{"id":284828,"date":"2025-11-15T14:10:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T14:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/284828\/"},"modified":"2025-11-15T14:10:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T14:10:16","slug":"no-other-place-like-winnipeg-grey-cup-weekend-kicks-off-in-manitobas-capital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/284828\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018No other place like Winnipeg\u2019: Grey Cup weekend kicks off in Manitoba\u2019s capital"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the clock continues to tick down to kickoff at the 112th Grey Cup<\/a> in Winnipeg, fans of the Saskatchewan Roughriders<\/a> and Montreal Alouettes<\/a> are ready to cheer their teams on.<\/p>\n

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But first, it\u2019s time to party. Grey Cup weekend brings together CFL<\/a> fans from across the country to celebrate all things Canadian football, with a series of parties, concerts and other events in the leadup to the big game.<\/p>\n

Fans from coast to coast to coast are in the Manitoba capital for Sunday\u2019s sold-out championship clash, as well as all of the fun that surrounds it.<\/p>\n

The RBC Convention Centre, in the heart of downtown Winnipeg, is home to a three-day concert series which kicked off Thursday, along with party rooms for fans of each of the CFL\u2019s nine teams and an outdoor social.<\/p>\n

A few blocks away on the University of Winnipeg campus is an indoor\/outdoor street festival, featuring live entertainment, food vendors and interactive fun, as well as a cheerleading exhibition at the U of W\u2019s Duckworth Centre.<\/p>\n

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Winnipeg\u2019s annual Santa Claus Parade is also jingling all the way through the city\u2019s downtown Saturday afternoon, to add to the festive atmosphere \u2014 and that\u2019s not even including the events at Princess Auto Stadium itself on Grey Cup Sunday.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCatie St. Germain to sing national anthem at Grey Cup\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Kenny Boyce, special events manager with the City of Winnipeg, said the key to planning such a massive party comes down to organizing a wide range of events that appeal to a wide range of people.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t predict the weather, so you have to have great programming,\u201d Boyce said Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to put on the best possible event that you can that\u2019s safe, make it affordable, and make sure that everyone is welcome, and (it\u2019s) inclusive\u2026 and have various programming spots throughout the city that are free, and high-end stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Boyce said the impact of the Grey Cup events will be felt beyond just the city\u2019s downtown, as Grey Cup fever means restaurants and bars across Winnipeg will likely see a boost in the number of customers dining in or ordering takeout.<\/p>\n

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His comments are echoed by Natalie Thiessen of Winnipeg Economic Development and Tourism, who said the week of Grey Cup-related activities is expected to have a $90-million economic impact on the city \u2014 and acts as a way to showcase the city for other potential large-scale events.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been planning some of that hosting for months,\u201d Thiessen said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe local corporate businesses, which are also partners, they\u2019re also inviting some of their clients, who invest a lot in our city, to say, \u2018Come see what our city is all about when we host Canada\u2019s biggest social here in Winnipeg, in the heart of Canada.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no other place like Winnipeg.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRoughriders head into Grey Cup weekend for the first time since 2013\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Roughriders fan Leslie-Anne McKenzie \u2014 a veteran Grey Cup attendee \u2014 said the atmosphere on Grey Cup weekend is a big part of the appeal.<\/p>\n

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McKenzie told Global Winnipeg she hasn\u2019t missed a Grey Cup game since 2008, and is looking forward to reconnecting with friends she\u2019s met at past CFL championships over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the party. The atmosphere, the meeting of friends from around the country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just looking forward to celebrating the CFL \u2014 the Canadian Football League and all that it stands for \u2014 and we\u2019re just blessed that the Riders are in it this year.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re super excited, but we\u2019re just here to have fun. This is a true vacation for us. It\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alouettes fan Kelley McKeating is also an old hand at Grey Cup travel, having attended 31 championship games overall, with 2025 marking her fourth visit to Winnipeg for the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been wonderful. Winnipeg always does a good job,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big enough city that there\u2019s a lot happening, and a small enough city that the Grey Cup is a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

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McKeating said she does things differently than she did in her early Grey Cup experiences \u2014 in terms of limiting the number of celebratory drinks and no longer partying all night long \u2014 but she looks forward to the event every year.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s just a nifty thing,\u201d she said. \u201cLooking forward to the rest of the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSaskatchewan Roughriders superfan from Calgary\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just fans of the two teams competing on Sunday who are enjoying their Winnipeg experience.<\/p>\n

Hamilton\u2019s Doreen Bisbee \u2014 who says she bleeds black and gold and has been a Tiger-Cats season ticket holder for more than five decades \u2014 told Global Winnipeg she booked her trip last year in hopes her hometown team would be in the final, but she\u2019s loving the atmosphere nevertheless.<\/p>\n

\u201c(It\u2019s been) fantastic. The weather\u2019s great,\u201d she said. \u201cThe people have been so kind and so friendly, and really welcomed us.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just loving it. The atmosphere is so wonderful. Everybody is so kind\u2026 there\u2019s lots to do and see. Absolutely love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Bisbee said this is her eighth time at a Grey Cup game, but her first time experiencing one west of Ontario, and she\u2019s excited for the in-game feeling on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be electric. You can\u2019t beat it. It\u2019s so much nicer to see it in person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two groups of people who likely aren\u2019t out partying before the big game: the Roughriders and Alouettes players.<\/p>\n

Iconic Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive tackle Chris Walby \u2014 who won three Grey Cups with his hometown club in a Hall of Fame CFL career \u2014 said despite the distractions all around, it\u2019s time for the players to dial in.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time to get it on. You go out a couple nights, you celebrate\u2026 but I remember (my) coach used to always say, \u2018You can party all off-season\u2019,\u201d Walby said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s up to you to get your head straight for the game that\u2019s coming up on Sunday. By Friday, you just want to get going. It\u2019s time.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to get ready, get your body into it\u2026 and hopefully sleep on Saturday night.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCFL fans touchdown in Winnipeg\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the clock continues to tick down to kickoff at the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg, fans of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":284829,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,68627,941,4400,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-284828","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-grey-cup","14":"tag-montreal-alouettes","15":"tag-saskatchewan-roughriders","16":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/284829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}