Clearwater Hosting Outback Bowl Beach Day Celebration December 30th

NEW YORK, Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Clearwater, Fla is kicking off the 25th annual Outback Bowl College Football Championship game with a day of fun and sun on its world-renowned Gulf-shore beaches. The Outback Bowl Beach Day will take place on Clearwater Beach this Dec. 30, a couple of days before the big game, with live music, sky divers, tug of war and other competitions setting the mood for celebration. The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Florida Gators, along with their marching bands, cheerleaders, and alumni will join with the community to start the weekend off right, all in one of the country's most beautiful beach destinations.

Sponsored by the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, City of Clearwater, the Hilton, Suncoast Hospice Foundation, Allegiant Airlines, 95.7 the Beat and 93.3FLZ Radio, the Outback Bowl Beach Day will be held on the white sands next to Pier 60 in front of the Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort.

Clearwater is the ideal destination for all Outback Bowl fans. Only 22 miles from Tampa, the white sand beaches and variety of accommodations provide the perfect backdrop for an end of year break for all visitors. The City's Facebook page lists a number of special offers that are available to guests planning to stay in Clearwater – www.facebook.com/cityofclearwater.

In addition to the Beach Day, Clearwater is set to entertain all guests during the Outback Bowl. Sunsets at Pier 60 will be enhanced with additional vendors and buskers, with special holiday hours from Dec. 26 through Jan 2. The Sunset Cinema series will be showing special screenings of "We are Marshall" (Dec. 29) and "The Blind Side" (Dec. 30). The Beach Day will finish with a special fireworks show, starting at 7:45 p.m. Live bands will perform nightly under the Pavilion from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, with the Steve Arvey Band as the live entertainment on Beach Day.

The Outback Bowl is the championship game between teams from the SEC and the Big Ten Conferences and takes place each year on New Year's Day in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium. It will be only the third meeting between Penn State and Florida and the fourth appearance for both schools in the Outback Bowl. Tickets for the game can be purchased through Ticketmaster.

More information about the Outback Bowl can be found at www.outbackbowl.com.

Contact: Adel Grobler, (212) 922-1961, [email protected]

SOURCE Clearwater, Fla