‘Room for more’: Fair fans want bigger rides, better security at QCX

Fairgoers experienced highs and lows at this year’s Queen City Exhibition — and not just on the rides.

Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) District is asking patrons to provide feedback on their QCX experience through an online survey following the conclusion of the five-day event on Sunday.

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REAL District said the fair generated $12.9 million in economic impact for Saskatchewan in a news release. It added that 20,000 fans and music lovers attended outdoor concerts in Confederation Park over five nights.

REAL District did not release attendance numbers for the event, despite reporting crowd sizes in previous years. 980 CJME made several attempts to confirm the 2026 QCX attendance total with REAL but received no response.

Almost 75,000 people attended the Ex in 2025, down 27 per cent from 2024.

How fairgoers felt about the event

Arnab Das enjoyed his time at QCX this year — but didn’t get all the thrills he hoped for.

“The rides weren’t bad in my opinion,” said the 16-year-old. “There weren’t any roller coasters, which I kind of thought was a bummer.”

Das liked the fair food, chowing down on deep-fried Oreos and a Colossal Onion. The 16-year-old hopes to see larger rides and roller coasters at next year’s fair.

“I feel like there’s room for more,” Das said.

His father, Tapas, thought a day at QCX was a great success.

“Overall, the safety, security, the enthusiasm, the fun, everything — it made for a perfect day for us,” he said. “We enjoyed a lot.”

Tapas saw room for improvement at the beginning of the event, hoping QCX will bring back a bigger kickoff event.

“We should really do a parade so that it will help us to connect our community as well,” he said.

Olivia Garcia missed some of the bigger rides that were on the fairgrounds in years past, but she still enjoyed the attractions.

“It was pretty fun this year,” she said. “I think that they got rid of some of the good rides.”

Regina police reported an incident in which a patron was arrested after deploying bear spray. Garcia said she wants to see more security to prevent weapons from entering the fair.

REAL will no longer oversee exhibition operations after some of the district’s campus was sold to Brandt Properties in May.