'We're a winter city': Regina announces new winter festival taking place in February 2022
There was excitement in the air during the announcement in Victoria Park for an upcoming winter festival that’s slated to take over the city in mid-February.
The inaugural “Frost Regina” festival is set to run for nine days from Feb. 4 to 13.
“It is about improving our city pride, our cultural vibrancy, and that benefit to our local economy,” Mayor Sandra Masters said during the announcement Thursday morning. “It’s about socializing, it’s about that ability to connect. We’re going to be outdoors, and yes we may have to wear masks but it’ll be safe.”
The festival will be spread across Regina with four different “hubs, located in downtown near Victoria Park, the warehouse district, Wascana Park and the exhibition grounds. Each hub is supposed to have its own specialized attractions.
Tim Reid, the President and CEO of Regina Exhibition Association Limited, said that there will be something for everybody.
“No matter what your budget is, there’s something for you,” he said.
Organizers said Indigenous involvement in the event is very important. The logo for the event was created by Indigenous artist Brandy Jones.
“It’s a mixture of Metis, Inuit, Haida, and Salish,” she said about the logo’s design. “What it represents is the unity of Indigenous people. And all the bright colors represent every Indigenous nation.”
The festival is an expensive endeavor which is why the provincial, and municipal government have partnered with the Regina Hotel Association along with hub organizations such as the Regina Exhibition Association, Provincial Capital Commission, the Regina Downtown and Regina Warehouse Business Improvement Districts.
Funding for the event has exceeded $300,000 already, according to city councillor Lori Bresciani. The committee is expecting more sponsors to come forward in the coming months.
Reid is happy the festival is coming to fruition and is excited that the city will be revamping tourism in a season that almost always sees a drop off in the industry.
“This was really to embrace the fact that the city was embracing a winter city strategy,” he explained. “It was a recognition that we have to celebrate winter in this city. And when you’re a city that has as many months of winter as we do, we actually need active programming.”
The city encourages everyone to bundle up and come out and see what winter wonders are on display come Feb. 4.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.