Orest Warnyca has been to every Mosaic festival over 60 years, and doesn’t plan on stopping

On Wednesday morning, the tables were already set up, yellow-and-blue cloths on top, and volunteers were busy building the walls and stage at the Kyiv Ukrainian pavilion for the 2026 Mosaic festival.

Orest Warnyca was right in the middle of things, as he’s been for more than 50 years.

The nearly 88-year-old Warnyca has been attending the festival since the first event was held in 1967, though he doesn’t remember too much from the first festival. At that time, it was a one-day event at a single venue, with admission set at $1.

Read more:

• Riders announce new pre-game fan events ahead of home opener
• Summer in the city: Regina’s outdoor pools open next week
• VIDEO: Member of family behind Regina conservation park concerned about road proposal

Warnyca’s parents moved to Canada from Ukraine in 1928. He said the community where he grew up had people of many different cultures, but it wasn’t until his family moved to Regina when he was in Grade 9 that there were more Ukrainians around.

When Mosaic came along, he said it was intriguing to learn what the other cultures were about.

“We went to high school and everybody blended in, and everybody knew who they were, but where they came from or where they went, or some of the culture, some of the food, some of the style and attire and stuff like that, we really didn’t know,” Warnyca explained.

The 2025 festival marked his 50th year volunteering with the Kyiv Ukrainian pavilion.

He said when the festival first started, both the event and the pavilions were a lot smaller. His was at the Ukrainian National Federal hall, which Warnyca said would hold 100-150 people.

“The lineups were tremendous. Outside the door (they) were waiting to get in, and you had to hope people would leave after a show just so others could come in,” he explained.

He said they were cramped, so it was hard to move inside the pavilions and hard to move between them. Now, Warnyca said the pavilions are much bigger.

“Now, when I go out to pavilions, it’s quite likely that I will get in without too much of a line. Often there’ll be lineups at peak times, but you will be able to visit two or three pavilions an evening quite easily,” he said.

Orest Warnyca at his Mosaic pavilion in 1983 (provided)

He also said the entertainment is a lot more polished at recent festivals.

“At one time, you maybe had a little bit of a floodlight or something like that, but here… we have lighting and sound – all technicians put up. It’s no longer just a battery-operated radio that’s playing music. It’s much more sophisticated,” Warnyca said.

There are also more people involved these days. Warnyca said there are at least 200 volunteers working at the pavilion, with 18 committees to keep them all organized. He said there are more dance groups involved now, too.

“Mosaic is always a highlight for them, and that’s one way they can get out on the stage and share their culture; they can share it with the community at large,” he said.

Warnyca has done almost everything in his years working at Mosaic – organizing entertainment, volunteers and security at one point or another. He’s also led the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan and the Regina Multicultural Council over the years. He said he’s helped out here and there at the bar and with food as well.

“Probably the biggest undertaking is food, and that’s a committee with somebody who has little talent,” he said with a laugh in his voice.

These days, Warnyca arranges the boutique area in the pavilion, which has him working months ahead of time, but allows him to sit back and enjoy the three days the festival is happening.

It’s been many years since Warnyca retired from his day job as a school principal, but it doesn’t seem like he’s ready to retire from Mosaic any time soon.

“It’s hard to really retire from here. You kind of slow down a little bit,” he said.

Orest Warnyca posing in front of the Kyiv Ukrainian pavilion sign. He said it’s old enough the sign included the city’s old spelling. (provided)

Warnyca’s favourite part about the festival isn’t the food or drink, but meeting all the people.

“I enjoy the fact that other people can come and visit here, and I can meet with a lot of people who I normally don’t see, or meet with people who I really don’t know, and you just meet them here,” he said.

“Within our own community, there are many, many people… I don’t see a lot of them throughout the year, but when it comes to Mosaic or activities leading up to it, you get to see them.”

The Kyiv Ukrainian pavilion is at the Co-operators Centre again this year, running until Saturday night – one of 19 pavilions in the annual festival.