Expect the unexpected at the 27th Cathedral Village Arts Festival

Everything that makes Regina’s Cathedral neighbourhood special was showcased at this year’s 27th annual Cathedral Village Arts Festival.

“This year’s theme is ‘expect the unexpected,'” said festival co-chair Barbara Tomporowski. “We have a whole week of free artistic events.”

From music and art to food and dance, the event is all about community and celebration.

READ MORE: Cathedral Village Arts Festival street fair draws crowds of tens of thousands

Sharing a stage for the first time was Pale Blew duo Jeff Morton and Mod Shaun. The newly-formed duo performs what is known as drone music, a genre that, unlike them, has been around for decades.

“It’s often associated with electronic music going back to the mid 20th century [until] today, but it’s also a musical technique that exists in many different genres and specializations,” Morton said.

For one day, the two artists came together for a special collaboration at the festival.

“We thought it was a great chance to dive into a project and see what we could come up with,” Morton said.

The six-day event was expected to draw crowds of up to 40,000 people, a huge milestone since the festival started over a quarter century ago.

READ MORE: Cathedral Village Arts Festival kicks off 25th year

“I love to people-watch and see the crazy awesome people in Regina and definitely see the different kinds of booths and support the local entrepreneurs,” one festival-goer said.

Local entrepreneurs included first-time vendor Brent Ghiglione, who has given new life to his collection of musical instruments. He is just one of 300 artisans who participated in Saturday’s street fair.

“These are dead instruments,” he explained. “They’ve been housed in my garage for eons, so in February my daughter and I pulled them out and we started to bang together lamps.”

Saturday’s street fair marked the final day of the festival, and whether you’re a regular or it’s your first time, it was a week full of the unexpected.