The Exchange announces new folk festival in Regina

A new community-driven festival aims to honour the spirit of the Regina Folk Festival while creating a fresh start.

More than a year after the permanent cancellation of the Regina Folk Festival, local music venue the Exchange is set to take over with a spiritual successor.

“Regina has long been home to one of Canada’s most beloved music traditions. 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,” the Exchange said in a news release Thursday.

Operated by the Saskatchewan Cultural Exchange Society, the Exchange said the event will be community driven and “honours the spirit of what came before” while evolving to meet Regina’s current musical and performance landscape.

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“This is not simply a replacement. It is a strategic reset: more accessible, more inclusive, and built for long-term sustainability,” the release said.

The Exchange Folk Festival will be held with free admission at Regina’s Victoria Park on August 8, 2026 from 12 p.m. “until late.”

A lineup announcement is set for Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in Victoria Park, also free to attend.

The event’s new website lists several funding sources from the City of Regina, Sask. Lotteries and the federal government. The event is also looking for volunteers.

The last Regina Folk Festival was held in 2023 before going on hiatus the following year. Despite initial plans to return in 2025, event organizers announced the festival’s permanent cancellation in March of that year.

The Exchange runs concerts throughout the year featuring a range of performers, from indie bands to local artists and bigger name rock and alternative acts like Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, the Lazys and Faber Drive.

With files from Caitlin Brezinski