Splash House August Weekend brought hundreds of sexy, half naked people to Palm Springs. This boutique music festival pops off twice a year, and those weekends in paradise were June 10-12 and August 12-14. Temperatures in Palm Springs shot up to 115 degrees over the last weekend. That may sound too hot for some but it didn’t keep this event from selling out fast.
Palm Springs (Sip, Splash Repeat) is surrounded by multi-million dollar mid-century modern homes, art galleries, boutique shops and restaurants galore. The various Hotels are glamorous and unique with one of a kind pools made for all day lounging or partying. Hundreds of palm trees decorate the cities unique architecture, making Palm Springs feel like a vacation island of it’s own.
Prepare for the Friday Night After Party
Splash House was hosted at the Riviera and The Saguaro Hotels. With the after party set up at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Friday everyone was getting settling into town. The Riviera is super glamorous with photos of old Hollywood stars outside and in every room. I met a gorgeous Ken and Barbie couple from Orange county and asked them if there were any D.J.’s they were looking forward to seeing. The beautiful brunette replied, “We know whoever is playing is going to be amazing. We just want to party and maybe have someone watch us have sex.” I laughed because I knew that wasn’t the craziest thing I would hear all weekend. We had a few drinks while the stage was prepping for the next day.
My new friends decided to go to Rick’s across the street for some delicious, American cafe food. I asked the bartender what the deal was for tonight at the hotels. ” Nothing really happens at the hotels tonight. The big party is at the Air Museum.”
Rick’s 1596 N Palm Canyon Dr
Palm Springs, CA 92262
I grabbed an uber and headed to the museum. Good thing too because there was very little parking by the time I got there. The line was long but people didn’t seem to mind the wait. I walked in and although I’ve lived in Palm Springs for a few years, this is the first time I’d been here. It’s huge! The stage was much bigger than what I thought it would be. It was clear that tonight was going to be a big deal. Lot’s of people walking around, some dancing, some sitting. A girl with a glow in the dark hoola-hoop entertained some people sitting on the floor. There were plenty of areas serving drinks and a couple of taco stands. I met a group of guys from Colorado that came to celebrate a birthday. Everyone was wasted, dancing and loving the music. The crowd went wild and I yelled to someone asking them who was Djing and she yelled, “This is RÜFÜS DU SOL!”
DAYTIME RAGING
The pool at Saguaro is surrounded by a long courtyard of retro, Technicolor balconies. Partiers filled the place by the bus load. Shuttles ran all day and guests got to ride freely from each location to catch their favorite acts. Both luxurious hotels have a variety of room types available including pool view rooms that provide V.I.P. balcony seats to the fun. Saturday you should plan on going all night. So eat well, drink plenty of water and wear sunscreen! I personally like Maracas on Palm Canyon if you like Mexican food and a good margarita.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Viceroy along with Saxy Simon at Viceroy’s Palm Springs home. “Sumertime all the time” is his way of life and I felt it as soon as I met this gracious artist. I got to stay for a beer and a quick dip in the most perfect pool. Viceroy played at the Saguara at 5pm and killed it!
Saturday Night everyone went back to the Air Museum. Guest enjoyed dancing and snapping photos in front of the historical airplanes. The stage lit up the venue in tune with the sound of the music that was so loud I’m sure the whole desert could feel the beats drop. Here was the line up for Splash House August weekend.
This weekend featured some top notch artists. A few of them quite literally blew me away. D.J.’s like Viceroy (Who is the definition of summertime fun), RÜFÜS DU SOL, and Claptone.
RÜFÜS DU SOL played at the Palm Springs Air Museum on Friday night.
Claptone played at The Palm Springs Air Museum after party on Saturday.
Thank You Splash House
Palm Springs, California You did it again! I loved last year, this year was epic and I might as well get my ticket now for next year. Thank you to everyone who makes Splash House happen and to all of the artists for making timeless memories.
FestPop’s Metal/Rock Staff Writer Sheila Shawndell