The annual dance-music themed pool party Splash House will expand from two to three weekends in 2020: June 5-7, Aug. 7-9 and Aug. 14-16.

Founded by Tyler and Kelly McLean in 2013, Splash House has become a major contributor to summer tourism in Palm Springs. For the past two years, the host hotels — the Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel, the Riviera Palm Springs Resort and The Saguaro Palm Springs — have sold out both weekends, drawing 7,000 attendees to the city.

The 2018 event resulted in 10,000 occupied room nights each weekend and brought $10 million to the local economy, according to the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau.

A representative for Splash House said that the lineup will be released closer to the festival dates and will be different each weekend.

Presale tickets will go on sale Feb. 4 at noon PST. Early-bird tickets start at $125, After Hours tickets start at $45. Hotel packages are available for all host hotels starting at $287 each.

Tyler McLean said in a recent phone interview he's been asked many times by locals when he was going to expand the festival to three weekends.

"For a long time we just weren't ready for it," McLean said. "We wanted to focus on two weekends and growing every aspect of the experience from the production to the music program. Over the last two to three years as we've accomplished those things and the demand has grown. Now that we've accomplished those things we're ready to take this step"

In 2015, they began throwing an after-hours party in the evenings after Splash House at the Palm Springs Air Museum, drawing 5,000 each night to see artists such as Hot Since 92, James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and Sofi Tukker. The after-hours party will return for all three weekends in 2020.

"That really grew into a special part of the event," McLean said. "About 15% of that attendance at the air museum is not someone attending the core festival. The World War 2 airplanes, the airport tower and the runway glowing and the whole ambiance of the spaces is incredibly unique. It's a venue that establishes Splash House and sets it apart from other music festivals. We're fortunate to have that."

McLean said that they are always looking to book big acts for Splash House, but face the reality of a limited budget as a boutique music festival compared to other festivals around the world with the same programming that draw 50,000 or more attendees. In 2019, headliners included the French electronic music duo Justice, DJ and record producer Armand van Helden and synth-pop singer-songwriter Toro y Moi.

Splash House has also featured talent on the brink of stardom. In 2016, the electronic music duo Odesza headlined before releasing "A Moment Apart," their most successful album to date that earned them a Grammy nomination for "Best Dance/Electronic Album" and a slot on the main stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2018.

"We booked Rüfüs Du Sol right before they released their album 'Bloom,' that catapulted them to a whole new level of popularity. You can say the same thing for Flume (in 2014) and Tycho (in 2014) and these are artists that played our small show in Palm Springs and look at the popularity they're at right now. It's amazing to see."

Another significant challenge Splash House faces is reducing noise at each of the hotels and the Palm Springs Air Museum, and McLean said they've implemented four-point sound system to reduce the levels of audio from the stage, hired sound engineers to design the audio plans and position sound equipment to aim downward so it doesn't travel out to neighboring communities, and a use floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall theater curtain lined with soundproofing panels at the Palm Springs Air Museum.

"Palm Springs is my home and where my family lives, and I think respecting the community and the neighborhoods around these venues is really important," McLean said. "You want to create and produce an experience that is amazing for those who are are buying the tickets and traveling to the event, but you also have to be mindful for the community and the neighborhood. Balancing those priorities is challenging, but it's something we all take seriously. We've had a lot of success with these improvements."

For 2020, McLean hopes the addition of a third weekend will bring an additional $5 million to the local area.

"This event is in the summer and the value the show brings is important for local businesses and hotels. The ability for this event to draw in such a large audience despite the heat is something we're proud of and is important to the city," McLean said.

Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or (760) 778-4617. Support local news, subscribe to The Desert Sun.