By Laura Hunt Little
Splash House, the three-day, three venue Palm Springs “pool + music festival” equaled a not-to-be missed scene in Palm Springs last weekend. Nearly 50 DJ’s performed for thousands of dancing, costumed and/or bikini-clad fans with pool floats and stylish sunglasses.
The pool party sprawled across Palm Springs at the Hard Rock Hotel, The Saguaro and the newly opened Hacienda Beach Club. All three venues featured poolside stages with pumping sound. Shuttles cranking dance music added to the festivities by carrying guests safely from pool to pool.
Musical artists performing this year at Splash House included: AC Slater, Amtrac, Anna Lunoe, Bag Raiders, Bixel Boys, Claude Van Stroke, Giraffage, Jason Bentley, Justin Jay, Kaytranada, Kygo, Lemaitre, Les Sins, Little Boots, MANIK, MNDR, Neon Indian, Penguin Prison, Plastic Plates, Posso, Purity Ring, RAC, Sango, Sweater Beats, Toro y Moi, Treasure Fingers, and Tycho.
The Saguaro and its 70’s-style swimming pool hosted some of the funkiest acts in the weekend line-up playing deep house and nu disco. The New York based duo, MNDR, headlined on Saturday.
The Hard Rock Hotel featured deep house and indie dance acts. Notably, Moby headlined at the venue on Saturday night with a two hour DJ set. Even with hundreds of fans, the setting for this popular live artist felt intimate with fans able to approach the stage and see his performance up close and personal.
The Hacienda Beach Club opened its doors for the first time specifically for Splash House. The venue, sponsored by LED/Goldenvoice, showcased deep and techy beats with a touch of future bass and instrumental hip hop.
The debut of Hacienda Cantina & Beach Club extends “Palm Springs chic” further south on Palm Canyon. Stylish and upscale, this one-of-a-kind establishment is a food, drink, entertainment and swimming venue. The modern design of the pool and cabanas are blended beautifully with the Spanish-style architecture of the restaurant and “Mexican Noire” interior. Hacienda Beach Club was designed by the award-winning architect Chris Pardo. Wood work and custom fixtures including salvaged wood outdoor loungers, were created by Calvin Dahlstrom, of Dahlstrom Designs.
The Splash House pool party and music extravaganza, in partnership with world famous music promoters Goldenvoice and LED, proves that the Palm Springs “season” doesn’t end with the departure of the snowbirds. Rather, the desert scene is experiencing a revival with a generation of millennials coming to appreciate all that the greater Palm Springs area has to offer.
