‘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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The organization said the fair generated $12.9 million in economic impact for Saskatchewan. It added that 20,000 fans and music lovers attended outdoor concerts in Confederation Park over the five nights.

The 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, which was down 27 per cent from 2024.

How fairgoers felt about the event

Arnab Das said he 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 said he liked the fair food, chowing down on deep-fried Oreos and a colossal onion. The teenager said he hopes to see larger rides and roller coasters at next year’s fair.

Children could ride a dragon roller-coaster during Kidway Morning at the Queen City Ex on July 30, 2026. (Jacob Bamhour/ 980 CJME)

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

His father, Tapas, said he thought his 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 said he saw room for improvement at the beginning of the exhibition, 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 said she 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.