REGINA — Officials with the 2023 Queen City Ex made it known they were pleased with how things transpired during the week of August 2 to 6 on the REAL grounds.
Overall attendance took a step back from 2022, down seven per cent, but the Ex could point to several successes included big attendance at the Flo Rida concert as well as a big haul for Regina Food Bank from the QCX Mini-Donut Eating Contest.
Here are highlights of the numbers released by REAL last week:
Final numbers for overall attendance saw 259,530 people attending the REAL district during the Queen City Ex. Officials say in a news release that the seven per cent drop in attendance “is historically consistent when fair dates align with a long weekend.”
Over 8,000 people attended Confederation Park for the Flo Rida concert on the Original 16 stage. That was a sellout, as were other of their "premium experience” shows including Boyz II Men.
For a second year in a row, the QCX Eating Contest was a big hit, with world record holder, Joey Chestnut eating 304 mini-donuts in eight minutes to set a new record, with all competitors raising over $72,203 for the Food Bank, a 14 per cent increase from last year. This will amount to over 200,000 meals distributed by the Food Bank. The plan is for the event to return in 2024.
The Pile O’ Bones rodeo had over 67 competitors and a purse of $102,272, with the Ex reporting this was one of the largest rodeos on the C5 circuit.
The QCX Best in Food Competition saw the top prize go to Pink Lemonade Ice Cream; the event also saw the release of two new Queen City mustards.
The QCX reports sending over 48,000 tickets to schools in Regina and area, and release of over 3,000 discounted gates passes in the weeks prior to the Fair. The Regina Symphony Orchestra and Fireworks opened the fair. Close to 5,000 people attended the free annual Sunday pancake breakfast presented by SaskMilk. The Ex also reported the highest attendance ever for their Kidway Morning and Newcomers programs.
They also report that their indoor programs saw a record number of vendors in the Marketplace and performances by world- renowned performer Terrence Littletent in Mostos, Indigenous Village.
“The 2023 Ex was an incredible week,” said Tim Reid, President and CEO of REAL in a statement. “Thank you to everyone, young and old, that chose to celebrate fun at our fair. Our goal was to improve the fair experience and thanks to our dedicated team, it was a cleaner and safer fair. It was amazing to see so many smiling faces and memories being made.”
The plan is for the Queen City Ex to return in 2024 running from July 31 to August 4.
Police report few incidents in 2023
2023 was also a good year for reduced security incidents at the Queen City Ex. The Ex reports incidents were down from 2022 and 2021 thanks to enhanced gate screening and the presence of both uniformed and plain clothed officers from Regina Police Services. The enhanced presence was in response to a bear spray incident at the Ex in 2022; fortunately there was no repeat of that this year.
According to an RPS news release, their members responded to the following calls for service at the Ex:
12 reports of lost children who were reunited with family/caregivers;
Six reports of intoxicated people;
Two people wanted on outstanding warrants were arrested;
Two assaults, the most serious of which involved a knife and resulted in a 16 year-old male being charged with ‘assault with a weapon’. The victim has been treated in hospital for minor injuries.
It should be noted police made three arrests in connection to an incident Aug. 2 just outside the Queen City Ex, on the 1800 block of Lewvan Drive. Three females ages 11, 12 and 13 were arrested, and two now face charges following a confrontation with a 16-year old victim.
Police report the victim was assaulted and her cellphone and identification stolen. The 12 year-old female is charged with robbery and failure to comply, while the 13 year-old female is charged with robbery. Both were due to appear in provincial youth court on Sept. 19.
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