Queen City Digest
Regina's friendly local roundup | Monday, May 18, 2026
Happy Monday, Regina! 👋
Victoria Day is here, and while the week leading up to the long weekend threw just about everything at us, that wild windstorm Thursday, power outages across the south and a few days of stubbornly cool temperatures. Today looks like a proper slightly chilly spring Monday and the Cathedral Village Arts Festival kicks off this morning on 13th Avenue.
In today's edition:
🎨 Cathedral Village Arts Festival opens today — parade at 11:30 AM
🏫 University of Regina opens a new VR lab for nursing students
👑 A Regina painter's work is heading to Windsor Castle
📚 A distinguished Saskatchewan poet joins the CVAF Book Night panel
🏟️ Free Stadium Stairs workouts start Tuesday at Mosaic
🌞 City of Regina Summer Leisure Guide is out — registration is open
📅 Your full events guide for May 18, 19, and 20
📰 News & Community
🎨 ARTS & CULTURE
The Cathedral Village Arts Festival Is Back : It Kicks Off This Morning
One of Regina's most-loved annual traditions opens today and runs right through Saturday, May 23. The Cathedral Village Arts Festival fills the streets, stages, and galleries of the Cathedral neighbourhood with live music, local vendors, visual art, outdoor performances, and the kind of warm community energy that makes this city worth showing up for. The parade leaves Holy Rosary field at 11:30 AM this morning, a beloved tradition that signals the start of one of the best weeks on Regina's community calendar.
This year's lineup includes a Literary Night at The Artesian on Tuesday evening featuring one of the country's most celebrated poets, a comedy showcase mid-week, and performances across the outdoor stages running daily. Most events are free with donations welcome at the door. Check cvaf.ca for the full schedule and plan ahead, the evening shows fill up quickly.
🏫 EDUCATION & INNOVATION
The University of Regina Just Opened a New Virtual Reality Lab for Nursing Students
The University of Regina has unveiled a new virtual reality simulation lab designed to give nursing students hands-on clinical experience before they ever step onto a hospital floor. The lab features six simulation stations, each staffed by trained facilitators who help design and run realistic patient care scenarios, from routine assessments to high-pressure emergency situations. The goal is to build skill and confidence in a controlled environment where mistakes are learning opportunities rather than consequences.
For a province dealing with real healthcare staffing pressures, graduating nurses with deeper preparation matters to all of us. Students who've worked through difficult scenarios in simulation arrive on the floor with more confidence, sharper instincts, and a clearer sense of what they're doing and why. It's a meaningful investment in the health system that will pay dividends in patient care for years.
👑 ARTS & CULTURE
A Regina Painter Is Going to Windsor Castle
Regina artist Bhupinder Singh has some news worth celebrating: his painting of Fillmore, Saskatchewan has been selected to hang at Windsor Castle as part of the Royal Collection. Singh joined CBC's The 306 this week to talk about the honour, and his reaction was as grounded as you'd hope from someone quietly putting Saskatchewan on the international stage.
It's a remarkable moment for a prairie artist and a reminder of the creative depth that calls this part of the world home. The Royal Collection spans centuries and continents. A painting of a small Saskatchewan town now has a place in it because a Regina artist made something worth keeping. That's worth a moment of community pride this Monday morning.
📚 ARTS & CULTURE
One of Saskatchewan's Most Distinguished Poets Joins the CVAF Book Night Panel This Tuesday
Louise Bernice Halfe-Sky Dancer, one of the most celebrated writers in the country, will be joining authors Ken Wilson and Jesse Rae Archibald-Barber on Tuesday evening for Book Night at The Artesian as part of the Cathedral Village Arts Festival. Halfe-Sky Dancer is a former Parliamentary Poet Laureate of Canada and the evening will feature readings from her book wîhtamawik / Tell Them: On a Life of Inspiration, alongside a conversation about the prairies and kinship with the land. Books from Saskatchewan publishers will be available to purchase.
If you haven't read Halfe-Sky Dancer's work, Tuesday is a great reason to start with a live introduction. The event runs at 6:30 PM at The Artesian on 13th Avenue, licensed, all-ages, and right in the heart of the festival. Tickets and details at cvaf.ca.
