REGINA — The City of Regina is monitoring warmer temperatures hitting the area as Frost Regina gets underway on Friday.
According to Environment Canada, the city is expected to see daytime highs above 0 C throughout the week, including +8 C on Thursday.
Jennifer Johnson, deputy city manager for communications, Service Regina and tourism, said some events could be impacted by the weather.
“We're [currently] monitoring the ice rinks. If we get a sustained week of plus temperatures and it doesn't get very cold at night, we might have to close the rinks.”
Johnson also said the city is monitoring the snow hill and crokicurl at the Regina Exhibition Association Limited’s (REAL) Confederation Park.
With the potential impacts, Johnson said there will be daily team calls with the organizing committee for any changes.
“Those updates will be communicated on the Frost Regina website,” noted Johnson.
Unlike previous years, Frost Regina will run over three weekends this year, Feb. 6-8, 13-16 and 20-22. Johnson said the expanded schedule helps make the event more weather-resilient amid unpredictable conditions.
“We know in Saskatchewan, winter can mean everything from plus temperatures and melting ice sculptures all the way to freezing temperatures and blizzard conditions and everything in between.”
Johnson also noted that each location of the festival has both an indoor and an outdoor component to provide folks with activities, regardless of the weather.
Attendance-wise, Johnson sees the warmer weather as a positive for more people to drop in.
“The warmer temperatures definitely allow people to be a little bit more leisurely.”
She added, “The downtown area is a great example. We'd really like people to walk around downtown, enjoy the programming that has been planned, but also pop into some restaurants or pop into a bar and have a cocktail.”
Attendance is one factor Johnson is looking at for a successful Frost Regina.
The event has seen a dip in attendance over the past few years. The 2024 event drew in 63,000 people, down from 88,000 in 2023. Both of the events took place over roughly 10 days.
Last year, Frost Regina saw 29,000 people attend the event over a shorter four-day period.
With many free events and an extended schedule, Johnson is hopeful for a strong turnout.
Frost Regina begins this Friday. More information can be found here.
