You might be grumpy that the Grey Cup Festival’s presence in downtown Edmonton is causing traffic delays, but it’s pretty hard to stay mad when you’re ripping down a zip line, taking in the city sights from a new vantage point.
The zip line is one of several activities that are part of the five-day festival, which kicks off at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The 30-second ride takes people from Jasper Avenue into the River Valley, sending them flying over Grierson Hill.
Edmonton Eskimos president Len Rhodes was one of a few lucky people who gave the zip line a test run on Tuesday evening.
“Oh baby!” he exclaimed while finishing the 800-metre descent. “That was cool.”
It’s <a href=”https://twitter.com/LenRhodesPrez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@LenRhodesPrez</a> giving the <a href=”https://twitter.com/CapitalPower?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@CapitalPower</a> zip line a test run! <a href=”https://t.co/5zjbxWaZ5Q”>pic.twitter.com/5zjbxWaZ5Q</a>
—@EdmontonEsks
If heights aren’t your thing, you might want to skip the zip line — and the bungee jumping. There’s tube sliding, street skiing, live entertainment and beer gardens for those who prefer to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground.
Children can also take part in the fun, but on a scale more suitable for them. The festival features a mini zip line and tube slide for kids.
The activities will open for an hour after Wednesday evening’s kick-off party, then at 11 a.m. on Thursday.
CBC reporter Anna McMillan discovers taking quality video while riding a zip line isn’t an easy task. (Trevor Wilson/CBC)
Duane Vienneau, executive director for Grey Cup 2018, said organizers managed to cram a lot of activities into a relatively small site. While it’s not huge, he noted it’s four times bigger than Churchill Square, the party site for the 2010 Grey Cup, which is under construction.
“We had to move somewhere else,” Vienneau said. “So we decided what a great spot to do it so we can do things like zipping through the River Valley and rally all of our gala dinners and concerts and everything in the Shaw [Conference Centre].”
A construction worker rockets down the kids version of the tube slide. (Trevor Wilson/CBC)
About 500,000 fans took part in the festival eight years ago, and Vienneau is hoping to top that number this year. All downtown hotels are booked solid, he said.
“It’s great for Edmontonians,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s all free. So everyone gets to come try something for free that they might not be able to try anywhere else.”
The Grey Cup is estimated to drive $100 million into the local economy, primarily from hotels, transportation, and food and drink, Vienneau said.