‘We want to be a winter city’: Mayor, organizers happy with Frost Regina

A total of 68,012 people partook in festivities surrounding Regina’s inaugural Frost Winter Festival.

Regina Exhibition Association Limited CEO Tim Reid called the 10-day event a success.

“Our job is to bring events to this community, great events that people want to celebrate and bring people together. I think for us as a committee, there was a strategic plan set by the City of Regina that said we want to be a winter city,” Reid said.

“Our goal is to fill hotels, fill restaurants and bring the community together. And I think we took some great strides towards that at a time when tourism is very low in our city.

“I think we turned the page from talking about being a winter city to actually being a winter city this year.”

Funding for Frost Regina came from the province, the city, the Regina Hotel Association, hub organizations and sponsorships.

From a financial perspective, Reid says REAL provided roughly $1.2 million to make the event happen. There was also around $120,000 in grant funding divided among the four hubs taking part in the festival, with each hub being responsible for sourcing additional sponsorships and ultimately managing its bottom line.

The festival was split up across four notable areas of the city: Evraz Place, downtown, the Warehouse District and Wascana Park.

Attendees were able to enjoy light displays, ice and snow sculptures, outdoor fire pits and ice bars, dog sledding, concerts, outdoor skating and much more.

Mayor Sandra Masters spoke highly of the event, adding she looks forward to the festival’s return next winter.

“The reality is is we’re cold and we’re under snow and ice and frost,” Masters said. “Yeah, it’s cold here, and we make the most of it. We celebrate it and we come together. We make memories in it.

“When it’s dark and it’s cold, you light it up and you have some fun. It’s a testament to who we are. We want folks to be out (and) we want them to be active. If anything has been taught to us over the last couple of years is that it’s important for our mental health.”