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Splash House 2018: The Wildest Pool Party On Earth
Splash House will be returning to Palm Springs, California for two epic weekends in 2018. The first event will take place on June 8th-10th, and the second will be August 8th-10th. With about one month left before the first event, organizers have finally released the lineup for the weekend in June. With a supporting cast just as impressive as the headliners, it’s safe to say that Splash House 2018 will not disappoint.
The June Lineup
As with previous years, Splash House will showcase a wide spectrum of electronic music in 2018. Headliners include Duke Dumont, What So Not, and ZHU’s highly anticipated new project “Blacklizt”. The supporting cast also includes a number of crowd favorites, including Dirty Bird’s leading producer Justin Martin. Splash House 2018 certainly won’t be short on house music, with other huge names like EDX, Chris Lake, Autograph, and SNBRN all representing different facets of the genre. A full, interactive list of artists for the weekend in June can be viewed here.
About The Headliners
Duke Dumont has been a titan of Vocal EDM for almost as long as it’s been a genre. Over the past decade he has released dozens of original tracks that are now crowd pleasers all around the world. If you’ve been to a house music festival, you’ve probably danced like a fool to Duke Dumont’s music. His set at Tomorrowland last year was one for the books:
Any festival headlined by What So Not is guaranteed to be wild. The intense yet positive energy that he brings to a music festival is difficult to describe until you’ve felt it yourself. His set is sure to include a variety of heavy-hitting bass music, as well as a repertoire of more introspective and emotional trap.
Blacklizt is the brainchild of ZHU, a grammy nominated deep house producer from San Francisco, CA. This new project is meant to showcase an even darker side of his already shady and mysterious persona. ZHU’s Blacklizt parties have traditionally been hosted in dark warehouses, where the attendees are required to wear all black. Needless to say, the poolside setting at Splash House will provide a very different atmosphere. However, you can still expect to see some of ZHU’s hardcore fans adorned in all black on the night he performs. This highly anticipated performance will purportedly infuse ZHU’s style with dark techno and acid house inspired by Cirez D (Eric Prydz’s Alias).
The Venue(s)
The Saguaro at Palm Springs, Riviera at Palm Springs, and Renaissance at Palm Springs will be hosting Splash House this year. The best way to enjoy this festival is to book a room with one of these hotels. All of the hotel packages for the June event have already sold out, but there is still space available for August. It’s more than likely that both weekends will sell out completely, so make sure to plan ahead!
It is possible to book accommodations elsewhere and just purchase a GA ticket to enter the venue. However, if you are able to reserve one of the venue hotels, do it! Being able to walk 100 yards from your bed to the front rail of a poolside rave is a special thing. All available GA tickets and hotel packages are available on the Splash House website.
The Stages
Each resort will have a poolside stage accessible to anyone with a GA ticket. As you can imagine, having a pool in the middle of a venue changes the dynamic pretty dramatically. The crowd will still be dense in the center, but will feel very different from the pit at an average show. Dancing aggressively in waist deep water isn’t easy. Consequently, it is less likely that someone will crush your naked foot when the bass drops. However, you will have to accept the constant onslaught of splashing. This festival lives up to its name!
That being said, not all of the venues have a pool right in the center. This years headliners are going to attract a huge number of fans, and the hotel courtyards simply won’t accommodate them all. As the day turns to night, the venue will begin to feel more like a traditional festival ground. The headliners will probably close out each evening of the festival at the largest venue on site.
The Festival Environment
Splash House 2018 will be unique in many ways, including its atmosphere. You probably won’t see dreadlocked salesmen hustling their wares inside the venue. In the place of pashminas and parachute pants, you’ll see skin-tight swimwear and sun burned thighs. A myriad of goofy inflatables bounce around in the back of the crowd instead of dancers with hula hoops and trip whips. This isn’t to suggest that it won’t feel like a festival – everyone is still there to have a good time. However, the festival atmosphere at Splash House is definitely infused with a healthy dose of spring break.
Bang For Your Buck
Overall, it seems that Splash House 2018 is more than worth the ticket price. GA wristbands start at $135.00, or $170.00 if you want access to the “After Hours” party hosted at the Air Museum. Nora En Pure, Autograf, SNBRN, Touch Sensitive, Kideo, and Codes are exclusively playing the after party, so it’s definitely worth the extra $35.00.
As with any festival that doesn’t allow camping, accommodations have the potential to get expensive. However, the remaining hotel packages are reasonably priced, and there are many other locations to choose from. At least one of the 300+ hotels in Palm Springs is bound to fit your budget.
For a festival of this caliber, the ticket price is a great value. Whether you’re already in Palm Springs or traveling from afar, it’s possible to have an awesome time at Splash House 2018 without destroying your bank account.
All available GA tickets and hotel packages can be purchased here.
Written by FestPop writer Ben Fulmer
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