Known for winemaking and ballooning, Temecula Valley combines these two signature activities at the annual Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival (tvbwf.com). The 2023 event, which is slated for May 19-21, will not only feature the usual ballooning and wine tasting activities, but it will also offer festival-goers the opportunity to try out wheelchair-accessible ballooning.

2023 Temecula Balloon Festival

Held at Lake Skinner Regional Park in Winchester, the festival kicks off on Friday evening with a traditional balloon glow. Gates open at 3 PM, and after sunset the colorful balloons will be inflated and then remain aglow for patrons to admire. On Saturday and Sunday mornings 50-some balloons will make a mass ascension just before dawn. And balloon glows will dazzle guests each evening.

Wine tasting will be available throughout the festival at the Wine Tasting Stage, and guests can also sample craft beer in the Beer Garden. Add in an international food court, DJ entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, and live music on two stages, and you’ve got a fun-filled weekend.

Advance purchase admission tickets for the 2023 Temecula Balloon Festival are available at tvbwf.com/tickets. Walk-up admission is also available at the gate; however there’s a discount for advance purchase.

Wheelchair-Accessible Ballooning

Reach for the Stars (reach4thestars.org) will also provide wheelchair-accessible tethered rides at the 2023 Temecula Balloon Festival. The wheelchair-accessible tethered rides at the festival begin around 7:30 AM on Saturday and Sunday, and will operate for approximately two hours. Unlike a free flight, the balloon remains anchored to the ground with ropes during a tethered experience. After passengers board they are slowly raised up to a height of 50 to 75 feet, where they hover for a few minutes before descending. The balloon is always anchored with ropes during a tethered ride. It’s a very safe activity, and a great introduction to wheelchair-accessible ballooning.

Reach for the Stars has a gondola with a fold down door, so wheelchair users can roll aboard. This is also a good choice for anybody who can’t physically climb into the gondola. Additionally, there’s a wheelchair-height window in the gondola, so wheelchair-users can get a good view in a seated position.

And although advance purchase tethered flight tickets have sold out, walk-up tickets will be available on a first-come first-serve basis. Says Reach for the Stars owner Kim Lynch, “Wheelchair people go to the front of my line, weather prepaid or not. So get there by 6 am and get in line. Pay that day, and fast pass to the front of my line for anyone in wheelchair.”

When they’re not attending festivals or camps, the folks at Reach for the Stars also offer free-flight balloon rides. These one-hour flights usually launch from Perris Valley, and they can accommodate one wheelchair-user and one or two companions. (emerginghorizons.com/accessible-balloon-soars-over-socal).

So come on out and try wheelchair-accessible ballooning at the 2023 Temecula Valley Balloon Festival.