The 28th Cathedral Village Arts Festival kicked off on Victoria Day with its annual parade.

The six day festival gives local artists a stage to perform, and get some exposure around the city. Saskexpress, a local singing group, performed in the parade, and according to Danny Balkwill, the group’s CEO and Artistic Director, the festival gives a unique chance to shine for Regina artists.

“Something like this gives a great opportunity for many different artists, singers, dancers, art of any kind, to showcase and for us to have a venue to do it,” said Balkwill

The festival’s 2019 theme, “Share your light,” encourages artistic expression no matter the type of performance, according to the festival’s Volunteer Administrative Coordinator Janet Brown.

“We encourage people to find their own way to share their light, whether that's through music, through dance, through just enjoying watching it, everybody has that creative light to shine,” said Brown.

The festival shows off the best of the Saskatchewan arts community, which can help shift the perception about the art that the province has to offer.

“A lot of people have the impression of Regina or Saskatchewan, that we don't have the same sort of arts or culture as other bigger centres,” said Balkwill. “That's just not true, we just don't always know where to look for it.”

The festival consists of several events around the Cathedral neighbourhood throughout the week, until it wraps up on Saturday, May 25.

With files from CTV’s Stefanie Davis