Amid Hurricane Hilary, Palm Springs' Splash House is taking the party indoors
Organizers of the Palm Springs music festival and pool party Splash House announced Friday they'll move this weekend's events indoors as the Coachella Valley is under a tropical storm watch due to Hurricane Hilary.
Splash House returns this weekend at the Renaissance, Margaritaville Resort and Saguaro Palm Springs hotels. After Hours programming at the Palm Springs Air Museum starts Friday, featuring performances by Franklyn Watts, Lubelski and Chris Lake.
"We are carefully monitoring how Palm Springs will be affected by incoming weather this weekend and are working on multiple contingency plans to ensure the event can happen safely," organizers said in an email to The Desert Sun. "We remain dedicated to the safety of our attendees and producing the best show possible while causing the least amount of logistical impact on our nearby neighbors."
Earlier, organizers announced on Instagram they were "ready to take the party indoors" at each venue. "We're prepped for a fun & safe weekend ahead!" organizers said in the statement.
It was an adjustment from a statement posted earlier in the day that declared the event would go on as planned and advised attendees to download the Splash House app for "real-time updates" through the weekend.
"While we hoped the classic desert sunshine would have RSVPD to our final 2023 weekend of Splash, we're determined to keep the celebrations going," organizers said in the initial statement.
Some rejoiced in the comment section, but not all agreed with the organizers' move. One user replied with the comment "Hurricane House" and another said "This is a damn hurricane and y'all are encouraging us to make it out — your greed is showing."
As Hurricane Hilary comes closer to making landfall, the National Weather Service placed the Coachella Valley under a tropical storm watch Friday morning and warned there is potential for extreme flooding rain that “may prompt numerous evacuations and rescues.”
The service said a storm watch, which was issued at around 8:30 a.m., means that tropical storm-force winds are possible within the next 48 hours.
The current forecast calls for peak winds of around 40 to 55 mph, with the highest winds expected to be seen between Sunday afternoon and early Monday morning.
Previous reporting by Desert Sun staff reporter Paul Albani-Burgio was included in this report.
Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Amid Hurricane Hilary, Splash House is taking the party indoors
