Celebrating A Global Game: Why Community Culture Night Is A Reason To Come Together

The 2023 CFL pre-season is on our doorstep!

If that isn’t reason enough to be excited, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are rolling out the Green carpet for fans throughout the day, this Saturday, May 27th both in and around Mosaic Stadium! The list of events and attractions is long enough to fill the SaskTel MaxTron—but fear not, we’re here to help break it down for you, and help get you prepped for a pre-season kickoff that’ll keep the excitement level peaked well beyond the final whistle (after which there’s an exciting opportunity for fans… stay tuned!).

For starters, you’ll want to arrive early as the famed Coors Light Party in the Park is back for another year and boasts more bang for your entertainment buck (it’s free!) than you can shake a yardage marker at! Beginning at 2 p.m. fans can make their way down to Confederation Park where inflatables, face painters and tailgate games await. There’s an Indian traditional and Bollywood dance performance to kick off the live show, followed with more acts in the type of quick succession that rivals the Rider run game! Don’t miss a minute of the Mariachi Latino Band, RCCA Tai Chi, 620 CKRM Rider Pep Band and 620 CKRM Rider Cheer team performances!

— Catches breath – 

After that, at 5:00 p.m., the stage is set for the main event of the evening: Riders vs. Lions— a pre-season matchup that’ll feel like a mid-October game thanks to the amount of anticipation and seemingly endless opportunity it presents. Get your first glimpse at many in Green & White, including potential new backup pivot Shea Patterson, along with returnees Jake Dolegala and Mason Fine, who will all see time in the absence of Trevor Harris who is away welcoming his third son. Congrats, QB1! 

But it’s not just under centre where the position battles will be fought – in fact, it’s all around him! With another off-season acquisition, Peter Godber, having seemingly cemented his role during the first two weeks of camp, many other spots on the O-Line are yet to be decided. Rider Nation, you wanted a revamped front five and we’ll say this much, you’re going to want to keep your eyes glued to the trenches at our new look “Hogs”.

In addition to this attention-worthy showcase are numerous other storylines which will also be vying for airtime come Saturday evening. Namely the receivers… see what we did there… airtime…? With names like Shawn Bane Jr., Samuel Emilus and Kendall Watson making their mark in Saskatoon, there are sure to be some grabs worthy of a Rob Vanstone recap come Sunday morning.

Now, let’s move back to the sidelines, where the cameras will be rolling as the show goes on at halftime with more multicultural moments to keep the energy level at 13, and show off just how rich and diverse the landscape of the Heartland truly is. It’ll be a jam-packed break in the football action with entertainers from many corners of the globe including Spain, Scotland and The Philippines taking to the turf.

On the concourse, you’ll find a refreshed food and beverage array that’s as affordable as it is diverse—so use your time wisely, but use some of it to grab some grub, as the Mosaic fare will be as far-reaching as the acts on display.

And finally, following the game (we told you to stay tuned), fans will be invited on the field to run and play like the pros! 

There’s something to be said for going around the world in 80 days, but we’ll do you one better and take you there over an evening. We’ll see you Saturday, Rider Nation—and if you haven’t got yours yet, great tickets are still available at Riderville.com.