TORONTO — Niagara Falls will kick off the Rogers Hometown Hockey tour when the 2018-19 National Hockey League season begins in October.

The city will host the travelling festival showcasing hockey at the grassroots level across Canada on Oct. 7 and 8. Highlights of the two-day celebration will air on Rogers SportsNet nationally prior to broadcast of a game between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers at 6:30 p.m., the network announced Thursday.

Niagara Falls was at the front of the line when Rogers announced the first four of 24 stops of the 2017-18 season. Other stops included Haliburton Highlands, Ont., Charlottetown, P.E.I., and Truro, N.S. The remaining locations will be revealed next month.

Landing the event was something the city had been lobbying for in partnership with Niagara Parks, according to Mayor Jim Diodati.

“The fact that we’re going to do it at Queen Victoria Park with the falls as a backdrop will make everything that much more exciting,” he said.

It is the second NHL-related event Niagara Falls has scored this year after the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they would hold a portion of the team’s training camp at the Gale Centre from Sept. 15 to 17.

The event is open to fans of all ages free of charge.

“We’re encouraging any kids who play hockey — whether it be house league or travel — to come wearing their jerseys,” Diodati said.

Each week features special guests, musical acts and concludes with an outdoor viewing party of the SportsNet broadcast. Hosts Ron MacLean and Tara Slone will be on-site to tee up each weekend’s matchup.

“Niagara Falls is the perfect choice to start another season-long journey exploring Canada’s hockey heritage,” said MacLean. “With a rich hockey culture in the region, Niagara offers a waterfall of stories for us to tell. This tour is about discovering all the ways that hockey is woven into the fabric of our nation, and these opening communities will set the stage for a phenomenal season of doing just that.”