As the Grey Cup 2026 festivities officially get underway, Calgary’s business community is preparing for a barrage—and a boost. The CFL’s annual championship will be played Sunday. Before kickoff, hundreds of thousands of fans will spend the week celebrating all Canuck football has to offer. “It’s going to be a lot of fun,” festival executive director Karen Dommett said. “It doesn’t matter who’s playing in the game—it’s rainbow jerseys coast-to-coast. And there’s something for everyone—every age, demographic, interest level, musical background. We have it here.” Stampede Park will host more than 50 events prior to Sunday’s big game. Starting Wednesday night, there will be indoor and outdoor festivals, two rodeos, concerts and team parties, just to name a few. Tourism Calgary, which has helped bring the show to the city, says the economic impact will be “phenomenal.” “We expect (it) will be in excess of $50 million to the local visitor economy,” senior vice-president of sales Carson Ackroyd said. “And Tourism Calgary has 1,200-plus local businesses that are part of our network. So it’s going to touch transportation and hotels and restaurants and retail. “With this many people in town, it’s just going to be booming, and you’re going to be able to feel it.” It’s estimated up to 350,000 people will participate, including about 30,000 out-of-towners. And Ackroyd says those numbers might be on the low end now that the Edmonton Elks will be playing on Sunday. “This time of year in November is typically a little bit slower from a tourism perspective, so this gives us a huge shot in the arm,” Ackroyd said. Festival organizers tell CTV News there are still some tickets available for the game. It’s expected all 35,000 seats will be full by the time the ball is snapped.
