Temecula, California
Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival
Claudia and I wave from a tethered balloon
Think of an annual festival where huge numbers of hot air balloons take to the skies and what comes to mind? OK, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, sure, I get that. But what if you add in the celebration of wine to the mix? Well, since 1983, that’s exactly what’s been on the bill at the Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival at Lake Skinner Park in Southern California. The festival has all the trappings you would expect from an outdoor festival – a variety of food, entertainment on multiple stages and rows of vendors selling crafts, wine and food – but the big draws are the balloons and wines representing the finest Temecula Valley wineries. To get the most out of the festival it is highly recommended that you get there early. Since the festival is held annually in June, the balloons take off early in the morning while the sky is still cool (the trick to getting them airborne is getting the air inside the balloon hotter than the air outside). When the air is too warm, the balloons have difficulty getting airborne. Don’t bypass the Temecula event simply because the New Mexico festival gets more press – I easily counted almost a hundred balloons, with most of them airborne at the same time.
One of the pilots explained that a balloon ride can be an exciting adventure, since the destination is up to Mother Nature. The only thing the pilot controls is the height of the balloon, and the air temperature can make that difficult as well. Each balloon has a chase vehicle that follows it to where it lands for transport back to the point of takeoff. The balloon rides aren’t cheap – they can run anywhere in the vicinity of $150 and up, but if you’re on a fixed budget, don’t despair, since several tethered balloons give free rides vertically about 50 to a hundred feet up and back. Simply watching how the balloons are filled and launched is amazing, and to see the sky filled with the brightly colored balloons is a sight to behold.
The morning sky filled with balloons
As the sun heats up, the focus shifts from the balloons to the wine and entertainment. While Napa Valley is a more renowned wine growing location, the Temecula Valley also has vineyards producing great wines, and a considerable number of them have a presence at the festival. There are tents where you can buy wine by the glass, by the bottle, purchase supplies and participate in wine tasting. Live music is performed on multiple stages throughout the course of the festival, with headliners such as Kenny Loggins, The Beach Boys and John Waite performing in addition to various artists covering a wide range of genres. Food is decent and relatively inexpensive, although you won’t find the trippy variety available at such food-centric festivals such as the Gilroy Garlic Festival and the Castroville Artichoke Festival. There’s a petting zoo where kids can handle pythons, hedgehogs and other odd critters, but after a couple of glasses of wine you might find yourself asking the curator to fry you up some of that cute little monkey. Be advised well in advance, they won’t do it.
Less dangerous than it looks
The festival runs about three days, and at around $20 for a general admission ticket (depending on the day), you definitely get your money’s worth. There are also adjacent campgrounds for making a weekend of it. It’s easy to plan your day from the website, or you can just go early and leave it all up in the air.
Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival
Lake Skinner Park
Winchester, California 92596
GPS coordinates: 33°35’21.53″N 117°2’21.00″W
