2012 Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Fest draws thousands

By Amy Donnelly, on June 3, 2012, at 12:09 pm

Thousands gathered under a sun-drenched sky at Lake Skinner for the 29th Annual Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival this weekend.

The event, featuring a broad selection of food, wine, balloon glows and music, has been a popular entertainment staple in June.

Check out some of the scenes from Saturday:

Entertainment, Entertainment - Events, Featured Entertainment, Festival News, Lifestyle, News, Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival Guide, Wine Events   , , , , , ,  

2 comments to 2012 Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Fest draws thousands

  • Tony Alvarez
    June 4, 2012 at 8:34 am · Reply

    Can anyone tell me why on Saturday June 2nd, the balloon launch was moved to an undisclosed location. My family and I had purchased tickets and arrived on time to view the launch but when we arrived at lake skinner we were turned around and sent back out the gate but no one knew or was able to tell us where the balloon launch would be. It was a chaotic mess as people tried to figure out which way the balloons went. We eventually found out that they had headed about 20 miles away, but by the time we arrived they had taken off and were landing. I don’t understand why if they are going to move such an important event that they would not tell those that paid good money and came a long way to see it? Can anyone look into this so it doesn’t happen again next year? I spoke to a number of people who were upset over the very same thing as well.

  • Diane Trimble
    June 4, 2012 at 11:03 am · Reply

    Hi Tony,

    I’m not affiliated with the festival at all, but am a resident of Temecula and have been attending the festival for five years now to photograph the balloon launch. In the five years I’ve been attending, the launch has actually only taken off twice at the lake. If it’s really foggy, which it was on Saturday, the FAA will not allow the balloonists to launch at the lake. It’s always a last-minute decision to see if the launch has to be moved, and even where the new launch site is going to be. It all depends on weather and wind conditions. Did you buy your tickets at the gate or before the festival? At the gate, if it’s overcast, visitors coming just to see the balloons should be told there’s a chance the balloons won’t lift off from the lake, so you can save money and just follow the balloonists. Hopefully you were able to use your admission tickets to visit the festival later in the day. Whenever they’ve had to move the balloons, it’s always been a little crazy because they don’t know where the conditions will be best for the launch. For the first time this year, I took a balloon ride on Saturday. I was hoping for an over-the-lake ride, but knew it was going to be very foggy. Even our pilot didn’t know the location of the launch as it all depends on up-to-the-minute weather conditions. I’m sorry you were disappointed . . . I hope you give it another try next year . . . don’t buy your tickets at the gate. Wait to see if it’s foggy, then just ask everyone you see where the launch will be, and follow the balloonists. They always want to have everyone launch in the same place. Good luck!
 

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