Zip lines, bungee jumps at Edmonton's Grey Cup Festival

Edmonton's Grey Cup Festival kicks off Wednesday next week with over 50 events, many of them free including a zip line, a bungee jump and a chance to go skiing, all on Jasper Avenue.

The festival area will be nearlyfour times bigger than the last time Edmonton hosted the Grey Cup in 2010, said Duane Vienneau, executive director of the Grey Cup Festival.

"We just want to put on the best ever," he said. "We have a goal to raise the bar."

In 2010, most of the activity took place in Sir Winston Churchill Square, but LRTconstruction makes that impossible this year.

Instead the festival will take place along Jasper Avenue between 96th and 99th streets, now closed to traffic untilNov. 28.

Zipping across Jasper Avenue

The footprint for this year's festival is four times bigger than the last one, meaningorganizers can fit in more activities.

Instead of a zip line across Churchill Square, this year's line will be longer and higher, soaring people over Jasper Avenue down to Louise McKinney park.

"We've also added a bungee jump that's six storeys high," Vienneausaid.

Other new attractions include a tube slide and a downhill ski area with artificial snow.

"We're really excited about this onebecause we believe that there might be people that have never skied before and they can come in and try it for the first time,"Vienneausaid.

Ski equipment will be provided, he added.

Family-friendly activities

For smaller children, there will be mini versions of some of the activities, including a zip line, bungee jump and a tube slide, Vienneau said.

The family-centred activities will be held in a 20,000-square-foot heated tent.

"We don't want families to say 'Hey I'm not going to go today because it ... might be too cold,' " he said.

There will also be a mini football field set up on 97thStreet for kids of all ages to practise their football moves.

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Music and more

Evening activities include the popular hospitality rooms, eachhosted byfans of CFL teams includingthe yet-to-be-formed Atlantic Schooners.

"It's the ability to ... go to your favourite team's room or try them all," Vienneausaid. "It's about sharing stories and having a beer and being with like-minded people."

An outdoor entertainment stage will run each day starting Wednesday from 11 a.m.to 11 p.m.

"We are trying to appeal to every sort of music lover," he said.

Some of the acts include Notorious YEG, Paul Woida, and the Rural Alberta Advantage.

While not every city that hosts the Grey Cup has a parade, Edmonton does, Vienneausaid.

"We believe if we don't plan one, some people would roll out of the Spirit of Edmonton [hospitality room] and make their own anyway, so we really try and embrace it," he said.

This year's paradewill roll downJasper Avenue on Saturday, Nov.24, and will be joined by Santa Claus.

And whilethe home town Eskiesare not inthegame itself, Vienneau said he expects a big crowd at Commonwealth Stadium.

"There's 30,000 people that travel every year to Grey Cup," he said. "The economic impact of Grey Cup is between $80 million to $100 million."

The festival in 2010 attracted 500,000 people which Vienneau described as huge. Hehopesthis year's festival will be just as popular.