Queen City Digest
Regina's friendly local roundup | Friday, May 29, 2026
Happy Friday, Regina! 👋
Summer didn't just knock on the door this week, it kicked it wide open. Environment Canada issued a heat warning Thursday with temperatures climbing to 36°C, and while Friday still feels warm at around 30°C, the weekend eases off to a gorgeous 23°C Saturday and Sunday.
TEDxRegina takes over Darke Hall this afternoon, the largest provincial pickleball tournament in Saskatchewan history continues at REAL District, a JUNO Award-winning jazz vocalist joins the Regina Jazz Orchestra tomorrow night, and the news from this week is worth celebrating. Let's get into it.
In today's edition:
🏫 North Regina's brand new $63.7M school is officially open
🌿 City plants floating wetlands to clean stormwater and restore habitat
🚌 Free transit for high schoolers tripled ridership, and council wants more
🏫 Regina Huda School breaks ground on expansion to serve 1,000 students
🎤 YMCA Music for the Mind rocks Conexus Arts Centre tonight
📅 Your full events guide: May 29-31
📰 News & Community
🏫 EDUCATION
North Regina's Brand New $63.7 Million School Is Finally Official
After months of classes already underway, St. Raphael School in north Regina got its proper moment in the sun on Wednesday. Students, staff, and families gathered for a grand opening ceremony attended by Education Minister Everett Hindley, celebrating the Catholic school side of the new joint-use facility it shares with tawâw School from the public division. The $63.7-million project replaces the former St. Michael and St. Peter schools, which had reached the end of their useful lives, and the facility is designed to serve up to 1,000 students between both schools.
The facility includes a shared community space and childcare component, making it one of the most complete school builds Regina has seen in years.
🌿 ENVIRONMENT
Regina Is Growing Floating Gardens in Its Stormwater Ponds, and It's as Cool as It Sounds
Students from Campbell Collegiate joined City of Regina environmental staff at the Rochdale stormwater retention pond this week to install floating treatment wetlands, platforms filled with native sedges and rushes whose roots filter excess nutrients before the water flows into Wascana Creek. The city is rolling the project out across ponds in the Lakewood, Lakeridge, and Rochdale neighbourhoods, in partnership with the Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds and with support from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Environmental services manager Shelley Wellman explained that too much phosphorus and nitrogen from lawn fertilizer runoff creates algal blooms that turn ponds green, produce odours, and deplete oxygen. The floating islands address all of that naturally, while also creating habitat for red-winged blackbirds and other native wildlife. The structures are expected to remain in place for about a decade. The fact that a class of high schoolers helped build them is the kind of hands-on environmental education this city should be proud of.
🚌 CITY
Free Transit for High School Students Tripled Ridership. Council Wants to Build on That.
A four-month pilot project that gave students at F.W. Johnson Collegiate free bus passes from September to December 2025 produced a striking result: ridership during the pilot was three times what it was after it ended. This week, Regina's executive committee reviewed the data and directed administration to explore expanding the program. A targeted approach covering six schools with higher proportions of students facing financial hardship, including Johnson, Scott, Sheldon-Williams, Thom, Balfour, and Martin Collegiate, is being discussed as a more manageable path than a city-wide rollout.
City-wide fare-free transit for all high school students would cost an estimated $2.26 million annually in operating costs plus $16.8 million in capital for 12 additional buses. Ward 3 Councillor David Froh said transit is one of the clearest ways to reduce the financial burden on families during a cost-of-living crunch. Mayor Bachynski signalled interest in a longer-term transit vision. The report returns to council June 10 with further options. Three times the ridership is a signal worth paying attention to.
🏫 COMMUNITY
Regina Huda School Breaks Ground on a Third Expansion to Serve 1,000 Students
When Regina Huda School opened in 1999, it served 20 students in two classrooms. Today it educates 733 students from kindergarten through Grade 12, with a waiting list to get in. This week the school held a groundbreaking ceremony for its third expansion, a community-funded project that will eventually bring total capacity to just over 1,000 students. Principal Pamela Spock said the demand reflects both the growth of Regina's Muslim community and the school's reputation for academic excellence paired with Islamic studies.
Regina Coronation Park MLA Noor Burki, who has taught driver education at the school for 17 years, said former students regularly go on to careers in engineering and medicine. The school remains an associate school of the Regina Public School system, and its principal noted that families from all backgrounds and faiths are drawn to its community-first culture. From 20 students to 1,000 in 27 years. That is a remarkable Regina story.
