Grey Cup committee reveals some plans for one-stop festival

For the first time in its history, the Grey Cup Festival will be in the same location as the game in 2020.

Everything will be within walking distance on the grounds of Evraz Place.

Saskatchewan Roughriders president and CEO Craig Reynolds is co-chairing the organizing committee for the 108th Grey Cup. He said Friday the committee had to think big with all of its plans because expectations are high on Rider Nation to continue raising the bar for the Grey Cup Festival to be bigger than ever.

The idea to host the whole festival in one central location was part of the appeal of the bid in the first place.

“It’s so fan-friendly; it’s so great for the fan experience. They’ll wake up in the morning and they’ll know exactly where they can go and they can experience it all,” Reynolds said.

“When I think of the NextGen Street Festival and the ability to take your family there and then see the stadium in the backdrop where the game will be played on Sunday, that’s pretty special and it’s pretty unique in Canada.”

Reynolds said planning the CFL championship game in the new stadium is already “infinitely easier” than what went in to staging the 101st Grey Cup at the former Mosaic Stadium in 2013.

“When you don’t have to expand the stadium, when you don’t have to bring in temporary amenities, obviously that frees up capital and we want to reinvest that into the festival,” Reynolds explained.

One unique announcement on Friday morning was the inclusion of a major national Esports tournament for the video game “League of Legends” in the Grey Cup Festival plans.

“We really wanted to think outside the box and we talked a lot about youth and technology and how do we become more youthful and how do we incorporate technology into our festival and Esports was a natural (fit),” Reynolds said.

With $50,000 in prize money, the tournament is expected to attract top gamers from across Canada and their typically younger fans, many of whom may not have come to a Grey Cup before.

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie made a stop in Regina on Friday on his cross-country tour consulting with football fans.

He joked that while he can’t guarantee the Roughriders will make it to the Grey Cup game this year — as one fan asked him when he stepped off the plane — he doesn’t have any doubt this year’s festival will be amazing either way.

“I think you could have won an Olympics on the strength of the bid that (the Roughriders) put in,” Ambrosie said.

“The innovation, the energy, the whole idea of this one destination Grey Cup was so powerful. And of course your legendary volunteerism leaves us feeling pretty good about Grey Cup 108.”

With nine months to go before the event actually takes place, Ambrosie said he is already hearing buzz from football fans across the country talking about coming to Regina. He attributes the anticipation of the event to the vibe of Riderville and the spirit of hospitality and volunteerism across the province.

In the leadup to the Grey Cup Festival in November, the organizing committee also announced a province-wide Richardson Pioneer Community Celebration.

Small- to medium-sized communities can apply with an essay, photos and videos to host a mini-Grey Cup celebration over the summer. Six communities will be selected based on a public vote and the winners will also receive $25,000 to go towards an existing health and wellness initiative focusing on sports or culture in their community.

More information on the festival can be found here.