Preparations for Saturday’s Canadian Football League game at Royal Athletic Park will include road closures and parking restrictions as the city prepares for a capacity crowd of 14,000.
The clash between the B.C. Lions and the Ottawa Redblacks is being called Touchdown Pacific, after similar games in the Maritimes were labeled Touchdown Atlantic.
Game tickets sold out in less than hour.
Festivities got underway Thursday and continue noon to 7 p.m. Friday, with entertainment, musical and artistic celebrations at Ship Point. The Grey Cup is scheduled to be on hand from 2 to 4 p.m. Find the full schedule of events at bclions.com/touchdown-pacific-festival.
The event promises to be the largest single-event crowd ever at the park, and both the City of Victoria and the Lions have been working to keep people informed about the measures being taken to keep things running smoothly, said deputy city manager Thomas Soulliere.
Victoria police and reserve constables will be providing traffic control on Saturday, and Soulliere said there will be signage throughout the neighbourhood to direct the public.
The doors to the stadium will open at 2 p.m. with the game starting at 4 p.m., and there will also be a B.C. Lions Backyard Watch Party starting at noon a block away at Central Park — with room for about 2,500 fans to take in the contest on a big screen. Admission is $25.
Fans are encouraged to arrive at Royal Athletic Park early, and to consider transportation options like bikes, taxis, ride sharing and transit.
There will be six entry points in operation.
Soulliere said he will be at the game with a group of staff “helping to make sure everything is going off without a hitch.”
He said having a CFL game in the city is “a very unique opportunity.”
The usual capacity at Royal Athletic Park is 3,800 in the main grandstand and adjacent area, and 2,867 next to it for HarbourCats baseball.
Seating was increased to 10,500 for FIFA U-20 World Cup soccer in 2007.
Seating being added for Saturday includes an 11-metre-tall temporary grandstand.
The Lions have been averaging about 30,000 fans per game this year at B.C. Place, their regular home field.
A free bike-valet area will be open at the Central Park tennis courts. For those arriving to the main event in vehicles, the southbound lane on Cook Street next to Royal Athletic Park will be designated as a drop-off zone.
The city will also be providing free park-and-ride shuttle service for ticket holders, with 490 stalls available at 4000 Seymour Pl., off Cloverdale Avenue near Blanshard Street.
Temporary parking restrictions will be in place on streets around Royal Athletic Park, including Pembroke, Cook and Vancouver. The Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre will close at 11 a.m. Saturday for safety and to accommodate event preparations.
The following streets will be affected by the game:
• Pembroke Street from Quadra to Vancouver will be open only to local traffic from Saturday at 6 a.m. to Sunday at 9 a.m.
• Pembroke Street from Vancouver to Cook will be closed eastbound through Sunday at 6 a.m.
• Caledonia Avenue from Cook to Quadra will be periodically closed westbound from 2 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
• Green Street from Quadra to Vancouver will be for local traffic only from Saturday at 6 a.m. to Sunday at 6 a.m.
• Vancouver Street from Caledonia to Pembroke will be closed to vehicles and bikes 8 a.m.-6 p.m. until Tuesday.
• Vancouver Street from Pembroke to Queens will be open to local traffic only on Saturday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
• Princess Avenue from Cook to Vancouver will be open to local traffic only Saturday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
