Concerts pushed to fall, other events face more changes in 2021 at Evraz Place

A stadium in Regina packed with fans singing along to Garth Brooks seems like a distant memory nearly one year into a global pandemic.

As COVID-19 vaccines roll out across Saskatchewan, there’s a possibility events could be held at Evraz Place in 2021, even if they look different than before.

Tim Reid, the CEO of Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) which runs Evraz Place, joined the Greg Morgan Morning Show to provide an update.

He said the organization has seen a real shift in what was originally planned for 2021.

“We had a significant number of holds on everything from (Mosaic Stadium) to the Brandt Centre and it was really prepping to be a bit of a record-setting year,” said Reid.

However, with the continued U.S.-Canada border closure, a lot of those events are being pushed back.

“The touring industry that has to deal with jurisdictional and border challenges is recognizing that we’re probably not going to see anything until late fall. We’re seeing a lot of the holds on our venues start to slip,” said Reid.

While fans will have to wait longer for the return of concerts, other events may go ahead in some form or another.

Reid said something will be held around Canada’s Farm Show, which is usually held in June. It may be a virtual event with a speaker series; a decision will made within the next month.

The midway that is active across the United States is booked for the Queen City Ex, but Reid doesn’t know if it can make it to Regina this summer because of the border closure. He explained the event will be a bit of a stretch but REAL will find a way to do something in its place.

Last year, REAL waited for public health guidelines to make decisions on events. This time around, Reid wants to make those decisions earlier, within 90 days of an event.

“You’re going to see us be much more proactive in making those decisions in 2021. We’d rather shut down early and frankly not invest time and money into things that aren’t going to happen in 2021,” said Reid.

Bringing concerts back depends on the level of vaccinations, the public sense of safety and what disposable income in the marketplace looks like.

Reid believes there’s a hunger for events at Evraz Place and points to Iceville, which saw 200,000 people try to book a skating slot on the rink at Mosaic Stadium. He called it a “Garth Brooks level of interest.”

While the timing may still be in question, Reid believes the event industry will come back stronger than ever before.

“I have no doubt that all of us are spending time looking through our Facebook memories these days, remembering those great moments at concerts and live events, just wishing they turn on sooner than later,” said Reid.