Regina's friendly local roundup | Friday, August 7, 2026

Happy Friday, Regina! 👋

It's shaping up to be a warm one, with highs near 22°C today before the weekend settles into the low 20s. Just keep an umbrella handy for Saturday and Sunday, when rain odds sit around 60 per cent both days. The Riders are home tonight, a brand new folk festival takes over Victoria Park tomorrow, and there's a genuinely packed weekend ahead.

Four stories to catch you up on first, then your full events guide for Friday through Sunday. Let's go.

In today's edition:

Creative City Centre, the artist-run non-profit long based on Hamilton Street, has relocated to a renovated heritage building at 1819 Cornwall Street and is set to officially open September 10. Organizers expect more than 200 local events in the hub's first year, from music concerts and poetry slams to film screenings, artist talks and workshops. The ground floor will house a gallery focused mainly on Saskatchewan artists, with three exhibits a year curated in partnership with Sâkêwêwak and three more curated in-house.

Founder and CEO Marian Donnelly says the move solves a real accessibility problem: the old Hamilton Street space sat up two long flights of stairs, with fans occasionally carried up them to catch a show. About eight tenants will operate out of the new building. Renovating a century-old space hasn't been cheap either, with costs climbing from an initial $1 million estimate to roughly $1.7 million, and the centre is still fundraising to cover the difference. Opening night features performances from Jack Semple and Belle Plaine.

CreativeCityCentre.ca

A new city growth monitoring report shows Regina's population has grown by 27,000 since 2021, and the housing supply is scaling to match. Citing RBC's latest housing trends and affordability report, the city noted Regina remains the most affordable major Canadian city to buy a home, with a benchmark price of $356,400 as of June. Builders responded to demand in a big way last year: 2025 saw a five-year high in housing permits, with 1,674 units approved, 58 per cent of them multi-unit.

The report also highlights how varied that new housing is getting. Secondary and backyard suites made up 18 per cent of approved units in 2025, while infill development turned 59 long-vacant lots into 411 new homes over the past five years, including 12 projects that added 50 new units last year alone. "No single housing type will meet Regina's future needs," said Stu Niebergall, president of the Regina and Region Home Builders Association, pointing to a balanced mix of homes, townhomes, apartments and suites as key to keeping the city affordable.

When Regina Folk Festival announced last year that financial constraints would force it to shut down for good, it left a real hole in the city's music calendar. The Exchange is stepping up to fill it: The Exchange Folk Festival makes its debut Saturday at Victoria Park, free and running from noon into the evening. The lineup leans heavily local and Prairie, including Foxwarren, The Besnard Lakes, The Sadies, Andino Suns and Regina's own Zoe James and the Wistful Daydreams, among others.

Things kick off a night early, too: The Exchange hosts a launch party tonight at 7:30 PM with Toronto alt-rockers Bleeker headlining alongside Regina acts Blu Beach Band and Cheap Heat ($25, all ages and licensed). Organizers describe the new festival as a "strategic reset" rather than a straight replacement, built to be more accessible and sustainable long-term. Bring a blanket, expect a bit of Saturday rain, and settle in for a full day of Prairie music downtown.

More details here

Lance Hackewich started collecting Saskatchewan Roughriders memorabilia as a kid, and it never really stopped. What began with fan-day meet-and-greets with his son Nelson has grown into an entire room of their Regina home dedicated to the Green and White, packed with autographed footballs, helmets and decades of championship-era gear. Among the more unusual pieces: a 75-year-old loaf of bread from the Riders' 1951 Grey Cup season, tucked in alongside the usual jerseys and cards.

The collection has built a following well beyond the Hackewich living room, with almost 8,000 followers on its Facebook page and strangers regularly reaching out hoping their own family heirlooms find a good home there. Nelson is just as invested as his dad these days, and Lance says he's confident the collection will be in good hands when it eventually passes to his son. It's a nice reminder of what Rider fandom actually looks like away from game day.

August 7 to 9

🏈 Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Ottawa Redblacks (Rider Farm Show) | Mosaic Stadium | 7:00 PM | Paid admission | Country-themed game day festivities for the Riders' first home game since July 23. Tickets →

🍺 First Firkin Football Friday | Bushwakker Brewpub, 2206 Dewdney Ave | 5:30–9:00 PM | Free | A decades-old monthly tradition: a piper leads a keg of special ale through the pub for a ceremonial tapping. Details →

🎸 Bleeker, Blu Beach Band & Cheap Heat (Exchange Folk Fest Kick Off Party) | The Exchange, 2431 8th Ave | Doors 7:30 PM | $25, all ages & licensed | Toronto alt-rockers Bleeker headline with Regina's own Blu Beach Band and Cheap Heat. Details →

🎬 Summer Bash Movie in the Park: Karate Kid Legends | Horizon Station Park, 4701 Buckingham Dr | 8:45 PM | Free | Free outdoor movie night.

