Jeff Pack
Staff Writer
According to organizers, the postponed Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival set for Sept. 25-27 at Lake Skinner Recreation Area has been ordered to cancel due to the Covid-19 pandemic and concerns regarding a potential fall resurgence.
Organizers said in a press release that the orders came down from top Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser.
“This order is issued based on concerns of a fall resurgence of COVID-19 both within the County of Riverside and worldwide, scientific evidence regarding the most effective approach to slow transmission of communicable diseases generally and COVID-19 specifically, and best practices as currently known and available to protect the public from the risk of spread of or exposure to COVID-19,” the press release quotes Dr. Kaiser as saying.
The annual event is one of the most populated events every year, with as many as 25-40,000 people attending the wine tasting, food pairing, hot air balloon, and live music event over three days.
In the press release, organizers said the order recognized that Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival is “a gathering of an international scope, attracting tens of thousands of attendees from many countries, including several disproportionately afflicted by the worldwide COVID-19 epidemic.”
Organizers said the festival is planning to return in 2021 in its more traditional time slot, which will fall on June 4-6, 2021.
Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival was established in 1983 to promote the local community and its growing wine region.
For more information and updates regarding the rescheduling, visit www.tvbwf.com or the Festival’s Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/TVBWF/.
Jeff Pack can be reached by email at jpack@reedermedia.com.
