This series of blogs will take a look at some of the best parties of Grey Cup week as we count down to the Vancouver event, November 24th to 27th. In this edition, we take a look at the party that sets the bar for the rest, the always popular Spirit of Edmonton.
If you’re a Grey Cup regular, you know all about the spirit of Edmonton. If you’re a Grey Cup rookie, you soon will. There is one party that all others strive to emulate and that is the fine event put on nightly during Grey Cup week be the fine folks at the Spirit of Edmonton.
The Spirit is the melting pot of CFL fan fellowship, where fans from all teams come to gather and celebrate Grey Cup week. The event promotes the City of Edmonton as a great place to live and do business as well as promoting the CFL and the Grey Cup Championship and the Edmonton Eskimos football club.
Volunteer Coordinator and Web / Social Media representative Neil McCulloch says the Spirit is the benchmark for all other CFL parties for a few simple reasons.
“We treat each guest as a friend, family and with respect. Our hospitality suite offers awesome value to our guests, great entertainment, a friendly CFL environment and no cover charge, ever!”
The spirit was formed in 1974 and started as a typical Grey Cup room party. It has expanded over the years to what it has become today. McCulloch says the there are typically between 150 to 250 volunteers that help with the event depending on what city the event is in.
When asked what surprises the party has in store for Vancouver in 2011, McCulloch wouldn’t spill all the beans, but did indicate social media will have a role, particularly in keeping fans informed about lineups.
“We have a few kept secrets for Vancouver this year but, I can tell you is that our social media will be the way to find out what’s happening prior to and during Grey Cup. Live Twitter and Facebook updates letting people know what entertainment is coming up and letting our guests who are not in our room how long the line-up really is. We are also going to have a new feature in our room, Mojo Photo. Mojo Photo is best described as a “old school” photo both whereby guests can take their pictures in the CFL garb and a few other trinkets, goofy hats etc. as a takeaway with the Spirit logo on framed around their picture. There will be a minimal cost for this as the service is being provided by a 3rd party.”
If there is one drawback to the Spirit, it has become very hard to get into on Friday and Saturday night. So much so that the event has now opened it’s doors two hours earlier on thise nights to allow more people to get to attend. If you want to attend on these nights, you’ll likely have to get in early and be prepared to stand in line. Follow the Spirit on Twitter (@spiritofyeg) for lineup updates and possible wait times!
The Spirit of Edmonton runs nightly during the Grey Cup festival.
Where:
Sheraton Wall Centre – 1088 Burrard Street
Entertainment:
Live bands, cheer teams and various other appearances.
Cash bar, and various food items for purchase.
Schedule:
Thursday: 4:00pm to 1:00am
Friday: 2:00pm to 1:00am
Saturday: 2:00pm to 1:00am
Admission: Free, must be of legal drinking age to enter.
***Footnote***: Due to BC Liquor Laws you will need a ticket to gain access to the Spirit of Edmonton room this year. There are a couple of ways to do this.
http://spiritofedmonton.com/uploads/hospitality-room-invite.pdf
Click on the lick above and scan the QR code on your mobile device, or print the ticket and present it at the door. There is still no cost to enter, but this will be required thanks to our lovely BC governments archaic policy on liquor. Spread the word about this because a lot of people will not know about this.
