Christmas Day was filled with events for UCF and NC State.

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Both teams enjoyed a Christmas Day picnic at Vinnoy Park in St. Pete and UCF Head Coach George O’Leary along with NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren spoke about being away for Christmas and Friday’s game.

“Basically you are with your family, that’s what you look at,” O’Leary said. “A lot of the kids’ parents are coming in, I made sure they called their mom and dad this morning for Christmas. And again, we’re looking forward to a great game against a very good football team.”

Later Thursday afternoon, the school bands battled musically and physically on the beach, battling in a variety of events, including tug of war and a pie eating contest.

The Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl game will take place Friday, Dec. 26 at 8:00 p.m. at Tropicana Field. KnightNews.com has a team covering the events throughout the week and during the game. Keep checking back for updates!