🎤 COMMUNITY
YMCA's Music for the Mind Returns Tonight at Conexus Arts Centre
Tonight, a band made up of Regina business and community leaders takes the Conexus Arts Centre stage for one purpose: helping young people feel supported. The YMCA of Regina's annual Music for the Mind fundraiser is back for its third year, combining live music, dinner, dancing, and storytelling in support of youth mental health and mentorship programming across Regina, Moose Jaw, and surrounding communities. Since launching, the event has raised more than $97,000 for YMCA youth wellness initiatives focused on resilience, leadership, and mental health support.
YMCA CEO Steve Compton says the programming helps young people dealing with mild-to-moderate anxiety and similar challenges, with no diagnosis required. It is exactly the kind of community-built, locally funded support that makes a real difference. If you have tickets, tonight is going to be a great evening.
📅 What's On in Regina
May 29-31
FRIDAY, MAY 29
🎤 YMCA Music for the Mind 2026 | Conexus Arts Centre | 200 Lakeshore Drive | 5:30 PM | Ticketed The YMCA of Regina's third annual fundraiser for youth mental health. Live music, dinner, dancing, and storytelling from community leaders on the Conexus stage. Proceeds go to youth mentorship and mental health programming across the region. Details
💡 TEDxRegina 2026: Once Upon Our Future | Darke Hall | 2255 College Avenue | 2:00 PM | Ticketed Nine Saskatchewan-connected speakers take the Darke Hall stage under the theme Once Upon Our Future, covering artificial intelligence, food security, space exploration, and community leadership. Organizer Moses Anjorin calls it a tipping point moment for Regina. One of the most compelling evenings on the city's spring calendar. Tickets and details
🎸 The Odds | Casino Regina Show Lounge | 1880 Saskatchewan Drive | 8:00 PM | Ticketed (from $63, 19+) The legendary Vancouver alt-rock band behind gold-selling albums and the iconic singles "It Falls Apart" and "Heterosexual Man" plays the Show Lounge tonight. A great Friday evening for anyone who came of age in the 90s. Tickets
🤘 Into Eternity, FistfightHXC, Pineripper | The Exchange | 2431 8th Avenue | 7:00 PM | From $36 A heavy metal triple bill at The Exchange. Into Eternity are Regina-rooted veterans who always deliver on home turf. Tickets
⚾ Regina Red Sox vs. Medicine Hat Mavericks | Currie Field | 750 Winnipeg Street North | 6:00 PM | Ticketed Summer baseball is back at Currie Field. The Red Sox open a long weekend home series against the Mavericks. Grab a lawn chair and soak up a warm Friday evening. Schedule and tickets
🚗 Swervin Mini Indy E.V. Challenge Finale | Victoria Square Shopping Centre | 2300 Victoria Avenue | 10:00 AM | Free to watch The electric vehicle mini-indy challenge runs its finale over the long weekend at Victoria Square. Free to spectate and fun for the family. Continues Saturday. Details
🔭 Adult Science Night: Destination Moon | Saskatchewan Science Centre | 2903 Powerhouse Drive | 7:00 PM | Ticketed An adults-only evening at the Science Centre inspired by the Artemis missions and humanity's return to the moon. Tickets and details
🏓 Pickleball Saskatchewan Provincial Tournament | Queen City Pickleball Hub, REAL District | 1700 Elphinstone Street | 8:00 AM onward | Free to spectate Day 2 of the largest provincial pickleball championship in Saskatchewan history, with over 400 athletes competing. Opening ceremonies at 8:00 AM, youth demonstration tournament at 4:30 PM. Free admission, free parking. Details
SATURDAY, MAY 30
🎷 Caity Gyorgy with the Regina Jazz Orchestra | Darke Hall | 2255 College Avenue | 7:30 PM | $21.09–$48.84 A three-time JUNO Award-winning vocalist joins the Regina Jazz Orchestra for what promises to be one of the standout evenings of the spring season. Gyorgy's voice is the kind that stops a room, and the RJO brings dynamic, rich arrangements to match. Tickets
🎸 Daniel Champagne | Knox-Metropolitan United Church | 2340 Victoria Avenue | 7:30 PM | Ticketed (under-18s $20) The young Australian guitar virtuoso, described by critics as "the finest guitar player of this generation," brings his intimate stage show to the stunning Gothic setting of Knox-Met. Seated and family-friendly. Doors at 7:00 PM. Tickets via Humanitix
