The CFL’s Grey Cup final is less than two weeks away and a variety of events are planned in Edmonton ahead of the game. To make way for all the festivities, road closures and bus route detours will be in effect — some starting as soon as Wednesday morning.
Jasper Avenue will be closed to traffic between 96 Street and 99 Street, beginning Wednesday morning. The closure is necessary to accommodate the festival, including site setup and dismantle. 97 Street will also be shut down between Jasper Avenue and 101A Avenue. Both roadways will be open again by 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28.
Several bus routes will also be rerouted around the road closures. Beginning at 6 p.m. Nov. 14 and running until 11:59 p.m. Nov. 28, the following routes will detour around the Grey Cup festival site.
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Information on the location of the temporary bus stops can be found on the city’s website.
READ MORE: Grey Cup Festival ticket sales heat up in Edmonton
Several parking restrictions will also be in effect during the Grey Cup Festival, which runs from Nov. 21 to 24 ahead of the big game on Nov. 25. The festival will include a zipline, street ski, tube slide and bungee jump.
Duane Vinneau, executive director of the Grey Cup Festival, said planning for the event started back in the summer of 2017.
“We’re right on schedule to date, making sure we get this little mini-city built out,” he said.
“Our footprint is about four times larger than what it was in 2010. 2010, at the time, was considered to be one of the biggest and best ever. We’re really trying to raise the bar and push the envelope a little bit. I think you can tell by all the things we are building.”
Watch below: In two weeks, Edmonton will play host to 2018 Grey Cup festivities. Preparations are underway downtown, where Julia Wong spoke with festival director Duane Vienneau about the fun events taking place.
The zipline will run from Jasper Avenue down to Louise McKinney Park, a far cry from the 2010 zipline through Churchill Square.
“This time, we have natural elevation. Up here on Jasper Avenue, you’re zipping down towards the river valley over to the landing tower. The terrain drops. You’re going to be flying over top of the trees,” said Jay Conroy, project manager for Ziptrek Events Canada.
Conroy said setup for the zipline takes at least a week, a process that will speed up as parts of Jasper Avenue are shut down for festival preparations.
“Then we’ll be able to place everything we need, all our anchors, then we’ll be able to string the cables later in the week,” he said.
The Grey Cup Parade, which is combined with the Santa’s Parade of Lights this year, will be held on Saturday, Nov. 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Several temporary road closures will be in place during the parade.
Thousands of people are expected to visit Edmonton in the days leading up to the Grey Cup, which will be held at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 25. The teams that will play for the 106th Grey Cup championship have yet to be determined.
Watch: Here’s a flyover look at Edmonton’s Grey Cup Parade route for Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018 at noon.
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