Grey Cup Festival Presented by Shaw announces Entertainment

With just two months to go until the 2018 Grey Cup Festival presented by Shaw kicks-off in downtown Edmonton, 28 entertainment acts have been announced and tickets to all festival events are now on sale at greycupfestival.ca.

The 2018 Grey Cup Festival presented by Shaw will kick-off on the evening of Wednesday, November 21 and will run through to Sunday, November 25. The Grey Cup Festival will take place on Jasper Avenue from 99th to 96th Street in the week leading up to the 106th Grey Cup Presented by Shaw.

“We’ve got a tremendous lineup of both free and ticketed events and entertainment as part of the Grey Cup Festival this year,” said Duane Vienneau, Grey Cup Festival Executive Director. “From Canadian rock icons, to young country stars, and everything in-between, there really is something for fans of all ages to come out to the Festival and enjoy.”

Over 50 events will be held over the course of the five days, many of them within the Shaw Conference Centre, located in the heart of the Grey Cup Festival site.

“Recently named one of North America’s top five performing venues, the Shaw Conference Centre is ready to transform into a hub for football fans looking to enjoy a remarkable Grey Cup experience,” said Richard Wong, General Manager of the Shaw Conference Centre. “We’re proud to partner with the City of Edmonton and the Grey Cup Festival committee to welcome CFL officials, coaches, athletes and festival goers from across Canada with Edmonton hospitality.”

The red carpet will be rolled out for the Shaw CFL Awards on Thursday, November 22 at the Winspear Centre. The Shaw CFL Awards recognize 11 notable personalities from around the League for their performances both on and off the field. In 2017, the Edmonton Eskimos’ own Mike Reilly took home the Most Outstanding Player award, the top honour of the night. Tickets are $175 (plus fees and taxes).

The Spirit of Edmonton Breakfast tradition continues with not one, but two breakfast events at this year’s Grey Cup Festival. Tickets to the Saturday morning breakfast sold out less than 40 hours after going on sale back in February, but limited tickets to the Friday, November 23 breakfast at the Shaw Conference Centre are still available for $125 (plus fees and taxes).

The Canadian Tire CFL Alumni Association Legends Luncheon will be held on Friday, November 23 at the Shaw Conference Centre. Always a fan favourite, this is the chance to rub shoulders with CFL alumni and listen as they share incredible stories from the gridiron. Tickets are $125 (plus fees and taxes).

The Grey Cup Gala Dinner is a highlight of Grey Cup week. And with good reason! The dinner is a formal evening filled with fine food and a stunning live entertainment lineup, featuring headliner Alan Doyle, with

Martin Kerr, Celeigh Cardinal and Paul Woida. Eat, drink and dance the night away at the Shaw Conference Centre on Friday, November 23. Tickets are $375 each, or $3750 for a table of 10 (plus fees and taxes).

Now in its 40th year, the Athletes in Action Grey Cup Breakfast will be held on Saturday November 24 at the Shaw Conference Centre. Attendees will be given a rare glimpse into the lives of the men behind the uniforms as they share how their faith has impacted both their professional and personal lives. Tickets are $100 (plus fees and taxes).

What would Grey Cup be without a little cheer? The Maclab Development Group Cheer Extravaganza will take place Saturday, November 24 at the Shaw Conference Centre. A fantastic family-friendly event, CFL Cheer Teams from across the country come together for one day only. The energy, excitement and unrivaled acrobatics are not to be missed! Tickets are $20 (plus fees and taxes).

One of the biggest parties of the week, the Coors Light Concert will feature Canadian crowd favourites Loverboy, Trooper and Kim Mitchell at the Shaw Conference Centre on Saturday, November 24. Tickets are $75 (plus fees and taxes).

The Boston Pizza Outdoor Tailgate Party presented by Global Edmonton will be the ultimate place to party before the game kicks-off. The party will feature live entertainment from The Trews and Toque with traditional tailgate fare available for purchase. Tickets are $75 (plus fees and taxes).

We’re turning up the heat with this year’s Indoor Tailgate Party presented by Coors Banquet. Stay warm, have a great meal, and enjoy live entertainment from country stars Aaron Pritchett and Lindsay Ell, all inside the Commonwealth Recreation Centre Fieldhouse. Tickets are $175 (plus fees and taxes). *A Grey Cup game ticket is required.

An addition to this year’s Grey Cup tailgate experience, is the Clarke Park Tailgate Party featuring Platinum Blonde and Guns 4 Roses. Tickets include your pregame meal and are $125 (plus fees and taxes).

In addition to a wide variety of ticketed events, the Grey Cup Festival also announced 17 musical acts as part of the Cooper Entertainment Stage, sponsored by Cooper Equipment Rentals.

Located at the east end of the Grey Cup Festival site, the Cooper Stage will feature free live entertainment from noon to 9:00 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the Festival including: Tim Hicks, Maestro Fresh Wes, The Strumbellas, Tebey, The Rural Alberta Advantage, DJ Shub, The Watchmen, Toque, The Royal Foundry, Alee, The Static Shift, Paul Woida, Notorius YEG, Jay Sparrow, Andrew Hyatt, Kirby Sewell, and Whale & The Wolf.

Music aside, there is even something to keep the gamers entertained onsite, with the launch of the Grey Cup Festival Esports Tournament. “This is the first of its kind at a Grey Cup Festival,” said Brad Sparrow, Co-Chair of the Grey Cup Festival presented by Shaw. “We knew we wanted emerging technology to play a role in the Festival, and Esports felt like the perfect fit,” he said. The tournament will feature the widely popular ‘League of Legends’ and will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday on the Festival site. The tournament will consist of eight teams of five players each. Interested participants can register online now at greycupfestival.ca/esports.

Tickets for all Grey Cup Festival events are available at www.greycupfestival.ca.

“A four-day Festival for the entire family to enjoy, a jam-packed entertainment schedule, and a full-house for the 106th Grey Cup at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium – we want this to be a Grey Cup for the record books,” said Len Rhodes, Grey Cup Festival Co-Chair and President & CEO of the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club. “Now is the time to secure your tickets and plan to join us in Edmonton this November for a Grey Cup Festival not to be missed!”

Limited tickets are still available for the 106th Grey Cup Presented by Shaw via Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.ca/greycup or by phone at 1-855-985-5000. Local fans can purchase their Grey Cup tickets in-person at the Eskimos Team Store located inside Commonwealth Stadium (11000 Stadium Rd).

The 106th Grey Cup presented by Shaw kicks-off at 4:00 p.m. MST on Sunday, November 25.

Fans can visit greycupfestival.ca for more information on all events.