As an avid house music, music festival, and Palm Springs lover, I was down for the ride to attend Splash House Weekend One 2026. So, here is my review of my first-ever Splash House experience.
Immediately getting out of the car and feeling the 120-degree weather hit me was definitely not pleasant. I thought to myself, “Maybe I made a mistake attending this festival in August, in the middle of the desert. Kelly overdoes it again.” Just kidding, I am almost always down for the ride, 90 percent of the time, depending on the terms and conditions. Especially if it involves house music and DJs, the iconic Palm Springs aesthetic, poolside vibes, and, of course, cold drinks. I mean, why not? There’s something about the combination of music, summer chaos, and Palm Springs that makes you forget the heat, at least for a little while.
I was warned about the crowd being very bro-ey, which I definitely witnessed firsthand. Lots of tattoos, shirtless bros, bucket hats (which included me wearing one myself), and, of course, some drunk madness paired with good music. It reminded me of daytime clubs in Vegas, if they were dropped in the middle of the desert with little to no bottle service and catered more toward a music festival aesthetic. The drinks were reasonably priced, the hotel balcony drops added to the overall scene, and the music was amazing, as always. The idea of traveling to three different pools and locations throughout the weekend also gave the experience a bit of an adventure, which, if you know Kelly, you know she loves a good adventure. Amid the heat, I was actually really enjoying myself, meeting new EDM lovers, catching up with longtime friends who also attended the festival, and, of course, ordering another margarita. Oops, not oops.
Once the music really started going, though, I began to understand the hype around Splash House. One of the most interesting parts of the festival was how it was spread across three different hotels: the Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel, The Saguaro Palm Springs, and the Hilton Palm Springs. The whole idea is to hop from hotel to hotel throughout the day, with each location creating its own little world and bringing a different energy to the weekend. The Renaissance felt like the main focal point, especially with Foster the People taking over Saturday afternoon. The Hilton leaned more into dubstep and heavier house vibes, while The Saguaro brought the colorful Palm Springs aesthetic and iconic decorated balconies that everyone knows about. My favorite part was being able to enter three different words throughout the day and deciding which set to catch. Lastly, shoutout to the amazing experience I had at the after’s at the Air Museum, with The Chainsmokers playing. Lastly, there’s just something about house music blasting through a Palm Springs hotel while everyone is dancing in the pool, partying from their balconies, drinks in hand, and fully embracing the chaos that somehow just clicked. By that point, the 120-degree heat almost started to feel worth it… almost.