👨‍👧 Family Dance Party | Regent Place Branch, Regina Public Library | 10:45–11:30 AM | Free. Details →

🎬 RPL Film Theatre: The Crater Lake Monster | Central Library | 4:30–5:55 PM | Free admission. Details →

🎬 RPL Film Theatre: I Love Boosters | Central Library | 7:00–8:55 PM | Free admission. Details →

🎻 The Exchange Folk Festival | Victoria Park | Noon–late | Free | Debut edition filling the gap left by Regina Folk Festival, with Foxwarren, The Besnard Lakes, The Sadies and more. Details →

🍺 2nd Annual Folkwakker! | Bushwakker Brewpub, 2206 Dewdney Ave | 1:00 PM | A Folk Fest-adjacent gathering at the Bushwakker. Details →

🦬 Oskana Day | Wascana Centre, near the QEII West Lawn/Legislative Landing | 10:00 AM–3:00 PM | Free | A celebration of Indigenous culture with a buffalo art workshop, tipi display, traditional games and an owl table from the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. Details →

🛒 Regina Farmers' Market | Pat Fiacco Plaza, 2190 12th Avenue | 9:00 AM–1:00 PM | Free admission | Back downtown for the market's Saturday day. Market Info →

🫖 Victorian Tea Weekend | Government House, 4607 Dewdney Avenue | Free admission, tea by donation | Monthly Victorian tea with a vintage and collectibles sale in the Ballroom; check the site for exact times. Details →

🎬 RPL Film Theatre: Magic in the Water | Central Library | 1:00–2:40 PM | Free admission. Details →

🎬 RPL Film Theatre: One Crazy Summer – 40th Anniversary! | Central Library | 4:30–6:05 PM | Free admission. Details →

🎬 RPL Film Theatre: Leviticus | Central Library | 7:00–8:30 PM | Free admission. Details →

🚗 Majestics Car Club Show and Shine – Dyno Day Weekend | Bunge International Trade Centre, 1700 Elphinstone St | Saturday–Sunday | Celebrating 90 years; pre-registration required. Details →

🛍️ Summer Bash Summer Market | South Leisure Centre, 170 Sunset Drive | 10:00 AM–4:00 PM, Saturday–Sunday | Free | Shopping, food and entertainment. Details →

🚣 Picnics on the Island | Willow Island Overlook | Weekly Sunday event through Aug. 23. Details →

🚗 Majestics Car Club Show and Shine – Dyno Day Weekend (continues) | Bunge International Trade Centre. Details →

🛍️ Summer Bash Summer Market (continues) | South Leisure Centre | 10:00 AM–4:00 PM. Details →

🖼️ Strange Dark Memory | MacKenzie Art Gallery | Free, through Aug. 9 | Maia Stark's first major solo exhibition. Exhibit info →

🖼️ Death Boat and Other Stories | MacKenzie Art Gallery | Free, long-term exhibit | Indigenous art from the Kampelmacher Memorial Collection. Exhibit info →

🚀 Journey to Space | Saskatchewan Science Centre | On now | A five-part exhibit on life beyond Earth. Details →

🎬 Kramer IMAX now playing | Saskatchewan Science Centre | Daily | Current documentaries and features on Saskatchewan's only giant screen. Showtimes →

🔭 Kalium Observatory Free Public Observing | Kramer IMAX Theatre | Ongoing through Dec. 11 | Free public stargazing sessions. Details →

🍺 Hop Circuit | Regina's Warehouse District breweries | Ongoing through Labour Day | Free entry; collect stamps at participating breweries. Details →

🎻 Braving the rain for Exchange Folk Fest
🏈 Riders game first, worry about the weekend after
🫖 Keeping it low-key with tea at Government House
📺 Watching it all unfold from the couch

Hit reply and let us know :)

Thanks for reading Queen City Digest. Bundle up for the rain, cheer loud at Mosaic tonight, and we'll see you at Folk Fest.

🗓️ Next edition: Monday, August 10.

-QCD