Countdown to the 2022 Grey Cup begins in Regina

The countdown is on.

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie was in Regina on Thursday to begin the countdown toward the 2022 Grey Cup Festival in the Queen City.

@RandyAmbrosie speaking today in #Regina for the Grey Cup Festival announcement.

"It's going to be quite something to see," Ambrosie says about this year's festival.

November 15-20… Regina will be the place to be. @CJMENews #Saskatchewan #CFL pic.twitter.com/waqvUDY1w8

— Logan Stein (@L0ganStein) March 17, 2022

The festival is to run from Nov. 15 to Nov. 20, before the championship game takes place on the final night at Mosaic Stadium.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced the theme for the event — “Bring it to the Heartland” — on March 1.

For the first time in CFL history, all Grey Cup events will be hosted in one place — in this case, the 100-acre area inside the REAL District space.

The campus will be the site of:

• Festival events and activities such as team parties, Riderville and the SaskPower Family Fair;
• A free, family-friendly outdoor street festival with more than 400,000 square feet of activities and adventures;
• An outdoor area at the south end of Confederation Park that will be home to local music acts, entertainers and community programming throughout the week; and,
• A ticketed tailgate event that will take place on the festival grounds in Confederation Park and will feature live entertainment for thousands of fans prior to gates opening at Mosaic Stadium on Grey Cup Sunday.

A contest also is to be held for small- to medium-sized communities in the province to win one of six $25,000 donations for sport, culture or recreation initiatives. It will feature individual Grey Cup celebration parties in the winning towns to further the communities’ fundraising efforts.

“(It’s exciting) having Canadians come here at what we believe is the end of the pandemic, having them come here to experience the way of coming together in this heartland in a very unique and special way,” Ambrosie said during a media conference at Mosaic Stadium. “It’s going to be quite something to see.

“It’s going to be an incredibly special celebration, what will be an incredibly special festival, what will be filled with laughter, fun, and friendliness in a way that the heartland can do better than anyone else in the world.”

Tickets for the Grey Cup are to go on sale June 14.

More details surrounding Grey Cup festivities will be announced in the coming months.

Saskatchewan was to play host to the 2020 Grey Cup, but that season was cancelled due to COVID-19.