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More than a quarter-million people passed through the gates of this year’s Queen City Ex in Regina.
According to the Regina Exhibition Association, 262,720 people attended the five-day event, which is up 3,190 over last year’s attendance total.
“The five days of the Queen City Ex, presented by SaskTel, have been amazing, filled with the sounds of our guests having fun, the aroma of mini-donuts, corn dogs, and music from some amazing acts that took to the Original 16 stage,” Roberta Engel, the association’s acting president, said in a statement.
“The positive feedback I heard as I walked the midway and attended various events was amazing. It was a great gathering of the community, with the smiles, joy, and countless moments of fun I witnessed from our thousands of guests.”
The exhibition beefed up security by adding metal detectors and bag checks at the entrance gates this year, following several concerning incidents at previous events. According to the exhibition association, the changes and the partnership with the city police service were successful in reducing security incidents “significantly” in 2024.
This year’s exhibition included some new additions and plenty of fan favourites. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
A few fan favourites returned to the exhibition in 2024, including the QCX Eating Contest, which saw world-famous competitive eater Joey Chestnut scarf down 343 mini donuts in just eight minutes. The event benefited the Regina and District Food Bank to the tune of more than 452,000 meals.
“For many years, our partnership with QCX has been a cornerstone in our efforts to serve the Regina community,” said John Bailey, the food bank’s CEO, said in a statement.
“Over the last three years, the mini-donut competition has been an important collaboration and has been instrumental in helping us meet the increasing demand. The new format this year added a layer of fun, and the competitors did an outstanding job raising funds for the Food Bank.”
Dakota Robinson (left) and her friends Cierra Ferguson-Harty, Zachery Ferguson-Harty and Lucas Wudrich were some of the first brave riders on the new X Drive ride. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
There were some new editions to this year’s exhibition as well, including new rides like the X-Drive and the QCX Midway 5k run, which saw 256 runners between the ages of one and 74 following the course through the exhibition midway and Mosaic Stadium.
The indoor festival also included the Memory Lane exhibition curated by Rollie Bourassa, which chronicled the 140-year history and evolution of the exhibition.
“Saskatchewan’s fair continues to be the highlight of Regina’s summer, and we cannot wait to welcome you to the 2025 Queen City Ex presented by SaskTel, July 30 to August 3, 2025,” the exhibition association said.