Grey Cup Festival Vancouver 2011

The 99th Grey Cup championship and festival will take place in Vancouver Thursday, November 24th through to game day Sunday, November 27th. Tickets for the game and festival, Canada’s largest sporting event, went on sale earlier this week.

The Grey Cup festival, hosted by the BC Lions, will run for four days in downtown Vancouver with events ranging from free family entertainment to ticketed concerts. The 90,000 square foot Molson Canadian House (from the Olympics) will return and be located at Vancouver Convention Centre West.

Gibson’s Finest CFL Player Awards (Thursday)
TELUS StreetFest (Friday to Sunday)
Playnow.com Stage (Friday to Sunday)
Scotiabank CFL Experience (Friday to Sunday)
Molson Canadian House (Friday to Sunday)
Vanier Cup Championship at BC Place (Friday)
Nissan Family Zone (Friday to Sunday)
Canadian Direct Insurance Stage (Friday to Sunday)

The Safeway Grey Cup Festival Parade will take place Saturday and the 99th Grey Cup Championship game (at a newly re-opened BC Place) will wrap up the week’s festivities on Sunday. Follow the 2011 Grey Cup Festival on Twitter (@2011GreyCup) and Facebook for more information. They are also looking for volunteers at this time.

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Update September 2011 Source: Press release: For the first time in Grey Cup history Canada’s top university football teams will compete for the CIS Vanier Cup in British Columbia. The 47th Vanier Cup will also be the first championship event to take place at the new BC Place. With the CIS responsible for more than 150 CFL and NFL players, attending the Vanier Cup will be a great way for fans to see the next Canadian football stars play in a new world-class venue.

Tickets for the Grey Cup Festival and related events will go on sale Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 10:00am.

Update October 2011 Source: Press release: Phil Reimer, chairman of the Safeway Grey Cup Festival Parade, is pleased to announce that Cory Monteith, star of the hit TV series Glee, will be the Grand Marshal of this year’s Safeway Grey Cup Festival Parade scheduled for Saturday, November 26th on the streets of downtown Vancouver. “It is an honour to serve as Grand Marshal for the 2011 Grey Cup Parade in Vancouver. I love any excuse to come home and this is a thrilling one!” says Monteith.

Update November 2011 During the TELUS StreetFest check out some great local bands on the PlayNow.com stage Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Bend Sinister, Guilty About Girls, The Dudes, The Matinee, The Boom Booms, Hey Ocean! Said the Whale, Louder than Love, Stars of Boulevard, Kyprios, Head of the Herd and more!

Update November 2011 I had the chance to check out the festivities down near the Vancovuer Convention Centre West and Jack Poole Plaza today. It’s the first day of the 2011 Grey Cup Festival and there are fans everywhere. I was so happy to hear so much is going on in the new convention centre as many of the public haven’t yet been inside the gorgeous new building.

I took an unbelievably long escalator down to the bottom floor where I found Riderville and Molson Canadian House. In the spirit of the Molson Canadian Hockey House from the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, this venue has several bars, a giant stage, a lounge, a food concession, activities, and plenty of space (for you and 4,000 of your closest friends).

Outside, Jack Poole Plaza was hopping as bands took to the north stage and the Olympic cauldron burned away.

This is just the beginning of a very exciting weekend in Vancouver. Be sure to tune in for the big event, the 99th Grey Cup championship game, at 3:00pm on Sunday, November 27th.