Новый фестиваль The Exchange Folk Festival заменил закрытый 50-летний Regina Folk Festival

The Exchange Folk Festival has emerged from the ashes of the Regina Folk Festival to host multiple local performances this summer, culminating in the main event at Victoria Park on Aug. 8. Preliminary shows began in June at The Exchange, a live music club that intends to promote Canadian groups from various genres in a friendly atmosphere for all ages. Currently offering indoor concerts in the punk, rock and metal realm, The Exchange presented recent festival pre-shows which included a mix of rock, folk and more with performances by the Spoils, Hard Feelings, Nortown Butchers and others. The Exchange Folk Festival is helping fill a gap created by the loss of the Regina Folk Festival, which had been a summer staple at Victoria Park for over 50 years until it shut down in 2024. Organizers released a statement at the time announcing the festival was being cancelled due to increasing costs that had been building since the COVID-19 pandemic. “According to the Canadian Live Music Association, the industry has been receiving a staggering 60 per cent revenue decline during the pandemic,” said the statement. “Self-generated revenue and sponsorship have not kept pace with inflation.” Initially, the folk festival was expected to return in 2025 but instead was permanently cancelled and its office was closed. The Exchange hosts Canadian musicians year round. Recognizing the loss of the folk festival, the Saskatchewan Cultural Exchange Society took the opportunity to continue the legacy by starting a festival of its own with the help of donations and sponsors. It’s free to attend. “Regina has long been home to one of Canada’s most beloved music traditions,” reads a statement on the event’s website (theexchangefolkfestival.ca). “With the closure of the Regina Folk Festival, a meaningful cultural and community gap has emerged, one felt by audiences, artists, and the broader creative sector alike. “We are launching a new, community-driven music festival, one that honours the spirit of what came before, while evolving to meet the needs of Regina today. This is not simply a replacement. It is a strategic reset: more accessible, more inclusive, and built for long-term sustainability.” The new festival’s kickoff party takes place Aug. 7 at The Exchange, featuring a performance by Bleeker. The outdoor festival begins the next day at noon in Victoria Park. The lineup so far includes: The Besnard Lakes, Andino Suns, Black Tea, Black Thunder, Kara Golemba, Indigo Joseph, The North Sound, Ron Loos Band, Tiny & the Hard Feelings, and Zoe James and the Wistful Daydreams, with more to come. The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.