Splash House is all about the vibes

It can feel a little lonely and well, lame, rolling up alone at what’s basically a pool party on steroids as a notebook-toting journalist. So I was lucky when two Splash House vets were quite willing to make me find out what I needed to know while I stood in line for the shuttles that take you between the hotels.

Abel Romero, who traveled to Palm Springs from the San Fernando Valley, explained that probably the most important thing to know is that each of the three hotels has a different atmosphere. As he put it, The Saguaro is the place for rowdy partying, the Renaissance is more chill, and Margaritaville is somewhere in between. Although I didn’t make it to Margaritaville on Saturday, Romero’s perspective on the other two hotels felt pretty accurate.

Meanwhile, Romero’s friend, Anthony Lozano, told me about what makes Splash House so special. He said he’s been to some of the biggest festivals in the country, including Coachella and the EDC festivals in Las Vegas and Orlando, but thinks Splash House beats them all because of the unique atmosphere that comes with the pool-centered event and the hotels and the unique communal atmosphere that creates.

“Look at this,” he said as we entered a pool area at the Saguaro filled with smiling revelers. “Have you ever seen anything like this?”

Of course, he said, it also helps that you get to sleep in a hotel rather than on the dirt of a campsite.

2. Freak flags fly high here — literally

While Lozano’s point about the advantages of hotels over camping struck a chord with my aging spine, I assumed I’d miss the unique, fun and sometimes wacky sense of spectacle that festival camping offers.

However, I needn’t have worried about this as I soon learned that Splash House approaches the camp atmosphere of the festival in its own unique way. While people at the polo grounds fly colorful (and sometimes humorously vulgar) flags over their campsites, they instead hang their flags over hotel balconies overlooking the pool.

These flags (combined with the mountain backdrop that was particularly impressive at the Renaissance Hotel) created a unique scene that I have never seen before. While the details of some of my favorite flags can’t be printed here if I want to keep my job, my newspaper-friendly favorites included one emblazoned with a “Barbie” lyric with a twist: “Come on Splash House, let’s party” and another which celebrates “The Real Bros of Splash House”.

3. It was a memorable place to witness a gold medal moment

Did I mention it was hot yet? Just checking. But with my schedule dictating that I visit the festival during the hottest part of the day, I wondered if I wouldn’t get a taste of the rah rah atmosphere that Splash House is so famous for. While I can’t comment on how things will play out later in the evening, I can say that the early bird seemed very jazzed to be there.

But while tons of people were enjoying the pools, the most amped up group of guys I kept seeing were the ones crowding around the TV one of the hotel bars for the end of the USA-France Olympic basketball game.

Seriously, I haven’t seen this much joyous wedding since my college days in the SEC. When Steph Curry hit the last of those surreal threes at the end of the game, it was like a bomb went off. Too bad they can’t have the Olympics under Splash House every year because these guys did it right.

4. Splash House festival goers put the “party” in the party bus

Although I wasn’t surprised to see festive scenes at the pools and bars, I was a little shocked that perhaps the funnest atmosphere of all could be in a rather unexpected place: the party busses me from the Renaissance to the Saguaro.

But I have to report that that’s exactly what I found because this bus seemed to have it all: booming tunes, free samples of Pedialyte for some reason and, yes, stripper sticks that my bus mates took advantage of enthusiastically (thank goodness everyone managed to keep their clothes on though this is a pool party, many of them weren’t really wearing much to begin with). One guy shocked us all when he somehow started doing flips inside the bus.

Coming upon what appeared to be a regular Sunline bus for the return trip, I assumed it might pale in comparison. But even though there were no strip sticks, it still got pretty fun when the driver started belting out some dubstep. Maybe Sunline should take note.

5. My tip: If you go, give in to what makes Splash House Splash House

The best music festivals seemed to evoke a certain indescribable but clearly present sense of camaraderie and belonging that can almost feel cocky when you try to put it into words. So my advice has always been not to think too much about it and instead just embrace it.

When Romero broke with all journalist-interview protocol and went to pin some kind of fake cherry blossom to my shirt, I did just that. He said something about this being his way of spreading love or something and even though I didn’t go along completely, I felt like I had found the kind of fun little moment you come to an event like Splash House for. So readers, if you find yourself at the Splash House and someone wants to attach a fake plant to you, well, I say you’ll have more fun if you let them. I did that.

Ok, so would I go to Splash House again? Definitely, although I’ll certainly pray that monsoon season comes through with cooler temps next time (or maybe not… we don’t want another Tropical storm splash house situation like last year, right?) Heck, I might even try to convince my editors to let me wear a swimsuit or at least put a little more effort into my outfit. After all, this crew really set the bar.

Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at [email protected].