Splish Splash Bash

Saturday at Splish Splash 2026 held the ultimate equestrian sporting competition: The Pony Games

4 teams competed in three rounds of games to determine who was the held the highest marks in creativity, communication, dexterity, agility and trust (between a horse and their rider).

Round 1 involved creating a name, backstory and dance for each team’s horse. Round 2 was your standard blindfolded duck bob duo relay race. Round 3 was a classic finale; The Joust.

When the dust cleared 🏆🔴RED TEAM🔴🏆 won the hearts and minds of the judges and walked away champions (they totally deserved it and are by far the coolest horsies around no bias) 🍾🏆🫶

Thank you to our judges, organizers and everyone who participated! Let’s do it again next year!

📸: Kevin Hughes

WE👏COULDN’T👏DO👏THIS👏WITHOUT👏YOU

There are people that are so important to Splish Splash, the whole operation would fall apart without them. We want to give a huge massive XL thank you thank you thank you to OUR VOLUNTEERS 🙏🙌🙏🙌

To everyone who volunteered their time (pictured or not pictured) and devoted their weekend to helping put on a goofy little event in the woods, it truly would not have happened with you 🫶

Your work doesn’t go unnoticed, we’re so proud of what can be accomplished when we combine forces 💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯

📸: Kevin Hughes

Still thinking about Whalien’s set from Saturday? Us too 🥹🫠🥹🫠

📸: Kevin Hughes

Throwing a party in the woods with your friends never felt so great 🎉🤩🎠

This weekend was incredible, wild and beyond our expectations of what we thought possible when we started planning Splish Splash 2026 last winter. Currently unpacking it all, carousels 🎪 canopies ⛺️ and memories 🥹

Thank you the artists and creatives that put their flourishes on the festival before, during and after.

Thank you to the Tiaga Sound and Lighting team for making sound/lighting incredible all weekend!

Thank you to our volunteers, friends and family that opted in to working on this project from the beginning to end. It wouldn’t be the same without you!

Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and came out to this thing and supported this weird lil festival. This wouldn’t happen without your support and we are eternally grateful!

More pics/vids and updates soon! Cheers

-Team Splish Splash 🐋👽🐴🤖

📸: Kevin Hughes

Friday night was beyond our wildest expectations
🤩🐋👽🐴🚀

Tonight’s gonna be unforgettable, don’t miss out!

📸: Kevin Hughes

Take your horses out of the stable and join the Pony Show Games, tomorrow (Saturday) at 11:30 at the Mane Stage!

Test the bonds between steed and rider in a series of team games that will decide who the most creative, goofy and agile equestrian is!

All festival attendees welcome to join! Prizes and glory await!

🛸Come see the main event, it’s Whalien!🐳

Whalien was born in a rush, winning the 2018 Summer Meltdown Showdown after playing together for only a few months. The win allowed them to perform alongside artists like Lettuce, Greensky Bluegrass, and Big Gigantic at Washington State’s Summer Meltdown Festival.

Since that time the band has played relentlessly around the west coast. They’ve developed a reputation for high-energy live shows featuring surprise trombone solos, energetic disco breakbeats, honky-tonk shuffles and ska suites about cryptids.

Since 2018, Whalien has played more than 200 shows and released two studio albums, ‘For Realien’ in 2022 and ‘Whale Tales’ in 2023. In the Summer of 2024 the band began hosting their own festival, ‘Splish Splash’, which highlights renowned artists from around the country. Come catch them headline the Mane Stage on Saturday!

Mane Stage
Saturday, September 12th
10pm - 1am

www.splishsplashmusicfestival.com

ONE MORE SLEEP!! Set-up crew is on site and working hard 💪

we can’t wait to welcome you all here when gates open tomorrow.

📡Incoming from our long distance radar, it’s Banshee Tree!🪾

An indie psychedelic pop/rock band with sharply-written songs, jazz-inspired guitar solos, saxophone textures, and grooves that nod to the dance floor, they’ve spent nearly a decade evolving their sound. That fusion reaches a new peak with Bad Luck, a restless and unapologetically diverse album that captures a celebrated band chasing down new horizons. They’ll be headlining the Mane Stage Friday Night!

For years, Banshee Tree ’s evolution took place not in the recording studio, but onstage. A weekly residency at a speakeasy in Boulder, Colorado, gave the musicians an opportunity to reach beyond their origins as a swing band, while the addition of new members — including veterans of Denver’s funk and punk-rock scenes — helped broaden the group’s influences. Banshee Tree began gigging in other cities, too, busking with street performers in New Orleans and sharing late-night jam sessions with bands in the Pacific Northwest. Before long, their fusion of acoustic and electric styles had grown so wide that Banshee Tree could play virtually anywhere: dubstep festivals in California, EDM bills in Colorado, and bluegrass shows with genre-benders like Leftover Salmon and The Infamous Stringdusters.

Mane Stage
Friday, September 11th
9:45pm - 11:30pm

www.splishsplashmusicfestival.com