Calling all corndog lovers: Queen City Ex returns with full entertainment

Save the dates in your calendars — the Queen City Exhibition is set to be back in full swing in August.

“The fair will be bigger than it’s been in the past,” Regina Exhibition Association Limited CEO Tim Reid said Wednesday. “With the inability for it to head to Toronto, we will have a bigger fair, so more rides and games than we have seen in the past.

“Right now we have options that consider six feet of physical distancing right up to 20 feet, but with the announcement (Tuesday), we also may have the opportunity that there may be no restrictions. We have a plan to allow 10,000 people a day on the grounds, or as we have seen in the past literally 30(,000), 40(,000) to 50,000 people depending on success.”

Premier Scott Moe announced Tuesday the province could remove masking requirement and limits on gathering sizes if vaccination thresholds are met in the coming months.

The fair will occur over an eight-day format, from Aug. 20 to 22 and Aug. 25 to 29.

“It provides us the opportunity to shut the fair down in the middle and provide the cleaning we need that is necessary,” Reid said.

Reid said everyone is welcome, including those who are and aren’t vaccinated.

“We will have reminders about hand sanitizer and cleaning,” Reid said. “We will also follow whatever guidelines are in place (at the time).

“But it will really be optional if you wanted to wear a mask or provide physical distancing. At this point our gates will be open to anyone who wants to attend, which is why it’s so important we all get vaccinated. We all have a role to play in allowing the Queen City Exhibition to come back.”

The 2020 version of the exhibition was cancelled due to COVID-19. Reid believes the QCX will return to being the fair everyone has always loved.

“Obviously there is risk in that based on the public health order,” Reid said. “But we believe this will be an exceptional fair with great financial results.”

Currently, the goal is to return about 750 employees to work.

“(It’s) a lot of jobs and economic impact,” Reid said, “and frankly it’s a lot of tourism opportunity for our community in a sector that has been absolutely crushed by the impacts of COVID-19.”

There’s much to look forward to for those who attend, including concerts every night, a rodeo on the last weekend, and all the traditional food, rides and games.

Over the next 10 days, REAL hopes to announce all the concerts and artists who will be performing.

“There is a challenge getting any American artist to Canada,” Reid said, referring to COVID restrictions at the border. “I think there is also an opportunity in that. Our focus of programming will be purely on Canadian artists from a national perspective and how we help them get back to work.

“But we are also working with a number of Saskatchewan artists to make sure we support Saskatchewan-based artists and getting them back on stage. Our headliners will be from across the nation, and our opening acts will have a highly Saskatchewan flair to it.”

A limited block of tickets is to go on sale June 21 at 10 a.m.