On March 24, 2017, it was reported by several news outlets that the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos were bidding to host the 2018 Grey Cup game.

[6] However, beginning with the 2018 game, the League announced it would conduct a formal bidding process based on the merits of the application to determine a host.

[13] The five-day event included a zipline from Jasper Avenue to Louise McKinney Park, artificial hills for tubing and skiing, as well as Grey Cup traditions like the team parties.

A total of fifty unique events and twenty-eight musical acts were scheduled, and the Festival was expected to add over $80 million to the local economy.

[15] On November 8, 2018, Maritime Football Ltd. announced a Name-The-Team drive for its proposed CFL team in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

[19] Two weeks before the game, it was announced that numerous Festival events, including the CFL Awards Ceremony, CFLPA Legends Luncheon, and the Grey Cup Gala Dinner, were either sold out or close to selling out.

In the wake of a hit to quarterback Brandon Bridge's helmet that went unpenalized, the league added an eighth official for the Eastern and Western finals.

[23] The Stampeders narrowly beat out the Saskatchewan Roughriders for first in the West and did not clinch the top spot until defeating the BC Lions in the final game of the season.

[32] Prior to kickoff, Calgary (CGY) won the coin toss and chose to defer to the second half, with Ottawa (OTT) choosing to kick the ball.

Due to the freezing temperatures in Edmonton in the days prior to the event, the turf was slippery throughout the game, with Stampeders defensive lineman Ja'Gared Davis commenting that he had never played on a field with as little traction.

[35] Despite conceding a two points to the Redblacks as the result of a safety, the Stampeders managed to hold their opponents scoreless for the remainder of the game, allowing them to win with a final score of 27–16.

For the first time, a Spanish-language telecast was provided by ESPN Latin America for ESPN3 in Mexico, with Aaron Soriano on play-by-play and the Toronto Argonauts' Frank Beltre on colour.

[41] Canadian country singer and Alberta native Brett Kissel sang the national anthem which marked the first time the line "in all of us command" was sung at the game.