A decade's worth of planning and $278 million later, New Mosaic Stadium is officially open.
Many gathered in Confederation Park Friday to mark the day — including Brad Wall, who said he's proud of what's been accomplished.
"It should be a point of pride — not only for the people of our capital city, in Regina, but for everybody in Saskatchewan," said Wall.
Wall added that the stadium raises Regina to a new level, and he can't wait to see how loud it gets on Canada Day.
Mayor Michael Fougere was also at the grand opening of New Mosaic Stadium and said he still can't believe it's a reality.
"When you actually see the bricks and mortar, and you actually see it opening, it's chilling — it's fantastic," said Fougere.
Mark Williams, principal with HKS Architects -- the company who designed the new facility —said seeing how fans react to New Mosaic Stadium is the best part.
"To be able to watch people walk in the doors and watch their eyes get big in awe -- that's just a very cool thing," said Williams.
While Williams might be from the U.S., he said he's a major Roughriders fan and understands the importance of a home game atmosphere.
"One of the things I loved was feeling that energy in the old stadium, and it's going to be every bit and more in (New Mosaic Stadium)," he explained.
Williams said he's proud of the new stadium he helped design, and added that he expects New Mosaic to stand out within the CFL.
"I think the rest of the country and the rest of the league is going to look at this stadium and say 'holy cow, they did it again — Rider Nation did it again,'" he said.
According to Williams, everything from the size of New Mosaic Stadium to the number of washrooms inside was created with Riderville in mind, and he hopes it lives up to everyone's expectations.
Gates open for the Canada Day home opener against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 5:30 p.m. — kick off is at 7 p.m.
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