Splash House Brought the Heat, and a New Era

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Splash House returned to Palm Springs amid record-breaking heat and new changes poised to shape the festival’s future.

Splash House 2026 brought some of the hottest days to Palm Springs, California, with one reaching 115° Fahrenheit. The Hilton, Renaissance, and Saguaro hotels transformed a typical hotel stay into an all-day festival, complete with beverages, colorful floaties, and pools filled to capacity. Let’s review what made this year so special and the changes made in its 13th edition.

A few things have shifted the feel of Splash House in 2026, including increased strictness regarding outside guests in the hotels. A new rule mandated that wristbands be worn for hotel guests, excluding outsiders from joining in the all-night afters (the ones after the afters, to be specific).

This changed the energy a bit. In previous years, chaos usually ensued after the daytime festival. With parties in various rooms and doors left wide open, everyone flooded the hotels and got to see smaller DJ sets straight from their beds.

Notably, Hilton has joined the trio of hotels that host Splash House, replacing Riviera. With the Hilton and Renaissance just a five-minute walk apart, bouncing back and forth between hotels and waiting in the shuttle lines was way easier.

The new clear bag policy applied to the after-hours events at the Palm Springs Air Museum and the host hotels. Enhanced security included an increase in staff at every entrance and exit, but there wasn’t much more change beyond that.

Additionally, there were more activations to enjoy on the side this year! From Outcast Clothing’s cabana to the polar plunges available by the shuttles to the free Mountain Dew slushies and electrolyte drinks being handed out, Splash House curated one extremely hydrated event.

Because Hilton and Renaissance were only a five-minute walk apart and right between the shuttles, trekking from stage to stage was significantly easier. This cut wait times and allowed people to see a variety of EDM genres, with dubstep being more prominent this year.

The signage for this festival wasn’t very clear. We found ourselves having to ask people where we were or where to go for the first day or so. Fortunately, everyone was incredibly friendly and helpful, and we paid it forward by passing along our knowledge to others.

Photo Credit: Natt Lim (@nattografi)

Once you got the hang of the stages and your festival map, you sunk right into the good vibes.

Renaissance sat at the epicenter, hosting the biggest sets and inviting everyone into its air-conditioned library. It was the drop-off point right next to the convention center, where you parked as a visitor, or to check in at the box office.

Going through a side entrance to get to the pool, you entered bag checks and security. Friendly security guards welcomed you into a massive pool area with the stage facing you head on.

As you walked along the right side of the stage, you popped by the Outcast Clothing cabana, where you were met with a host of beautiful, metallic bikinis, splash condoms, and refreshing popsicles to cool you down. This activation was all the rage. Festival-goers were playing beer pong and trying on bikinis while taking pictures. If you’re going to Portola or other Goldenvoice festivals, go search for their pop-ups!

“Outcast has built a proven reputation of being the ‘it brand’ for festival season through culture-first, high-impact moments, making our decision to partner with Splash House, Portola and Goldenvoice festivals a natural fit,” Outcast Clothing CMO Christina McGonagle told EDMID. “Festivals have always been at the core of how we connect with our customers, and these distinct activations offer an authentic opportunity to expand the Outcast universe with community-driven moments from Palm Springs to San Francisco.”

After exploring the Renaissance, if you exited through the main lobby and went to your right, you found yourself at the shuttle station, where you could sign a waiver to jump into the polar plunge activation. I did, and it was the most cathartic shock to my system. It revived me before I continued the day. My aching muscles relaxed, and my overheating body cooled immediately.

The food options left something to be desired. Usually, at each hotel, they had a spot where you could go grab chicken tenders or a wrap. This time, it felt more limited. Especially when exiting the hotel, there weren’t many vendor options outside of the hotels, where it might be helpful to have a few food trucks standing to help nourish the crowd.

Photo Credit: Mike Kim (@mikeeekimchi)

House, techno, and bass reigned supreme during Splash House 2026.

Typically a house and techno-heavy festival, Splash House billed bass music artists like ALLEYCVT, Jkyl & Hyde, WHIPPED CREAM, and COSTA in 2026. This invited headbanging and hard-hitting drops that sent ripples through the pool and sparked splashes from the audience.

Canadian artist WHIPPED CREAM did have to step away briefly due to the extreme heat. Elsewhere, several DJs urged people to party through the high temperatures (while remaining safe and practicing PLUR, of course).

The dynamic between each of the stages showcased a wide variety of EDM, and the 21+ crowd made the energy much more mature, inviting, and relaxed. It was easy to bounce from Renaissance for Kenny Beats b2b FCUKERS’ blend of club pop and house to ALLEYCVT at Hilton for the wubs (as long as the pools weren’t at capacity).

For the techno heads, LAYTON GIORDANI at Saguaro on Saturday was a must. Ending the night with Ship Wrek and The Chainsmokers at the Air Museum was the best nostalgia hit of the weekend. The entire crowd screamed when they played “Closer,” singing along in unison. No one left early, though, making the shuttle lines back incredibly long.

Sunday night kicked off with a bang, from the house and deep-tech lord Josh Baker at Saguaro to the sing-along bass music of łASZEWO (pronounced lah-ZAY-woah) at Hilton to high-energy hard house god KETTAMA finishing off the fest at Renaissance. And that marked the end of Splash House weekend one!

Among the standouts were Odd Mob, WHIPPED CREAM, Bridge, ALLEYCVT, Foster the People, Kaleena Zanders, Kenny Beats b2b FCUKERS, and KETTAMA. No artists canceled, even with the elevated temps.

Photo Credit: Natt Lim (@nattografi)

Splash House 2026 proved to be one of the most fun events of the year, with a little chaos mixed in.

Between the music, the people, the activities, and the overall good energy, Splash House 2026 delivered one of the most fun albeit slightly chaotic experiences of the summer.

With temperatures soaring, the crowd got a bit rowdier, but everyone was still determined to dance through the heat. Between the pools, mist machines, and fans at each location, there were plenty of ways to cool down while keeping the party going.

Unfortunately, a serious incident unfolded during the festival-sanctioned after-party at the Palm Springs Air Museum early Sunday morning. A glass bottle thrown from the VIP section injured nine people, seven of whom were transported to a local medical facility.

Meanwhile, the stricter wristband policies seemed to push some of the daytime madness elsewhere. Festival-goers found creative ways to keep the party going, including sneaking into hotel rooms and watching DJ sets from above.

Amid all the chaos, the music was phenomenal. Inviting more bass artists into the mix and incorporating more female DJ representation were huge wins for Splash House 2026. There’s more to come as weekend two kicks off tonight, August 14, at 9pm PT!