The Grey Cup will be bringing much more than a football game to Vancouver this November.
The BC Lions are hosting Canada’s largest annual sporting event for the first time in 10 years, and with it comes a week-long festival that includes live music, parties, and, among other things, a zipline that will allow people to fly through the sky above Coal Harbour.
Details were revealed Thursday afternoon at a media event at the Vancouver Convention Centre, where many of the parties and events will be taking place during the festival.
The 2024 Grey Cup Festival kicks off on November 11 and concludes with the 111th edition of the CFL’s championship game at BC Place on November 17. Tickets go on sale to the general public on June 4.
Two public ziplines will be set up for the event, which will surely remind people of when Vancouver hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The harbour zipline will send people soaring five stories above the ocean on a 500-foot ride between the East and West Convention Centres.
Meanwhile, a nearby street zipline will feature a 530-foot ride over Canada Place Way.
Grey Cup mascot “Justin Beaver” shows off festival plans (Steven Chang/BC Lions)
“Vancouver is gearing up to host the ultimate showdown in Canadian football,” said Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim. “We’re rolling out the welcome mat for fans from coast to coast. Get ready for an epic Grey Cup Festival experience in our city later this year.ā
Organizers expect over 500,000 festival goers for the street festival, which lasts from November 13 to 16.
āCanada Place Way is set to come alive like never before from November 13 to 16 as we transform the area between Thurlow and Howe into a fun and adrenaline-filled destination,ā said Riley Wiwchar, executive director of the 2024 Grey Cup Festival.
Over 20 musical acts will perform free outdoor concerts during the street festival, with things like mini football fields, food trucks, and partner activations adding to the atmosphere.
Team parties and ticketed concerts will take place inside Vancouver Convention Centre West.
Map of the Grey Cup Festival, taking place in and around the Vancouver Convention Centre
Vancouver has hosted the Grey Cup 16 times before, but not since 2014. The 10-year gap is the longest the Lions have gone without hosting the Grey Cup since they entered the CFL in 1954.
The Lions are hoping history repeats itself with respect to the Grey Cup games in 1994 and 2011. BC Place not only hosted in both those years, but the Lions were crowned champions on home field as well.
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