The first weekend of the expanded Queen City Exhibition is in the books, and by all means it was a success

REAL’s Mark Rathwell says despite a slow start due to weather on Friday, a record number of people walked through the gates Saturday.

“We set a new single-day record for admissions to the Ex at 45,000 people,” said Rathwell. “It was a beautiful day, and it was very exciting when we had a bit of a slow start on Friday, to pick things up and set a record on Saturday.”

Rathwell says even with the unpredictability of the weather, a record-breaking Saturday gives them hope for a great fair overall.

Even though the fair shut down Sunday night for a cleaning break, Rathwell says it’s amazing to think there’s another five days of the fair.

“An 8-day fair in Regina hasn’t happened since the 70s, so we do have the luxury of time to really try to attract and get as many people to consider coming to the fair and having a great experience,” said Rathwell. “It’s actually very exciting to think about that we’re not even half way through yet.”

He says the two-day break will allow REAL to manage logistics and clean thoroughly before letting people back in the gates Wednesday.

Rathwell says despite the break, people will have the same experience no matter if they came the first weekend or the last.

“The people who come here may not really see a difference if they came on the first weekend,” said Rathwell. “But for us, it’s just about ensuring we’re doing our utmost to ensure everyone who comes through the gate has the best experience possible.”

Next week’s festivities kick off with “Frontline Workers’ Day” on Wednesday.