Cathedral Village Arts Festival kicks off in Regina: Here’s what’s happening

WATCH: Sierra D’Souza Butts has the details as the summertime staple kicks off in Regina’s Cathedral Neighbourhood.

A signature staple of summertime in Regina – the annual Cathedral Village Arts Festival officially kicked off Monday morning.

While the gloomy skies and single digit temperatures more resembled fall – that didn’t dampen the spirits of those at the festival’s kick off.

Every year the festivities open with a parade from Athol Street to Les Sherman Park. Despite some minor delays, the event went off as planned.

“This festival has really grown to become a citywide festival, but the Cathedral Village is a special place filled with not just artists, but lots of artists and people who love the arts, people who want to do their own thing,” festival chair Robert Truszkowki told CTV News.

“Community is really top of mind for the people that live in the neighborhood. That’s where it originally started and I think that’s at the core of it today still.”

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Organized by roughly 150 volunteers, Truszkowki said lots of preparation goes into the event in hopes of making it a welcoming space for all who attend.

“Art should be for everyone, art should be inclusive. It shouldn’t just be for people who can afford to have time to do art,” he expressed.

“... For me, that’s really important for this festival and really at the core is to keep it accessible, because art should be enjoyable and accessible by everyone.”

Hotdog! Bluegrass, one of the performers for this year’s event, said the festival is an important lifeline for local artists.

“This festival, more than any festival in Regina, is about community, and we really appreciate supporting that,” band member Nathan Ottenson explained.

“It’s paying gigs for artists, it’s free for everybody to attend. You get viewership, you get to play on a stage, and you get some eyeballs which, I mean, is what any artist is looking for.”

With the shuttering of several longtime community events fresh on the mind - Truszkowki encourages everyone to take advantage of the week-long event in Cathedral.

“If you don’t use a festival like this you lose a festival like this, and unfortunately in Regina we lost a couple of festivals recently. The [Regina International] Fringe Theatre Festival and the Folk Festival [were] both long time festivals and enjoyed by the people of this city,” he explained.

“We have this amazing, free, accessible festival with lots of different things. You don’t have to like everything to come to some things, and you could like everything and not make it to all things.”

Set to run from May 19 to May 24, here’s a full rundown of what will be happening at this year’s Cathedral Arts Festival. A map of the venues can also be found at the bottom of this article.

Tuesday

Artesian

Radiant Press and Saskatchewan Book Awards – with local music. 7 p.m.

St. Mary’s Church

Art is for healing the soul – an evening piano performance. 7 p.m.

Westminster United Church

The Conservatory of Performing Arts Prairie Kids Chorus. 6 p.m.

South Saskatchewan Youth Orchestra 8 p.m.

YWCA Kikaskihtanaw

Ribbon shirt crafting and knowledge sharing. 7 p.m.

Wednesday

Artesian

Queen City Improvement Bureau live radio show. 7:30 p.m.

Pass the Hat comedian David Carnegie introduces four short “Fringe Survivor” plays. 9 p.m.

Holy Rosary Tent

Poetry Slam Night. 7:30 p.m.

St. Mary’s Church

Tour of the church’s beautiful stained glass. 7 p.m.

Westminster United Church

Historic pipe organ performance with Q&A afterward. 7 p.m.

YWCA

Reconciliation Through Music – Acoustic musicians of all ages welcome to bring their instruments and learn songs, chants and techniques. Beginners especially welcome. 7:30 p.m.

Thursday

Artesian

Fransaskois music night. 7:30 p.m.

Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre

Beer Tent. 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Indie Rock Summer – Performances by Blu Beach Band, Tracy Waters, Endless Retirement, Burrow and $133PY_Boi_Bazinga. 8 p.m.

Holy Rosary Tent

Fada Dance 6 p.m.

The Chaban Ukrainian Dance Troupe 6:30 p.m.

Kris Alvarez’s Burnt Sienna Boulevard interactive variety show. 7 p.m.

Gallery on 14th

Rainbow Fence, snacks, refreshments and children’s musical instruments. 4:30 p.m.

Late Night Shopping on 13th

From Albert to Elphinstone, local galleries and retailers will stay open for Cathedral’s annual evening of late-night shopping.

Shannon’s Pub

Pete’s Press Pitch Session – Have an Oscar-winning screenplay? Or a story in your heart that you absolutely must tell? You can get some professional advice from local publisher Pete’s Press on how to build your career as a writer. 7 p.m.

St. Mary’s Church

Art is a Dialogue – Sask. artist Russell Mang shares his experiences of using art to articulate his inner life. 7 p.m.

YWCA Kikaskihtanaw

The Leeson Lecture – Former Premier Lorne Calvert will offer thoughts on what citizenship means in the time of Trump. Open mic discussion to follow. 8 p.m.

Friday

Artesian

Film Friday – The University of Regina Film Department, Saskatchewan Film Coop and Laterna Film collective offer a curated program of singular 16mmm films and celluloid projections synced to live music. 7 p.m.

Bloc Rock at Mercury and Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre

A musical mashup. Both the Mercury and CNC will host multiple emerging artists at the opposite ends of the same block of 13th Avenue. 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Holy Rosary Tent

World music under a big tent.

Mariachi Latino Band. 6 p.m.

Hustsul Drive. 7 p.m.

Hoodoo. 8 p.m. T

he Andino Sons. 9 p.m.

St. Mary’s Church

Johnny Lonesome’s All-Star Songwriters’ Showcase and Travelling Music Review. 7 p.m.

Saturday - Daytime

Street Fair Day on 13th Ave.

Includes almost 400 vendors from across western Canada. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Holy Rosary Park

“Funville” returns and will include everything from medieval dancing to CC RezQ puppies to egg and spoon races. 10 a.m.

SaskMilk Ice Cream Eating Contest 11 a.m.

Bowtie Guy and Mz Muzik 12 p.m.

The Young Performers Showcase. 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday - Nighttime

Artesian

Live comedy night. 8 p.m.

Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre

A Night of Rock – Performances from Regina rock group Cheap Heat and local metal band SED3MENT. 7 p.m.

Holy Rosary Tent

Performances from Bryce Lewis 7 p.m.

Library Voices 8 p.m.

Megan Nash 9 p.m.

St. Mary’s Church

Northern Lights Blue Grass and Old Tyme Music Society. Traditional dance and two-step prairie music. 7 p.m. to 12 a.m.