When the Grey Cup Festival comes to Vancouver this November 10-17, Rex and Lisa Bohachewski are planning to make a week of it.
Long-time B.C.Lions fans and season ticket holders, the Bohachewskis have bought tickets to the Cup, hoping their team will make the CFL final.
They plan to be in Vancouver several days in advance of the game, for the Grey Cup Week festivities.
"We're going [to] do all the celebrations for the week," Rex told the Langley Advance Times.
"We will then have a lot of fun, and enjoy the game."
On Saturday, June 29, the couple travelled from their home in Abbotsford to Langley to see the Grey Cup Festival Tour of B.C. powered by LiUNA Local 1611 (Labourers’ International Union of North America) as the custom van continued its province-wide journey to provide fans with an advance look at the week leading up to the football final.
Asked if they were excited that the Grey Cup will be played in B.C., the couple beamed.
"100 per cent," Rex said.
"Totally," said Lisa.
Katrina Wittenberg, a member of the B.C. Lions promo team, was greeting visitors to the tour van, which started the Saturday in the Sentinel Storage parking lot before relocating to the Langley Events Centre in time for the Vancouver Bandits game.
"I think it's an event for all ages this year," Wittenberg said.
"Just a really fun, family-friendly, week-long event in November."
There will be events all Grey Cup week in Vancouver, including zip lines in the Coal Harbour area, immersive football experiences, live performances, cultural displays and more.
Tens of thousands of fans from across the country are expected to attend.
Starting May 31, in Nelson, the customized van has been touring the province to share Grey Cup history and provide an advance look at the week leading up to the event.
Fans have an opportunity to record a message at an interactive video booth, to be compiled and shown at the festival and Grey Cup in November.
There are also B.C.-Lions themed tailgate activities and a chance to win a 2024 Grey Cup Festival prize package valued at $1,000.
Langley is one of 50 communities on the tour, the largest event of its kind in Grey Cup history,
It ends Aug. 31 in Victoria, when the city hosts Touchdown Pacific, a match-up between the BC Lions and the Ottawa Redblacks.
Vancouver is hosting the Cup for the 17th time, and B.C. Place stadium will be hosting the historic event for a 10th time, the first since 2014.
READ ALSO: Whyte hits game-winning field goal to give B.C. Lions 24-21 win over Elks
READ ALSO: B.C. Lions collect first win of CFL season, dump Stampeders 26-17
