New Regina food festival serves up global flavours with local vendors

REGINA — A new food festival has arrived in Regina.

Regina FoodieLand has brought 35 local vendors from across the city, selling cuisines from around the world.

“So we have a mix of Indian, Filipino, and then there's Chinese. We also have Shrauma, which is Middle Eastern,” said Nikhil Patel, organizer of Regina FoodieLand.

Patel mentioned the inspiration behind this event was giving local vendors a platform to be represented.

“We are giving them a startup and seeing if they can test out the market.”

Planning for the event started eight months ago, including permits, reaching out to vendors, finding sponsorship and more.

Patel had originally expected 15 vendors for this event, but now that number has doubled.

“We still get some people reaching out, but we've been declining. So [there] has been a good demand for the events.”

For their first year, Patel is hoping for 3,000 to 5,000 people showing up.

However, rain is expected in the area on Friday and Saturday.

“With this rain,  we are hoping to get at least 2,000 or 3,000 people now.”

Along with vendors, the event will also include live music, a beer garden, and an inflatable pool.

Patel sees Regina FoodieLand as a potential staple in the city for many years to come.

“From next year on, we are hoping vendors will start reaching out to us, and there will be more excitement for it.”

Regina FoodieLand is taking place on Aug. 8 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Aug 9 from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. outside the Saskatchewan Legislature Building.