Ultimate Survival Guide to Splash House in Palm Springs
Ready to party in the hot desert sun? Splash House is on the horizon, and if you’re planning on attending, you’ll want to read this survival guide to make the most of this raging weekend!
I’ve got all the tips you need for a weekend of pure music festival fun: packing essentials, event details, how to find the after-after parties, and avoiding the inevitable hangovers.
Whether you’re a first-time attendee or a seasoned pro, read on for the best ways to make the most of Splash House in Palm Springs!
Summary
What is Splash House?
Splash House is a summer festival series held in Palm Springs, CA. It takes place across multiple weekends at three hotel resorts in Palm Springs: The Saguaro, The Renaissance, and Margaritaville.
The after-hours show is at the Palm Springs Air Museum from 9 pm to 2 am.
Host hotel packages for all weekends sell out FAST, but you can view more places to stay in the Greater Palm Springs area here.
Splash House is a massive, 3-day music festival with epic pool parties, electronic dance music DJs, decorated poolside balconies, and colorful inflatable floaties.
The pool parties are during the day from 12 pm to 9 pm on Saturday and Sunday, with free shuttles providing transportation between each of the three hotels and to the Air Museum for the After Hours event.
The shuttle rides themselves are a party, with music blaring and strangers chatting, all while people balance their giant floaties between the seats!
Just imagine the biggest pool party rager with some of your favorite electronic music artists spinning throughout the day and into the hours of the night. In addition, you’re in a prime location of a desert oasis, all with people who want to have as much fun as you do!
What a Splash House Weekend Schedule Looks Like:
Friday
Hotel check-in and wristband pickup. You can pick up your Splash House wristbands at the Palm Springs Convention Center (across from the Renaissance Hotel) as early as 2 pm and as late as 1 am Saturday.
Pro Tip: Get to the box office early! I arrived at 2 pm and, luckily, only waited about 20 minutes in line. While talking to some Splash House veterans, they shared that they went to pick up their wristbands around 5 pm the year prior and waited a whopping 3.5 hours to get their wristbands!
The After Hours at the Air Museum kicks off the Splash House weekend! Party from 9 pm to 2 am and then take the shuttle back to your hotel.
Saturday
You can start your day with a rejuvenating yoga session at 9:30 am at all the host hotels. The yoga sessions are hosted by Power Yoga Palm Springs.
SEE ALSO:
The pool party festivities start at noon! Head to your favorite headliner and get ready to party!
Once the sun sets, it’s time to head in, grab a quick bite to eat and change, then take the shuttle over to Splash House After Hours night two at the air museum!
Sunday
If you haven’t collapsed from exhaustion yet, get your namaste on this morning with another yoga session. Splash House pool parties start promptly at noon!
Make sure to get a front-row seat to the closing headliner for the weekend, as it’s usually someone good. The year we went, it was Diplo, and he killed it!
After the party, it’s the HOTEL ragers! One of my favorite parts of Splash House is the renegade parties you’ll be sure to find down the halls of your hotel after the after-party! Walking down the hallways, you can hear music blasting through the doors. Some are open and inviting everyone in!
On our last night of Splash House, Dustin and I took our Costco-sized vodka bottle down the halls and took shots with all our Splashmates! We hit up multiple hotel parties, sharing the last of our booze until our tired and drunk selves eventually forced us to bed!
How to purchase tickets
Splash House tickets are available on their website. You can choose general admission passes, combo passes, and hotel packages. The After Hours passes are sold separately.
I purchased the hotel package, which included one hotel room + two general admission passes to Splash House weekend.
The hotel packages sell out fast, requiring you to preregister. After registering, you’ll be sent a code and a time slot. During your time slot, you have a short time frame to make your purchase before your place is given to the next customer!
What to bring
Splash House Essentials Packing List
1. Sunscreen & after-sun lotion with aloe. Don’t forget to protect your skin from the hot desert sun! And if you missed any spots, soothing after sun will come in handy!
2. Pool Floatie. Your Splash House ensemble isn’t complete without pool floaties! The maximum size allowed is 4×4 so you don’t intrude on your other Splashmates!
3. Folding fan or misting fan. To help you stay cool in that desert heat!
4. Bathing suits. Rock your cutest festival bikinis!
5. Sunglasses & sun hat. Bring extra!
6. Fanny pack. Use a fanny pack to carry your ID and credit card (ID must be on you the whole time while at the festival.)
6. Flip flops. My husband actually forgot his *facepalm*
7. Pool Towel. So you’re not dripping wet through the hotel lobby!
8. Cell phone Waterproof Pouch. Keep your cell phone safe by storing it in a waterproof pouch. Or, you can leave your phone in your hotel room!
Extra: After Hours outfits, brunch/city exploring outfits, cute festival accessories, and hotel essentials!
Make sure to bring your ID! You will not be allowed into Splash House or the After Hours party without a valid ID & wristband!
Pro Tip: Stock your hotel with snacks, water, ice, and booze! Also, it’s best to bring your own air pump for your floaties to save time!
Fun Splash House accessories:
What to wear at Splash House
Come prepared to dress to impress! Splash House is the perfect combination of music festival looks and colorful pool-party outfits. It’s customary to have at least 2 outfits each day: one for the pool and one for the After Hours.
SEE ALSO:
- The Cutest Rave Outfit Ideas for Your Next Festival
- The Trendiest Festival Hair Looks + Braids, Buns, & Accessories
- What to Wear in Palm Springs (Style Guide + Packing List)
Tips for first-timers:
1. If you can, get a room with a balcony! Having a balcony allows you to enjoy the festival from your room. If you’re overheating by the pool, you can also escape to your room’s air conditioning and freshen up.
It’s also vital to decorate your balcony! You can enter the Bitchin’ Balconies decoration contest and win a room and tickets to the following year’s Splash House!
2. Download the Splash House app. The Splash House app is great for looking up set times, creating your own custom schedule, accessing your passes for wristband pickup, viewing the hotel maps, and viewing other festival info and updates throughout the weekend.
3. Stay hydrated. You’re parting in the desert with triple-digit weather. Drink plenty of water!
4. Don’t forget to eat & refuel!
5. Take some time to explore Palm Springs! Don’t feel like you must be at Splash House the entire weekend. Head out for a nice brunch or go shopping downtown!
SEE ALSO:
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Splash House Review: Is it worth it?
The music and good vibes at Splash House were by far the festival’s highlight. The hotel setups are trendy, and the 21+ crowd was an interesting change from the typical 18+ events. Overall, we had an unforgettable time at Splash House and plan on attending again!
Our one complaint was the lack of free water/water availability to fill up our camelback. With this being an all-day outdoor desert event, I think it’s unsafe for the venue not to offer water refill stations. Hopefully, they’ll add these for next year!
If you found this Splash House Palm Springs survival guide helpful, be sure to PIN ME for later!
Reina Conboy
I am a full-time traveling registered nurse, fitness enthusiast, and plant-based nutrition expert. Every morning I wake up intending to bring awareness of the importance of health and spiritual wellness, especially to the traveling community. This blog is designed to bring you travel and health advice while sprinkling in some fun life stories.
