On the eve of Canada's biggest day in football, Grey Cup fever is finally heating up in Toronto.

An early winter wallop and the elimination of the city's Toronto Argonauts meant a slow start to a normally raucous weekend-long CFL celebration.

Due to some wet snow and freezing rain, the 2007 Grey Cup Committee decided to move the party inside the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

"The safety and well-being of fans and performers alike is our number one priority," Brad Watters, general manager of Grey Cup 2007, said in a release.

Boisterous fans decked out in team colors and face paint eventually hit the party circuit, likely comforted by the smell of the traditional Grey Cup pancake breakfast.

"Bombers rule and riders drule," said fan Ramona Tkachuk. "I know it's hard to deal with but I hear therapy helps."

Several special events were held at the CFL party Saturday afternoon, including book signings, football demonstrations and a cook-off with CTV's Tim Weber on hand as a judge.

Cheerleaders from all teams were at the party, hyping up the crowd. The event kicked off with the Toronto Argonauts Blue Thunder cheerleading squad.

Blue Thunder cheerleader Shannon Kay said even though the team was in good spirits, it didn't mean they were not disappointed Toronto's team didn't make the finals.

"We're a little disappointed, we'd prefer being in the grey cup," she told CTV Toronto.

Eight events were scheduled for Saturday night, including a gala party at the Liberty Grand featuring Canadian band Blue Rodeo.

Tickets were snapped up quickly for Sunday's showdown between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The sold-out championship, which is being held at the Rogers Centre, will draw more than 52,000 fans but hardly anyone celebrating in Toronto is actually from Ontario's capital.

Just two blocks from the pre-game parties, residents were wondering what all the fuss was about.

"I don't know how many people I run into that say, 'Is there something going on?'" Murray Bax, a die-hard Roughriders fan, told CTV News on Friday.

Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco will be in Toronto for the game. He told CTV Newsnet on Saturday that although the championship is out of province, all of Saskatchewan is excited about the game.

"It's really brought Saskatchewan spirits extremely high amongst all citizens. This is an exciting time for us. We've waited for a very long time," he said.

"A lot of people take sports for granted but the Saskatchewan Roughriders is a community-owned team so everyone feels they have a piece of the 'Riders and there's a lot at stake in regards to pride."

The Grey Cup, Canada's largest professional sporting event, has been celebrated since 1909. This year's championship will be broadcast in more than 160 countries. Toronto last hosted the Grey Cup in 1992 when Calgary defeated Winnipeg 24-10.

Some contend Toronto fans have outgrown the CFL, opting for the game played stateside.

"I think there's a bit of NFL snobbery. The fan base is more NFL here," said one football enthusiast in Toronto.

CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon surprised fans by announcing -- on the eve of Grey Cup weekend -- the NFL's expansion into Canada is inevitable.

"In the off season, we will be talking more about can we solidify an ongoing relationship with the NFL, but it's a complicated thing," Cohon said during a news conference this week.

Die-hard fans believe an NFL expansion could kill the CFL, which currently consist of eight teams.

CFL fan George Hitzroth, 87, has been to 61 Grey Cup championships.

He believes the NFL has a lot to offer, but not when it comes to the game's fundamentals.

"What the NFL has is great players and great promotion, but the game sucks. It's a terrible game," he told CTV News.

Fiacco said he has "mixed emotions" about NFL prospects in Canada and is mainly worried about the dilution of the league.

"Not all fans are going to be able to enjoy an NFL game. It's a very pricey ticket and it's not affordable," he said.

Despite the lack of enthusiasm, plans are already in the works for the NFL's Buffalo Bills to play some games in Toronto starting next season.

With reports from CTV's John Vennavally-Rao and Galit Solomon.