The Banjo Bowl is the annual rematch game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) after the Labour Day Classic. While the traditional Labour Day Classic game is always played on the Sunday before Labour Day at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan (previously held at Taylor Field), there is usually a rematch on the following weekend between these two rival prairie teams at Princess Auto Stadium (previously held at Canad Inns Stadium) in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
History From 1982 to 2003 consecutively, Saskatchewan hosted Winnipeg in the Labour Day Classic. This game was always held in Regina on the Sunday before Labour Day Monday. Some of these Labour Day Classic games were part of a home-and-home series. In 1984 and 1988, Winnipeg hosted Saskatchewan in the game before the Labour Day Classic. In 1986, 1991 to 1995, and 1998, Winnipeg hosted Saskatchewan in the game after the Labour Day Classic.
Dave Ritchie, Winnipeg's head coach from 1999 to 2004, would ask, "Why can’t we play [the Labour Day Classic] game in Winnipeg once in awhile?" Ritchie knew the visitors should have a clear disadvantage playing in a jacked-up, jam-packed stadium, and felt that Winnipeg should benefit once in a while. At one time, there were discussions about occasionally letting Winnipeg enjoy the home-field advantage and perhaps alternating year by year the site of the Labour Day Classic. Every year starting in 2004, Saskatchewan has hosted the Labour Day Classic and Winnipeg has hosted the Labour Day Rematch. As of the 2026 season, Winnipeg leads the series 14–8.
As on Labour Day weekend when many Winnipeg fans visit Regina to support the Bombers, many Saskatchewan fans visit Winnipeg the following weekend to support the Roughriders. Many come, tongue-in-cheek, with banjos.
Despite not being an official event, the Canadian Football League website promotes the game by referring to it as "Banjo Bowl" in some of its online coverage as does the league's official television broadcaster, TSN.TSN story In 2013, the Premier of Saskatchewan, Brad Wall, joined in the spirit of the event by posting a video on his YouTube channel making reference to the rivalry and the Banjo Bowl game. The Roughriders themselves have avoided the use of the title "Banjo Bowl" in official communications, referring to the game as the "Labour Day rematch".
Name
The "Banjo Bowl" moniker was coined by Blue Bombers board member David Asper in early 2004, inspired by an infamous comment made by Bombers placekicker Troy Westwood in the week prior to a 2003 Western Division Semi-final game between the two teams. Westwood was quoted in the media as saying that people from Regina were "a bunch of banjo-pickin' inbreds", which was a reference to the scene and song "Dueling Banjos" from the movie Deliverance. He later sardonically apologized for those comments, saying that "the vast majority of the people in Saskatchewan have no idea how to play the banjo." This further fuelled the Winnipeg–Saskatchewan football rivalry and has made the rematch game even more of an event. The game has been sold out every year since 2005.
Results YearDateWinnerScoreVenueAttendanceTVRoughriders QBBlue Bombers QB2004September 12Blue Bombers 27–24Canad Inns Stadium27,160SportsnetHenry BurrisKevin Glenn2005September 10Roughriders 19–17Canad Inns Stadium29,653CBCMarcus CrandellKevin Glenn2006September 10Blue Bombers 27–23Canad Inns Stadium30,026TSNKerry JosephKevin Glenn2007September 9Blue Bombers 34–15Canad Inns Stadium29,783TSNKerry JosephKevin Glenn2008September 7Roughriders 34–31Canad Inns Stadium29,770TSNMichael BishopKevin Glenn2009September 13Roughriders 55–10Canad Inns Stadium29,533TSNDarian DurantMichael Bishop2010September 12Blue Bombers 31–2Canad Inns Stadium29,533TSNDarian DurantSteven Jyles2011September 11Roughriders 45–23Canad Inns Stadium30,518TSNDarian DurantBuck Pierce2012September 9Roughriders 25–24Canad Inns Stadium30,077TSNDarian DurantJoey Elliott2013September 8Blue Bombers 25–13Investors Group Field33,500TSNDarian DurantJustin Goltz2014September 7Roughriders 30–24Investors Group Field33,234TSNDarian DurantDrew Willy2015September 12Blue Bombers 22–7Investors Group Field35,156TSNBrett SmithMatt Nichols2016September 10Blue Bombers 17–10Investors Group Field33,234TSNDarian DurantMatt Nichols2017September 9Blue Bombers 48–28Investors Group Field33,134TSNKevin GlennMatt Nichols2018September 8Roughriders 32–27Investors Group Field33,134TSNZach CollarosMatt Nichols2019September 7Blue Bombers 35–10IG Field33,134TSNCody FajardoChris Streveler2020Not played due to COVID-192021September 11Blue Bombers 33–9IG Field33,234TSNCody FajardoZach Collaros2022September 10Blue Bombers 54–20IG Field33,234TSNCody FajardoZach Collaros2023September 9Blue Bombers 51–6IG Field32,343TSNJake DolegalaZach Collaros2024September 7Blue Bombers 26–21Princess Auto Stadium32,343CTVTrevor HarrisZach Collaros2025September 6Roughriders 21–13Princess Auto Stadium32,343TSNTrevor HarrisZach Collaros2026September 12Blue Bombers 19–6Princess Auto Stadium32,343TSN/CTVTrevor HarrisZach Collaros
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