With the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) championship game set to touch down in Edmonton this fall, Global Edmonton has scored a touchdown of its own months ahead of the big event as it has been named the Grey Cup Festival’s official TV partner for 2018.
“We want to come here and thank you for your support,” Duane Vienneau, the executive director of the 2018 Grey Cup, said at an announcement outside Global’s studios in south Edmonton on Tuesday.
“We are very proud to be chosen as the official television partner of the Grey Cup Festival,” said Jim Haskins, station manager and news director at Global Edmonton. “We really enjoyed working with the festival team in 2010. We look forward to an even bigger and better event in 2018.
“I know we just got out of the longest winter many of us can remember, but we can’t wait until November.”
The four Edmonton radio stations run by Corus Entertainment, Global News’ parent company, were named the official radio partners of the festival.
READ MORE: Corus Radio named official partner of 2018 Grey Cup Festival
Festival events will take place in Alberta’s capital from Wednesday, Nov. 21 through Sunday, Nov. 25, the day of the big game.
“It’s going to be intense,” Vienneau said. “For example, our zip line will start at the top of Jasper Avenue and will zip into the river valley over Grierson Hill Road, so it’s going to be quite the spectacle.
“We’re just looking to push the envelope and make everyone proud.”
The Grey Cup theme this year is “Bring the Heat” and dozens of events are being planned for football fans converging on the city that week.
READ MORE: Edmonton Grey Cup organizers release details on 3 attractions
Watch below: On Feb. 2, 2018, Quinn Phillips filed this report about the events being planned for the 2018 Grey Cup game in Edmonton.
The last time the Grey Cup game was played at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium was in 2010 when the Montreal Alouettes walked away as league champions. The Edmonton Eskimos hope their players will emerge with the CFL crown this season in front of their hometown fans. The team’s president and CEO says he believes the event will sell out in record time.
Eskimos’ season-ticket holders have already bought tickets and the general public will be able to buy tickets on June 1.
This year’s Grey Cup Festival will take place on Jasper Avenue, between 96 Street and 99 Street. In addition to the zip line, the event will also feature a ski hill and tube slide.
About 1,000 volunteers are needed to make the festival happen. Information on how to sign up to help out can be found on the festival’s website.
-With files from 630 CHED’s Kirby Bourne