Winnipeg’s Grey Cup week will have something for everyone

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/06/2015 (3998 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With all the options Manitobans have to spend their money on this winter, the folks at the 103rd Grey Cup Festival are making a strong pitch to football fans’ wallets with a slew of events lined up to celebrate the Canadian Football League’s ultimate week.

While the Winnipeg Jets will be two months into their season, and the newly minted Manitoba Moose will have their inaugural campaign underway as well, Jason Smith, president of the 103rd Grey Cup Festival, feels the there will be something to tickle every fancy come late November.

“Firstly, it’s very reasonably priced,” Smith said. “All of the events are easily affordable for most Manitobans. In addition, we felt it was very important to provide a free component. Anyone can come down and be a part (of those events), so I don’t think money is going to be an issue for anyone in that regard.”

Of the 16 planned during the week of Nov. 25 to Nov. 29, seven are free, with one notable being the Grey Cup Festival Santa Claus Parade, which will take place Nov. 28.

The ticketed events will be headlined by the 103rd Grey Cup Festival Gala Dinner on the Saturday at RBC Convention Centre. Comedian Gerry Dee and classic rocker Randy Bachman will be performing at the marquee event, which despite the ongoing expansion of the facility, is said to be a go.

“We’re busy getting ready for the event, and we will be ready for the event,” said Klaus Lahr, president and CEO at RBC Convention Centre.

Smith, who said he’s been closely monitoring the situation at 375 York Ave., also brushed aside any concern that RBC Convention Centre wouldn’t be ready on time.

“I’ve been in and toured the new parts several times, and we feel confident that all parts of the building we will need to utilize will be up and running,” Smith said.

If the convention-centre expansion isn’t finished by late November, the existing component of the venue — north of York Avenue – will house the events

The five-day event will also be bolstered by a concert series featuring local and national acts to welcome the 10,000 people expected to take part in the festivities.

Juno Award-winning artists Dallas Smith, The Sheepdogs and Loverboy will be joined by Aaron Pritchett, 54-40 and the Queen City Kids between Thursday and Saturday.

Meanwhile, the decision to keep the events more centralized and away from Investors Group Field boiled down to serviceability and promoting Winnipeg’s downtown core.

“A very functional reason is that most of the hotels, which we need for all the people coming in, are downtown,” Smith said. “We also like the idea of spreading the event out to both campuses. We do have a lot of programming on Sunday, but we also thought it would be a great idea to engage the core of downtown and put events down at the University of Winnipeg.”

Premier Greg Selinger said he expects the province to see an influx of $80-$100 million of economic activity being funnelled into local coffers thanks to the Grey Cup game.

“When we built the new stadium, it was understood that when the stadium was completed we would get a Grey Cup here within five years. We’ve been able to do that,” Selinger said. “It allows us to showcase our community, the volunteers and our tremendous assets.”

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Mayor Brian Bowman, meanwhile, said not only does he expect the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to be in the CFL’s biggest game, but he also expects them to emerge victorious.

Selinger? Well, he was playing his cards closer to his chest.

“It’s going to be a great event, whoever plays,” he said. “But the if the Bombers were in the Grey Cup, the excitement would go through the roof, even in this new building here.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.