Saskatchewan Roughrider fans were soaking up the atmosphere in Calgary in the lead-up to the Grey Cup. (Eric Anderson/CBC)Athletes and fans alike are savouring the festivities leading up to the much anticipated Grey Cup game in Calgary on Sunday when the Saskatchewan Roughriders play the Montreal Alouettes at McMahon Stadium.

Extra airline flights were added between Calgary and Regina and Saskatoon, allowing many 'Rider fans to get to the game.

Other 'Rider enthusiasts took the Trans-Canada Highway to Calgary, ensuring the city would be awash in green, the team colour.

So long as the costume sported an element of green, it fit the theme to support the 'Riders. Watermelons were also flown to Calgary to complete the look. (Eric Anderson/CBC)The owner of Pazzer's Saskatchewan pub, in northwest Calgary, said she was ready for some hearty partiers.

"I was talking to somebody from Regina a few days ago and they told me to be scared because I haven't experienced 'Rider nation,'" Marion Hayes, the pub's owner, told CBC News. "They say these kids know how to party. But I'm ready. I'm ready."

The players have also found time, between practices, to soak up the atmosphere.

"You're out here with all your best friends you've been with for the past three, four months," Stu Foord, a running back for the 'Riders and a Regina native, told CBC News. "Now we're all stuck in a hotel, going to different events, dressing up, eating nice meals — and playing a little football. It's pretty sweet."

Foord said he expects McMahon Stadium to feel like a home venue.

"We're just going to ride that wave 'cause we feel we have a lot of momentum on our side," Foord said. "And with the crowd we know we're going to get in Calgary, I think that's going to work in our favour."

In Regina, the Grey Cup game is the talk of the town — in butcher shops, at grocery stories and among neighbours shovelling the snow that fell on the city Saturday morning.

Preparations were underway across Regina for Grey Cup parties of all sizes.

One of the larger venues in Regina to watch the game is one of the halls of the Conexus Arts Centre. Nine television monitors, including two big-screen projection models, will carry the game.

An enthusiastic 'Rider fan marches in the Grey Cup Festival Parade in Calgary on Saturday. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)Food will also be a major part of the event.

"Chicken wings, ribs, pizza, popcorn, chips, that kind of thing," Stacey Domoslai, a spokeswoman for the arts centre, told CBC News about the game menu.

"Anything that you can think of that would be pub fare, they're going to be creating it in here. And of course serving 1,300 people on an ongoing basis right through that game. They're going to be hungry fans out there, so this kitchen is going to be hopping."

Montreal Alouettes fans show their support for the team during the Grey Cup Parade. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)In Calgary, sports fans say they appreciate the dedication 'Rider fans display for their team.

Douglas Murray, who normally cheers for the Stampeders, said the Grey Cup brings out the fan in everyone.

"We're fans through good and bad," Murray told CBC News about dedicated followers of CFL teams. He noted that any supporter of any team was welcome in Calgary, simply to enjoy the sport.

"As long as you're a fan of the league, they're all welcome," Murray said. "Even Argo fans … although you don't see much blue here."

Thousands of football fans, of all stripes, lined the streets of Calgary on Saturday to take in the Grey Cup Festival Parade, which featured about 80 entries. There were marching bands, dignitaries in convertible cars, and representatives from all teams in the league.