People jump rope over a light up string at the Lightning in a Bottle festival at the Lake Skinner Recreation Area in Winchester on Saturday, July 13, 2013. (Vanessa Franko/Staff Photo)
Everywhere you look at Lightning in a Bottle is a kaleidoscope of color.
Large swirling art installations mark stages and shade areas in bright hues of blue and purple, yellow and red. Rainbow hula hoops circle the waists of people of all races. And around the Lake Skinner Reccreation Area, artists work on portraits, sculptures and more.
The colors only intensify as the sun goes down and festival becomes “like a ball,” a man selling lemonade told me. The costumes get amped up, the face makeup gets reapplied and shimmery fairy wings and glowing dance accessories become more common.
Spread out among the Lake Skinner Recreation Area in Winchester, this weekend marks the first time the fest has been to Riverside County.
Ryan Kurlish, of Chino, attended Lightning in a Bottle for the first time this year. He attended because it was close by and he was interested in some of the artists.
“At night, it’s amazing,” he said. “There’s a lot of eye candy at night.”
He was impressed by Lucent Dossier Experience’s Friday performance. The troupe is a longtime Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival favorite.
“They just blew me away,” he said.