⚡ SEVA: Electrify Regina | Bunge International Trade Centre, REAL District | 1700 Elphinstone Street | 10:00 AM–5:00 PM | Free Saskatchewan's largest EV celebration. Test drive the latest electric vehicles from local dealerships, try an e-bike, hear presentations on heat pumps and solar, and enter to win an e-bike from REV Automotive. Free admission, free coffee, and door prizes. Family-friendly. Details
🛍️ MRKT The Spring Edit | Caledonian Curling Club | 1111 Park Street | 10:00 AM | Ticketed Regina's favourite curated market event returns for spring, with local makers and vendors across fashion, home goods, food, and more. Continues Sunday. Details
🎲 Sportsworld's Collectibles Show | Northgate Mall | 2601 Gordon Road | 10:00 AM | Free Sports cards, memorabilia, and collectibles from vendors across the region. A great Saturday browse for collectors of all ages. Details
😂 Anubhav Singh Bassi: Kisi Ko Batana Mat | Casino Regina Show Lounge | 1880 Saskatchewan Drive | 8:00 PM | Ticketed (19+) One of India's most popular stand-up comedians brings his Kisi Ko Batana Mat Canada tour to the Show Lounge. A sold-out-calibre show wherever he goes, so check ticket availability before heading out. Tickets
🚗 Swervin Mini Indy E.V. Challenge Finale | Victoria Square Shopping Centre | 2300 Victoria Avenue | 10:00 AM | Free to watch Final day of the electric mini-indy challenge. Details
⚾ Regina Red Sox vs. Medicine Hat Mavericks | Currie Field | 750 Winnipeg Street North | 6:05 PM | From $21 Game 2 of the long weekend home series on a warm Saturday evening. Tickets
🏓 Pickleball Provincials: Mixed Doubles | Queen City Pickleball Hub, REAL District | 1700 Elphinstone Street | 8:00 AM | Free Mixed doubles day at the provincial tournament. Free to watch, great energy all day. Details
SUNDAY, MAY 31
🎶 RSO Chamber Players: Free Library Concert | RPL Dunlop Gallery, Central Library | 2311 12th Avenue | 2:00 PM | Free Twelve members of the Regina Symphony Chamber Players perform a free Sunday afternoon concert on the 2nd floor mezzanine of the Central Library. Families welcome, no tickets required. One of the best free music events in the city. Details
🎸 Rumours: The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute | Casino Regina Show Lounge | 1880 Saskatchewan Drive | 7:30 PM | $40–$50 (19+) The LA-based tribute band that recreates Fleetwood Mac at their 1975–1979 peak, period-accurate costumes, equipment, and all, closes out the long weekend at the Show Lounge. A great way to end the long weekend. Tickets
🛍️ MRKT The Spring Edit | Caledonian Curling Club | 1111 Park Street | 10:00 AM | Ticketed Final day of the spring market. Details
🎵 Regina Songwriters Group x SaskMusic: Recording & Releasing Your Song | The Exchange | A workshop for local songwriters on recording and releasing their music, presented in partnership with SaskMusic. Worth checking if you are a musician looking to take the next step. Details
⚾ Regina Red Sox vs. Medicine Hat Mavericks | Currie Field | 750 Winnipeg Street North | 2:05 PM | From $21 Sunday afternoon baseball to close out the long weekend. Tickets
🏓 Pickleball Provincials: Men's Doubles Finals | Queen City Pickleball Hub, REAL District | 1700 Elphinstone Street | 8:00 AM | Free Championship day of the biggest provincial pickleball tournament in Saskatchewan history. Come watch the finals. Details
🖼️ MacKenzie Art Gallery | T.C. Douglas Building | 11:00 AM–5:30 PM | Free admission Always free on Sundays. A great low-key afternoon option any time this weekend. Plan your visit
📊 This Week's Poll
It's a packed long weekend in Regina. What is your plan?
🎷 Catching Caity Gyorgy and the Regina Jazz Orchestra at Darke Hall
🏓 Watching the pickleball provincials at REAL District
🎸 Live music, tribute shows, and a late night out
☀️ Patio, park, and nothing on the calendar
Hit reply to let us know :)
Thanks for reading Queen City Digest. There is a lot of good happening in this city right now. Stay hydrated today, the heat is real, and enjoy every bit of what this weekend has to offer.
Next edition: Monday, June 1.
-QCD