“You don’t make friends with salad.” – Homer Simpson

My 2016 Grey Cup experience really began Friday afternoon with the State of the League Address in a downtown Toronto Hotel conference room, where the commissioner spoke and interacted with media and CFL fans.

Later that evening my head blogger and I were treated to an all-inclusive Gala, which was referred to by many as the “water cooler” event of the festival. The CFL hosted this private event at Toronto’s Ripley’s Aquarium and became friends with those who were in attendance by serving much more than just salad. I now fear that this will be the first and only aquarium I will ever visit, unless the Grey Cup comes back to town. The moment I stepped foot into the gala I felt as if I was transported into a Hollywood movie. Upon entrance we were greeted by hostesses who checked our coats as we made way into the Aquarium. Toronto’s Ripley’s Aquarium is a 135 000 -square-foot facility that plays host to 5.7 million litres of water, over    13 500 exotic fish and creatures which meant our first stop of course would be the bar. To our great surprise our first order of Stella Artois’ came very promptly minus the bill.   We mingled with TV celebrities, and CFL greats and drank in this experience.  We both felt initiated into the Grey Cup without any hazing and were excited to head into Sunday’s game at BMO field.

If you are fortunate enough to attend either a Grey Cup event or visit Toronto’s Ripley’s Aquarium you will not be disappointed. However, Atmosphere Medias highly recommends combining both events (ex. Grey Cup Gala) to achieve the optimal atmosphere.

It’s safe to say that we are now friends with the CFL.

Nick Kramer

Founder Atmosphere Medias