Valentine’s Day in Sonoma 2027: Mustard Season and a $265 Holiday Monday

Valentine's Day in Sonoma lands on a Sunday in 2027. That sounds like a small calendar detail. It isn't. Sunday, February 14 is followed by Presidents' Day, Monday, February 15 — a federal holiday that flies at our weekday rate. And the whole weekend sits right in the middle of mustard season, when the vineyards below the balloon turn yellow between the rows.

So if you're planning Valentine's Day in wine country, here is the short version: spend the weekend, and fly on the holiday Monday. Below is why, what February actually looks like from the basket, and how to plan it so the morning goes the way you picture it.

The 2027 calendar: a Sunday Valentine's and a holiday Monday

Here's how the long weekend lines up, with our join-in prices per person:

• Saturday, Feb 13 — $285. Sunrise about 7:02 a.m.
• Sunday, Feb 14 (Valentine's Day) — $285. Sunrise about 7:01 a.m.
• Monday, Feb 15 (Presidents' Day) — $265. Sunrise about 7:00 a.m.

Our join-in flights are $265 Monday through Thursday and $285 Friday through Sunday. A federal holiday doesn't change that. Fly the Monday instead of the Sunday and a couple keeps $40 — enough for a very good bottle at lunch — and the sunrise is one minute earlier. Nobody will notice the minute.

The Monday has a second advantage. Most people who came up for the weekend are packing the car. Tasting rooms thin out, lunch reservations are easier, and you get one more night in wine country instead of driving home Sunday.

If you can't take the Monday, the Thursday before (Feb 11) is also $265, with about a 7:05 a.m. sunrise. February 2027 has 16 Monday–Thursday mornings in total, so weekday options aren't hard to find.

Why Valentine's Day in Sonoma lines up with mustard season

Every winter, many Napa and Sonoma growers let wild mustard grow between the vine rows. It isn't decoration. It's a cover crop: it protects the soil from winter rain, adds nutrients back and draws in beneficial insects. It also happens to be bright yellow.

The bloom runs roughly January through March, depending on rain and temperature, and Visit Napa Valley puts peak viewing in mid-February. That's Valentine's weekend. Sonoma County's tourism folks stretch the window a little wider, from January into April.

From the ground, you see mustard one vineyard at a time. From a balloon, you see how it stitches the valley together: yellow stripes running between dark, pruned vines, green hills behind them from the winter rain, and the Mayacamas ridgeline catching the first light. It is the most colorful the valley floor gets all year, and it happens in the month most people assume is the gray one.

One honest note. The bloom depends on the season, and not every vineyard plants mustard. We can't promise a wall-to-wall yellow carpet on a specific morning. What we can say is that mid-February is when your odds are best, and the green hills alone make it worth being up there.

What February weather means for your flight

February is one of Sonoma's wetter months. Average highs sit around 60°F and lows in the low 40s, with roughly nine rainy days in a typical February. That's a real number, and it shapes how you should book.

• Book a morning and hold a backup. If Monday the 15th is your date, keep Tuesday the 16th loose. Storms in February tend to come through and clear out, and the mornings right after often have the sharpest views of the year.
• Weather cancellations cost you nothing. Per our cancellation policy, you're not charged if we cancel for weather, and we'll work to reschedule you.
• Dress in layers. It's cold at the airfield before sunrise, then noticeably warmer in the basket once the burners run. Our winter ballooning guide covers exactly what to wear.

Pilots make the go/no-go call the morning of the flight, based on wind and conditions. If it's not safe, we don't fly. That's the whole policy, and it's why you'll get a call or text from us the evening before to confirm.

Shared basket or private basket?

For Valentine's, this is the real decision. There are three ways to do it, and none of them is wrong.

Join-in flight ($265–$285 per person)

You share the basket with other guests. The views are identical, the champagne toast afterward is the same, and it costs a couple $530 on the holiday Monday. If the point is the sunrise and the mustard, this does the job.

Private VIP for two ($1,500)

The VIP flight for two gives you the basket and the pilot to yourselves. It's the right call if you want quiet, if you're planning to say something that matters, or if one of you is nervous and would rather not have strangers around for the first few minutes. Traveling with another couple? The VIP for 3–4 is $2,200.

One thing to know before you book a VIP for a holiday weekend: VIP flights are charged in full at booking, and 30 days out the reservation locks and can't be changed. For a February 14 or 15 flight, that lock falls in mid-January. Weather cancellations are still on us.

A ceremony in the air (from $2,200)

Some couples use Valentine's Day to renew their vows, or to make it official. Our wedding flights start at $2,200. If you're planning a proposal rather than a ceremony, read our guide to a wine country proposal first — the timing inside the flight matters more than people think.

Not sure which fits? The packages page lays them side by side.

A Valentine's weekend in Sonoma that actually works

Here's a three-day plan built around the Monday flight. Swap pieces freely.

Saturday: arrive slow

Drive up late morning. From the Golden Gate Bridge, Sonoma is about 45 minutes. Check in, walk the Plaza, and book one tasting for the afternoon rather than four. February is Sonoma County's slow season, so tasting rooms are noticeably quieter than in the fall.

Sunday: Valentine's Day itself

Sleep in. Keep the day easy — a long lunch, a drive through Carneros to see the mustard from the ground, dinner somewhere you booked well ahead. Valentine's dinner reservations go early in wine country, so lock that in first. Go to bed at a reasonable hour, because tomorrow starts before dawn.

Monday: fly, toast, and drive home late

Check-in is at Sonoma Skypark, 21870 8th St E, before first light. Flights run 45 to 60 minutes and finish with a champagne toast. You'll be done well before lunch with the whole afternoon open — and no reason to rush. The pre-flight page has check-in times and what to bring.

If a full weekend isn't possible, a single Monday works too. From most of the Bay Area you can drive up that morning, fly, and be home by early afternoon.

Why an experience beats another box of chocolates

The National Retail Federation forecast a record $29.1 billion in U.S. Valentine's spending for 2026. For the tenth year running, jewelry was the biggest category by dollars. Candy was the most common gift. Most of it gets opened in a minute and put away.

A sunrise flight is the opposite. It takes a morning, it's something you do together, and years later it's the Valentine's Day you both still talk about. If you'd rather give the flight than plan it, our gift certificates come in any amount and let the two of you pick a date together — including one in mustard season.

Quick answers before you book

• How early do we need to be up? Check-in is before sunrise, which is around 7:00 a.m. that weekend. Exact meeting time comes with your booking.
• Is it safe? Every flight is flown by an FAA-certified pilot, and every flight is weather-dependent — which is why the go/no-go call is made the morning of.
• Can we bring the kids? Guests must be at least 8 years old and 57 inches tall. For Valentine's, we'd leave them with the grandparents.
• Where do we fly? Over Sonoma Valley and Carneros, with Napa views on the right wind. See where we fly.
• How far ahead should we book? Holiday weekends fill first. Now is not too early. The FAQ covers the rest.

Book the Monday, not the Sunday

Valentine's Day in Sonoma in 2027 gives you three things at once: a long weekend, peak mustard season and a holiday Monday at the weekday rate. Take the weekend, fly the Monday, and hold the Tuesday in case of rain.

We cap every morning, and holiday weekends fill faster than people expect. Call us at 707-819-9223 if you want help picking a date — we've flown a lot of February mornings among those 2,300-plus five-star reviews, and we'll tell you honestly what to expect from the week you're looking at.