REGINA - The third annual Frost Regina festival is officially on in the city.
Opening ceremonies took place downtown at Pat Fiacco Plaza on Friday evening for Frost Regina 2024 presented by Federated Co-Operatives Limited. The opening ceremonies featured performances by the The Rising Youth Troupe (Ranch Ehrlo Student Dancers and Drummers).
There was also free chili handed out for dinner, courtesy of the Ramada Plaza Downtown.
But the opening was just one of a number of events that took place on the first day of the festival, which runs Jan. 26 to Feb. 4, 2024, as the various hubs opened for business.
Frost Regina takes place at four separate hubs in the city, with a combination of free and ticketed events. Frost @ Downtown will be a hub for free events throughout the festival, including public skating on the rink at City Square, the art walk, and Frost After Dark at downtown pubs.
On Feb. 3 between 11 and 1 p.m. the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame will serve up free pancakes at the Pancake Breakfast of Champions.
Frost @ Warehouse will take place at the Yards and promises to be a party atmosphere with a “winter lodge” theme. This hub will feature their famous Warehouse Ice Bar, and host Bridge the Gap street dance festival and live music throughout the venue.
Billed as a highlight will be the Burning of the 8-Foot Ice Tower on Saturday, Feb, 3 at 6 p.m. in The Yards to wrap up the festival.
Frost @Wascana will feature the return of the outdoor rink on Wascana Lake across from the Legislature.
"We are excited to open the Rink on Wascana for the season,” Provincial Capital Commission Executive Director Jenna Schroeder said in a news release this week. "We can't wait to welcome visitors to the rink to make skating on Wascana Lake a part of their winter memories."
Skating is free of charge, and the rink includes lighting and both warming and washroom facilities. There are regular checks for ice safety including snow removal and testing the ice thickness; the ice should be in good shape following the recent minus-30 temperatures which have since eased up considerably.
Free events at the Wascana hub also include outdoor laser tag and horse-drawn wagon rides.
The fourth hub venue is Frost @ REAL, which will feature a number of indoor events that can be accessed with the purchase of an all-inclusive Frost @REAL passes to enter.
Among the highlights include Glow presented by SaskTel which will feature a fairy tale magic theme.
All day performances will take place on the Glow Stage along with a variety of food and beverage options. Special events at the REAL District include The Circus Hockey Show, The Silver Starlets, Magic with Sitruc James and Miss Jacqueline, the Fire Show Presented by TransFlomation Entertainment, and more including the marketplace.
The festival will close out with a fireworks show presented by Federated Cooperatives Ltd. on Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. at Confederation Park.
Despite some of the turmoil within the REAL organization in recent months including the replacement of the entire Board of Dorectors and the departure of CEO Tim Reid, organizers had stressed this would not impact operations and that FROST Regina would proceed without a hitch, and that is indeed the case.
Last year, Frost Regina saw 88,000 people attend and with the addition of some new attractions this year organizers are expecting attendance to top 100,000.
