Banjo Bowl

Saskatchewan Roughriders Winnipeg Blue Bombers
First meeting	September 12, 2004 Blue Bombers 27,Roughriders 24
Latest meeting	September 6, 2025 Blue Bombers 13,Roughriders 21
Next meeting	TBD
Statistics
Meetings total	21
All-time series	Blue Bombers lead, 13–8
Largest victory	Roughriders: 55–10 (2009) Blue Bombers: 51–6 (2023)
Smallest victory	Roughriders: 25–24 (2012) Blue Bombers: 27–24 (2004)
Longest win streak	Blue Bombers: 5 (2019–2024)
Current win streak	Roughriders: 1 (2025–present)

TheBanjo Bowl is the annual rematch game between theWinnipeg Blue Bombers andSaskatchewan Roughriders of theCanadian Football League (CFL) after theLabour Day Classic. While the traditional Labour Day Classic game is always played on the Sunday beforeLabour Day atMosaic Stadium inRegina, Saskatchewan (previously held atTaylor Field), there is usually a rematch on the following weekend between these two rivalprairie teams atPrincess Auto Stadium (previously held atCanad Inns Stadium) inWinnipeg,Manitoba.

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?"^[1] 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.^[1] 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.^[1] Every year starting in 2004, Saskatchewan has hosted the Labour Day Classic and Winnipeg has hosted the Labour Day Rematch. As of the 2025 season, Winnipeg leads the series 13–8.

As on Labour Day weekend when many Winnipeg fans visit Regina to support theBombers, many Saskatchewan fans visit Winnipeg the following weekend to support theRoughriders. 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^[2] as does the league's official television broadcaster,TSN.^[3] In 2013, the Premier of Saskatchewan,Brad Wall, joined in the spirit of the event by posting a video on hisYouTube channel making reference to the rivalry and the Banjo Bowl game.^[4] The Roughriders themselves have avoided the use of the title "Banjo Bowl" in official communications, referring to the game as the "Labour Day rematch".^[5]

The "Banjo Bowl" moniker was coined by Blue Bombers board memberDavid Asper in early 2004, inspired by an infamous comment made by BombersplacekickerTroy Westwood in the week prior to a2003 Western Division Semi-final game between the two teams. Westwood was quoted in the media as saying that people from Regina were "a bunch ofbanjo-pickin'inbreds", which was a reference to the scene and song "Dueling Banjos" from the movieDeliverance.^[6][7] 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."^[8] 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.

• Saskatchewan Roughriders
• Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• Canadian Football League rivalries

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