Nuit Blanche is one of my favourite nights of the year in Saskatoon. The festival brings together talented artists from all walks of life to showcase their talents and express themselves under the darkness of a prairie night. There's something about seeing public art in the dark that makes the works unique and special.

Xiao Han expresses the uniqueness of Nuit Blanche Saskatoon way better than I can. She is an artist and photographer here in Saskatoon, and is this year's curator of Nuit Blanche. She sees our community through a special lens, and I think that comes through in our conversation. Xiao explains what listeners will experience on the night of September 20th, why the festival is spread out over three locations (Broadway, River Landing and Downtown) and how this year's theme of "Living In Between" has inspired artists this year.

It was such a pleasure speaking with Xiao! We met on a Saturday morning at the large steps that overlook the K.W. Nasser Plaza in River Landing, and it was wondering hearing why this location means so much Xiao.

You can learn more about this year's Nuit Blanche Saskatoon by visiting the website and give it a follow on Instagram as well!

Thank you for continuing to support a local, independent podcast here in Saskatoon. I hope to see you out and about on Saturday night!

Cheers...

Eric

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

Hello and welcome to Season Eight debut of YXE Underground. I’m Eric Anderson and welcome to the University of Saskatchewan’s Physical Activity for Active Living, or PAAL, program.

It’s a Wednesday night in late August. I’m in the gymnasium room of the Physical Activity Complex on the UofS campus. There are children and teenagers running and jumping on different obstacles set up throughout the space, and they’re joined by high school and university student volunteers who are helping them make the most of their time tonight.

PAAL is a program for individuals of all ages who are experiencing physical and or intellectual disabilities. Its mission is to provide quality physical activity focusing on fun, skill development and social interaction.

On this night, the child/teen PAAL program is wrapping up its summer session for youth ages 5 to 18. Half of the class is here in the gymnasium while the other half is downstairs in the pool…which we will visit later on.

It’s hard to articulate just how much positivity and joy are taking place in these two spaces, but I hope by the end of the episode, you will be able to feel just how impactful PAAL is for the participants, the student volunteers, and the parents of the children.

You can listen to YXE Underground wherever you find your favourite podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the YXE Underground website, and I am excited to say that you can now listen to the podcast on YouTube! It only took eight years. Simply search YXE Underground on YouTube and you will find all 116 episodes of the podcast.

Don’t forget to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear.

A big thank you to Saskatoon photographer Rona Andreas for taking amazing photos for this episode, which you can see on Facebook, Instagram and X. Simply search YXE Underground.

Thank you also to Saskatoon’s Danger Dynamite for creating and maintaining the website and to Saskatoon’s Vita Beauty Bar for supporting this episode.

Before I go, I would like to acknowledge that these interviews were gathered on Treaty Six territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis.

Thank you so much for listening and for your continued support!

Cheers...Eric

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

Hello and welcome to a special summer bonus episode of YXE Underground. I hope you are having a wonderful summer!

One of the highlights of my summer is always enjoying the Saskatoon Fringe Festival. It is put on by Saskatoon's 25th Street Theatre and features artists not only from Saskatoon and Canada, but from around the world as well. The Fringe Festival attracts amazing live theatre productions to our community and brings people together in very unique ways that Philippa Williams explains in this episode of the podcast.

Philippa Williams has been with 25th Street Theatre for years, and this year is one of the leaders who is ensuring the festival runs smoothly. I met with Philippa at the Fringe Festival site in W.E. Graham Park in the Broadway neighbourhood to learn more about this year's festival and discover why fringe performers continue to choose Saskatoon as a place to share their talents. Philippa also shares her passion for ensuring the Fringe continues to make a difference in our community. I think you will love our conversation and hopefully it sparks an interest in checking out this year's Saskatoon Fringe Festival!

Click here to learn more about the shows being performed at this year's festival and to purchase tickets. The Fringe Festival runs from July 31st to August 9th, and I hope to see you at one of the shows!

Don't forget that Season 8 of YXE Underground launches in September!

Thank you for continuing to support a local, independent podcast here in Saskatoon.

Cheers...Eric

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis