How Day Club Palm Springs’ poolside parties offer a unique concert experience

As hundreds of thousands of concertgoers make their way out to the desert for back-to-back weekends of the annual three-day Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio this week, Coachella promoters Goldenvoice are also curating its annual daytime poolside bash dubbed Day Club Palm Springs.

Day Club is a separate ticketed event, though those headed to Coachella are certainly welcome to enjoy the festivities, which include live performances by big-name DJs, pop-up branded activations, poolside bites and cold cocktails. The events take place during both Coachella weekends at the Hilton Hotel Palm Springs on April 15-16 and 22-23.

For the first weekend, the Saturday lineup kicks off at noon and will feature performances by Vintage Culture, Dombresky and LP Giobbi. Sound Nightclub, a Los Angeles EDM space, will curate Sunday’s roster, which includes sets by Hot Since 82, Nora En Pure and Kyle Watson.

Weekend two starts with Two Friends and Laszewo on Saturday and Sunday is set with Elderbrook and English singer-songwriter and DJ SG Lewis, who is making both his Day Club debut and third Coachella appearance with sets happening both festival weekends. He said that friends who have played Day Club in the past tipped him off that it was a “fun, day-party vibe and you’re basically helping those ease their hangovers, too,” Lewis said during a recent phone interview.

He said that he’ll feel “right at home” with a set at Day Club since the event seems to fit flawlessly with the style of music he’s known to play: euphoric, sunny and vibey. The 28-year-old electronic artist released his latest record, “AudioLust & HigherLove,” back in January and hopes to give fans a taste of something new with tracks featuring past desert performers Tove Lo, Channel Tres and Ty Dolla Sign.

Since he’s performed at Coachella before, he said he’d always heard the buzz about early-day festivities and pool parties, but to finally be a part of that action is thrilling since spinning the decks while the hot sun is beaming down from above is his favorite way to perform.

“I’m really excited to kind of explore this side of the dessert and I love DJ’ing in the daytime since it’s a slightly more laid-back vibe to playing rather than the kind of hectic headline approach,” he said. “I’m looking forward to setting the vibe; it’s all about curation. For performances like this, I always just play the records that feel right in the moment, whereas (some other) sets are very much a pre-planned performance. But this is more about a conversation between me and the audience, the music tastes and kind of the vibe that you’re trying to set at the time.