Enjoy “Barrels of Fun” at the Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival June 1-3, 2012. This exhilarating Southern California Wine Country event lifts spirits and people, with plenty of tasty sensations, hot air balloon flights at dawn, evening picnicking beneath the towering colorful orbs as they illuminate during the balloon glow, top entertainment in concert, and an acclaimed freestyle motocross (FMX) show with gravity-defying stunts.
The Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival kicks off Summer 2012 as it has for the past 29 years, with more than 20 Temecula Valley wineries, over 40 hot air balloons in a dawn launch, hundreds of booths featuring arts and crafts, exhibits and souvenirs, plus concerts on two different stages. A three-day showcase of the Temecula Valley Wine Country’s greatest assets, the festival greets 40,000 guests annually. Held at the Lake Skinner Recreation Area and surrounded by the Shipley Preserve, the Festival’s park setting provides natural vistas whether flying aboard a hot air balloon, or planted on terra firma and sipping a glass of premium wine.
The luminescent Balloon Glow is created when balloon pilots synchronize igniting burners of the balloons. The burner is what creates the “hot” in the air. Whether done to a musical beat or the crowd’s demand to “Glow,” the balloons appear to dance as they flicker and shine against the hues of dusk and nightfall. Held both Friday and Saturday nights around 8 p.m. (after dusk), the Glow is one of the most popular entertainment options of the Festival.
Concerts are held on two stages. Friday headliners are Phil Vassar, Chris Cagle and special guests Gloriana. Saturday’s lineup includes Lifehouse, Soul Asylum and Tonic. Sunday’s headliner, John Waite plays in the wine gardens while, a freestyle motocross show with world class riders from Metal Mulisha perform at the Main Stage amphitheater.
General admission ranges from $5 for Juniors ages 7-12, to $25 for adults at the gate on Saturday, $22 at the gate on Friday, and $17 at the gate Sunday. Discounts are available online and at Vons and CVS stores. Children 6 and under are free. An active military discount of $10 for adult admission is offered for Sunday only at the gate. For information visit www.tvbwf.com or call (951) 676-6713.