Big-name artists such as Alabama, Walker Hayes and Cody Jinks turned the 2025 Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival into more of a concert destination than ever before.
Held at Lake Skinner from June 20 to 22, this year’s festival featured three performance stages: the main Events.com Stage, the Toyota Stage and the more intimate Bloom Stage, which spotlighted local emerging talent.
From big-name artists to local up-and-coming artists, music echoed throughout Lake Skinner all day long with the stages being used interchangeably and each night ending with main headliners.
Beyond the musical talent, the festival featured various activities for attendees of all ages such as daily line dancing, mechanical bull riding, lawn games, vendor booths and more. For 21+ attendees, the Winery Village hosted grape-stomping competitions and tastings from local vineyards such as Peltzer Family Cellars, Wilson Creek Winery, Europa Village and many others.
One of the most anticipated elements of the weekend was the evening balloon glow- a nighttime tradition where the tethered hot air balloons were lit up after sunset. Although traditional early-morning balloon launches were largely absent this year due to occasional wind concerns, the glowing displays provided a captivating alternative.
The country music fans of Temecula filled the festival grounds with smiles, singing, full bellies and their best festival outfits. In fact, many attendees posted their festival “fits” from the weekend on social media and even crafted content weeks before to prepare what they would wear.
New ownership under Events.com led to several changes to the festival format. One of these changes included leaning more into the music and entertainment side of the festival, while still maintaining signature elements such as wine tastings and balloon displays, which date back to 1983 when the festival was founded.
Despite some logistical hurdles including long parking wait times and a few windy periods that impacted balloon displays, the overall mood was festive and full of energy.