🏟️ CITY & LIFESTYLE
Free Workouts on the Stairs at Mosaic Stadium Start This Tuesday
The City of Regina's Stadium Stairs program is back for the 2026 season and it kicks off tomorrow, Tuesday May 19. The free drop-in class runs every Tuesday evening from 5:30 to 6:15 PM straight through to September 1, with instructors leading participants through a cardio workout on the stairs and ramps at Mosaic. Meet at the Fieldhouse at 5:30 and walk over together, no registration needed, no cost, no equipment required.
It's one of the most underrated free fitness options in the city: an instructor-led workout outdoors, at one of the best venues in Regina, open to every fitness level. If you've been thinking about adding something to your week this summer, this is an easy first step. More info here.
🌞 COMMUNITY BRIEF
The City of Regina Summer Leisure Guide Is Out and Registration Is Open
With Victoria Day marking the unofficial start of summer, it's a good time to flag that the City of Regina's Summer Leisure Guide is now available online and registration for summer programs is open. Swimming lessons, day camps, fitness classes, outdoor programming, it's all in there. Head to Regina.ca - Summer Leisure Guide to browse and register before popular programs fill up.
📅 What's On in Regina
May 18 to 20, 2026
MONDAY, MAY 18 — Victoria Day
🦕 Royal Saskatchewan Museum — School's Out Drop-In | 2445 Albert Street | 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM | Admission by donation The RSM reopened Friday and is running special School's Out drop-in programming through the long weekend — the Learning Lab, Field Station, scavenger hunts, and interactive activities for all ages. One of the best free-ish options in the city for families today. Plan your visit
🎭 Cathedral Village Arts Festival — Opening Day | Cathedral Neighbourhood | 13th Avenue | All day, runs through Saturday May 23 | Free, donations welcome The parade leaves Holy Rosary field at 11:30 AM and winds through the neighbourhood to kick off CVAF week. From there, the festival spreads across stages, galleries, and sidewalks for six straight days of performances, local vendors, and community energy. The kick-off picnic follows at 1:30 PM at Les Sherman Park with live music from the Pacesetters Orchestra, Hot Dog! Blue Grass, and an Elvis tribute. Full schedule and lineup
🌿 Parent Café | Regina Floral Conservatory | 1450B Fourth Avenue | 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | Free A welcoming weekly drop-in for expecting and new parents looking to connect and build support networks, held among the indoor garden displays at the Floral Conservatory. A lovely, low-key option for a holiday Monday afternoon. Details
🏛️ Government House Summer Kickoff | Government House | 4607 Dewdney Avenue | 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM | Free — rain or shine A petting zoo, vintage cars, face painting, scavenger hunts, and cookies on the historic grounds of Government House. The event also marks the start of Government House's daily summer hours. A genuinely lovely Victoria Day option for families with younger kids. Details
🏴 Saskatchewan Highland Gathering — Final Day | Victoria Park | 2200 Saskatchewan Drive | Adults: paid | Youth 12–17 & Seniors 65+: $10 | Under 12: Free The long weekend wraps up with the final day of the gathering at Victoria Park — pipes, drums, heavy athletics, and a good reason to get outside on a holiday morning. Tickets and info
🎪 The Great Benjamins Circus — Final Day | Victoria Square Shopping Centre | 2223 Victoria Avenue | Check website for Monday showtimes | Paid Last chance to catch the aerial acts, jugglers, acrobatics, and the cage of death motorbikes before the circus moves on. If you've been meaning to go all weekend, today is the day. Showtimes and info
🎭 Darke Hall Presents… Theatre Monday! (CVAF) | The Artesian: The Rod McDonald Family Stage | 2627 13th Avenue | 7:30 PM | Free A dedicated theatre showcase evening presented by Darke Hall as part of the Cathedral Village Arts Festival lineup. Details
🎬 Top Gun 40th Anniversary + Top Gun: Maverick — Both in IMAX | Kramer IMAX Theatre | Saskatchewan Science Centre, 2903 Powerhouse Drive | 6:25 PM and 9:00 PM | Paid One week only — the original at 6:25, Maverick at 9:00. The largest screen in Saskatchewan and a hard Monday evening to beat. Showtimes and tickets
TUESDAY, MAY 19
