FROST returns, ready to handle warm February weather

FROST Regina is back this month – even as warmer temperatures raise questions about how frosty things will actually feel.

The event stretches across three February weekends and filling multiple corners of the city with winter programming.

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Organizers say the festival is intentionally designed to adapt, after learning from past years that Regina winter temperatures rarely land in the middle.

“We’ve seen this movie before, and FROST is either plus temperatures or minus 40 and blizzarding,” said Jennifer Johnson, deputy city manager of communications, Service Regina & Tourism with the City of Regina. “So we have weather-proofed the festival this year. We have a combination of indoor and outdoor activities at almost every single location.”

Johnson says feedback from last year showed people wanted more time to take in the festival, which led to the decision to spread FROST across three weekends instead of one.

“This time you don’t have to feel rushed. You don’t have to cram it all into one weekend,” Johnson said. “We’re actually hoping you make three or four days of it.”

Programming runs across downtown Regina, Wascana Centre, the Warehouse District and the REAL District, with a mix of free and ticketed events each weekend.

At the REAL District, organizers are closely watching ice-based attractions as temperatures fluctuate.

“Probably the biggest concern for us right now would be our Crokicurl rink,” said Cat Betker, director of signature events with REAL. “Unfortunately, this weather isn’t ideal for making ice. If the ice won’t freeze, you can’t play Crokicurl.”

Betker says the festival is built so that the weather doesn’t shut things down entirely.

“We were really intentional in designing our programming to try and pick things that we could weather-proof as much as possible,” she said. “Even if we don’t have a frozen pond to play Crokicurl on, we still have street hockey, indoor curling, the mechanical snowboard and a massive snow hill for kids.”

Johnson echoes that flexibility, saying something is happening every weekend regardless of conditions.

“You will for sure find something you can do,” she said.

New additions this year include a frost-themed brunch at the Connexus Arts Centre, expanded indoor options downtown, such as Globe Theatre programming, and family-focused activities that give people places to warm up without leaving the festival.

“There’s a lot that’s free to take in,” Johnson said, noting tickets are required for select events, including shows at the Globe Theatre, the Connexus brunch and activities at the REAL District.

The REAL District also doubles as a gathering place for Olympic viewing, with big screens set up alongside indoor warm-up spaces and outdoor activities.

“There’s going to be hours worth of entertainment there,” Johnson said. “You can be outside having fun with the kids, then pull up a chair and watch the Olympics for a bit.”

Both Johnson and Betker say the three-weekend format lets people explore the festival in stages downtown one weekend, Wascana Centre the next and the REAL District after that.

“People always say there’s nothing to do in Regina,” Johnson said. “Well, you can’t say that with FROST going on.”

FROST Regina runs the first three weekends through February, with organizers encouraging residents to check schedules in advance and stay flexible as weather conditions evolve.