A Palm Springs pool party after a Chainsmokers set ended in chaos when bottles were thrown, injuring nine people and sending seven to a hospital.
A pool party tied to Splash House in Palm Springs turned violent early Sunday after a set by electronic duo The Chainsmokers, when bottles were thrown into the crowd and nine people were injured. Seven of the injured were taken to a local hospital, while two others were treated at the scene.
Police were called to the event at about 1:40 a.m. after a reported assault, according to the Palm Springs Police Department. As officers responded, additional units were sent in to help secure the area while the incident was being investigated. Authorities said a dispute involving an unknown number of people escalated before bottles were hurled into the crowd.
The injuries reported were described as minor and involved broken glass. Although the scene became chaotic, the immediate medical response kept the number of serious injuries from rising further. The police account suggests the disturbance was isolated, but it still disrupted one of the more high-profile events in Palm Springs’ busy late-summer entertainment calendar.
The violence followed a performance by The Chainsmokers at Splash House, a three-day music festival spread across several Palm Springs venues. The event is one of the city’s signature electronic music gatherings, drawing large crowds to hotel pool decks and related party spaces throughout the weekend. This year’s festival is running through Sunday at the Hilton Palm Springs, the Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel and the Saguaro Palm Springs.
“A Palm Springs pool party after a Chainsmokers set ended in chaos when bottles were thrown, injuring nine people and sending seven to a hospital.”
Splash House is structured around daytime sets, with most performances taking place between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the three hotels. That schedule is part of the festival’s appeal, pairing poolside events with a vacation-style atmosphere that has helped make the gathering a recurring draw for fans of electronic dance music. The organizers have also built in nightlife programming, including an official after-party at the Palm Springs Air Museum on the first two days of the festival, running from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m.
The party atmosphere that makes events like Splash House popular can also create challenges for security and local law enforcement, especially when large crowds move between venues late at night. A disturbance that begins as a personal dispute can quickly become a wider safety issue when glass or other objects are thrown into a packed area. In this case, officers had to move quickly to bring the situation under control and assess the injuries.
Splash House is scheduled to return for another weekend from Aug. 14 through Aug. 16, according to the Desert Sun. That makes Sunday’s incident likely to be a focus for organizers and police as they prepare for the next round of festival activity. For residents and visitors alike, the episode underscores how quickly a celebratory event can shift from entertainment to emergency.
Despite the disruption, the festival continued to be recognized as a major part of Palm Springs’ summer events scene, drawing visitors to multiple hotels and nearby venues. The situation on Sunday served as a reminder that public safety remains central to the operation of large-scale music festivals, where maintaining order is essential to keeping the event open to the crowd it was built to attract.
Frequently asked questions
What happened at the Palm Springs pool party?
Police said a dispute escalated and bottles were thrown into the crowd during the Splash House event. Nine people were injured, and seven were taken to a hospital.
Were the injuries serious?
The injuries were described as minor and involved broken glass. Two people were treated at the scene, and seven were taken to a local hospital.
When did police respond?
Officers responded to a reported assault at about 1:40 a.m. More officers were called in to secure the area while the incident was investigated.
Where was Splash House taking place?
Splash House was being held across the Hilton Palm Springs, Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel and the Saguaro Palm Springs. The festival also includes an official after-party at the Palm Springs Air Museum.
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