🖼️ MacKenzie Art Gallery — Maia Stark: Strange Dark Memory | T.C. Douglas Building | 3475 Albert Street | 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM | Free admission The MacKenzie is back open after the holiday closure with its current exhibitions on view, including the striking new Maia Stark show. Craft Services café on site if you want to make a proper afternoon of it. Plan your visit
🏟️ Stadium Stairs — 2026 Season Opener, Free Drop-In Fitness | Mosaic Stadium | Meet at the Fieldhouse, 1734 Elphinstone Street | 5:30 PM to 6:15 PM | Free The season kicks off tonight. Instructor-led outdoor cardio on the stairs and ramps at Mosaic, every Tuesday through September 1. All levels welcome, no registration, no cost. Drop-in classes : Full schedule
🎬 The Secret World of Arrietty — One Day Only in IMAX | Kramer IMAX Theatre | Saskatchewan Science Centre, 2903 Powerhouse Drive | 5:15 PM | Paid Studio Ghibli's Arrietty on the largest screen in the province — one screening only today. A rare IMAX event and a great family outing. Showtimes and tickets
📖 CVAF Literary Night — Louise Halfe-Sky Dancer, Ken Wilson & Jesse Rae Archibald-Barber | The Artesian: The Rod McDonald Family Stage | 2627 13th Avenue | 6:30 PM | Paid Former Parliamentary Poet Laureate Louise Bernice Halfe-Sky Dancer headlining an evening of readings from her book wîhtamawik / Tell Them, joined by two fellow Saskatchewan authors. Saskatchewan publishers' books available for purchase. Tickets and info
🎤 James Roque: The Mano Po Tour | The Exchange | 2431 8th Avenue | 8:00 PM | Paid Vancouver comedian James Roque brings his Mano Po Tour to Regina for one night. Sharp, warm, and well worth Tuesday night plans. Tickets
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20
🌿 Regina Farmers' Market | Pat Fiacco Plaza (City Square) | 2190 12th Avenue | 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM | Free admission Both Wednesday and Saturday outdoor markets are back downtown at Pat Fiacco Plaza for the full 2026 season. Local produce, baked goods, honey, preserves, and a reliable mid-week reason to get outside. Market info
🖼️ Casey Koyczan Exhibit — Final 10 Days | RPL/Dunlop Gallery, Sherwood Village Branch | 4521 Parliament Avenue | Library hours | Free The Casey Koyczan exhibit at RPL's Sherwood Village branch wraps up May 27. If you haven't made it over yet, this week is the time. Details
🎬 Mortal Kombat II: The IMAX Experience | Kramer IMAX Theatre | Saskatchewan Science Centre, 2903 Powerhouse Drive | 6:00 PM | Paid Action-packed on Saskatchewan's largest screen. Showtimes and tickets
🎤 CVAF Word Up Slam Poetry | Holy Rosary Big Top Tent | Cathedral Neighbourhood | 6:30 PM | Free A high-energy poetry slam bringing local writers and spoken word artists together under the festival tent. One of the best free Wednesday evening options in the city this week. Details
🎭 Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella | Darke Hall | 2255 College Avenue | 7:00 PM | Adults $26.25 | Youth 17 & under $15.75 Presented by Regina Christian School, this charming Enchanted Edition runs nightly through Saturday May 23. Two and a half hours of costumes, music, and a story that holds up for every age in the room. Tickets and info
🎭 CVAF And Now The Weather… | The Artesian: The Rod McDonald Family Stage | 2627 13th Avenue | 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM | Free A curated comedy night as part of the festival's evening entertainment lineup at The Artesian. Details
🎬 RPL Film Theatre: Bad Press | Central Library | 2311 12th Avenue | 7:00 PM | Paid New title opening this Wednesday at Regina's best independent cinema. Bad Press is an acclaimed documentary about a Native American newspaper fighting for press freedom — sharp and timely. Film schedule and tickets
📊 This Week's Poll
Victoria Day is here. How are you spending the long weekend?
🎨 Out at the Cathedral Village Arts Festival
🏛️ Government House, circus, or the Highland Gathering
🍺 Patio season officially declared open - winter jacket required?
🏟️ Watching the Roughriders pre-season in Calgary
Hit reply to let us know, or find us on Facebook and Instagram @QueenCityDigest
Thanks for reading Queen City Digest. There's a lot happening in this city this week and most of it is either free or worth getting off the couch for. I hope you’ve enjoyed your long weekend so far 😄
Next edition: Wednesday, May 20.
QCD