A New Year’s Eve bowl game in a Gulf Coast Paradise !
Congratulations to the Vanderbilt Commodores and Iowa Hawkeyes on their bowl-worthy seasons!
It's almost gametime, and the 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa Bay starts with direct flights into Tampa Bay through the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE), just minutes from wonderful beachside accommodations on America's Favorite Beaches! Take advantage of our weekend guide to help make your trip planning a little easier so you can enjoy the pre-game and post-game fun!
Getting Here
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport services direct flights from Nashville International Airport and Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids. Additional direct flights are also available out of the Quad Cities and Des Moines in Iowa, as well as Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and the Tri-Cities in Tennessee. All flights are available on Allegiant. See more St. Pete-Clearwater flight destinations here.
Tampa Bay and St. Pete-Clearwater is also serviced by Tampa International Airport (TPA), with nonstop flights from Nashville through American and Southwest.
Find Your Perfect Accommodation
Take advantage of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater's direct booking service and find the perfect place to stay for your budget. Discover beach resorts and bungalows, scenic downtown hotels with rooftop bars or historic stays in a quieter small towns. Filter by distance to the beach, swimming pools, pet-friendly hotels and rentals, restaurants on-site and more.
There's also an amazing special just for you! Enjoy our limited-time offer and receive $50 per night (up to five nights, via a Visa digital gift card emailed within 24 hours of arrival) when you book your accommodations through our "PTO" special.
Getting Around
If you are planning to stay on Clearwater Beach, you can take the "Grouper" shuttle from St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport to your accommodations! The service is an affordable and convenient way to get to Clearwater Beach from the airport, connecting to the major hotels on the beach. Fares start at $8 for a single rider and $20 for groups of 3-4. The service can accommodate up to groups of 8.
If you decide to stay in St. Pete, the SunRunner is a hassle-free transit line connecting downtown St. Pete to St. Pete Beach, perfect for hopping between downtown fun and award-winning beaches. Expect service every 15 minutes with a total time from downtown to the beach in about 35 minutes.
Another great way to travel is to skip the traffic and take a scenic water taxi ride between downtown Clearwater, the beach and Dunedin through the Clearwater Ferry. Reservations are encouraged, but walk-ons are welcome. All routes cost less than $10 and make for an easy activity to enjoy the water!
Illustration of the ReliaQuest Clearwater Beach Day
Plan Your Getaway!
What better way to celebrate the New Year than with 65,000-plus fellow football fans in the Florida sunshine? Reliaquest Bowl attendees can expect clear skies and beautiful, warm weather in an area of virtually endless fun and entertainment options in Tampa Bay.
Folks who love college football are busy buying tickets to the 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl (previously known as the Outback Bowl), set for December 31 in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. They're planning road trips or air travel to attend the big celebration. And the beach-lovers among them are booking a hotel on America's Favorite Beaches, planning to make a winter getaway of it by staying a few extra days before or after the game.
Besides the attraction of near-constant sunshine, white-sand beaches, and great attractions, the Reliaquest Bowl organization has special pre-game features planned.
Reliaquest Schedule
Monday, Dec. 29: Reliaquest Clearwater Beach Day Celebration
Monday, Dec. 29 will be Clearwater Beach Day presented by Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, when players, the schools’ marching bands, cheerleaders and fans will be on the soft, white sand near Pier 60 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for live music, food and fun contests such as a tug-of-war.
Tuesday, Dec. 30: Reliaquest Parade and Pep Rally
Tuesday, Dec. 30, an evening parade and pep rally is planned for Tampa’s Ybor City Latin district.
Wednesday, Dec. 31 is Game Day!
Game day, December 31, starts with tailgating at 9 a.m. with a Pregame Bowl Bash outside Raymond James Stadium. The fun will include live music on a stage, other entertainers, interactive games and appearances by the college bands and cheerleaders. Plenty of food and refreshments will be available. At approximately 11:20 a.m. (40 minutes before the 12:03 p.m. kickoff), a pre-game show in the stadium will include performances by high school and college bands, as well as a thrilling flyover.
The ReliaQuest Bowl Halftime Show, something the folks watching on TV won’t get to enjoy fully, starts with performances by the college marching band and dance teams of the two schools. Following that is a mass band performance featuring 15 high school bands and more than 700 dancers.
Raymond James Stadium, home turf of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is a show of its own, with its famous pirate ship equipped with booming cannons. It also has 9,600-square-foot HD video boards on the north and south ends of the stadium and four 2,300-square-foot HD tower walls. Its sound system has more than 400 speakers throughout the stadium.
Nearby New Year's Eve Celebrations
Anyone with a few ahhhs and ohhhhs left in them after cheering for their teams can enjoy New Year’s Eve celebrations and fireworks in Clearwater Beach and downtown St. Pete. This is only the second time the 39-year-old Tampa event has been held on New Year’s Eve.
Plan and book your stay on America's Best Beaches!
Ideas for Extending Your Trip
- Spend a few days on the soft-white sand and turquoise waters of America's Favorite Beaches
- Go out on a dolphin watching cruise, fishing excursion or a glow tour by kayak at Shell Key Preserve
- Spend a day in St. Petersburg, exploring the St. Pete Pier, amazing museums, an eclectic and award-winning food scene, plus exciting nightlife
- Check out the Gulp Coast Craft Beer Trail
- Visit charming small towns like Dunedin, Safety Harbor and Tarpon Springs
- Savor fresh seafood when you dine at outdoor restaurants with great water views
- Check out the nightly Sunsets at Pier 60 celebration, with fire jugglers, magicians and other entertainers
- Relax and enjoy a perfect sunset over the Gulf of Mexico
Event Category
- Annual Festivals & Events
- Sports & Recreation
Guest Information
- Family-Friendly
- Outdoor Event