Don’t miss this year’s much anticipated Florida Blue Battle of the Bands featuring nationally renowned comedian and TV personality, Rickey Smiley! Accompanied by Orlando’s own RodZ and featuring a special performance by the Marching Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University, the Florida Blue Florida Classic is sure to bring down the house.  This year's battle takes place Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, 7 p.m. at the Amway Center in downtown Orlando.

Get ready for crowd-pleasing dance teams, high-stepping drum majors, precision drumlines and roaring brass sections from the top high school marching bands across the southeast whilethey battle it out to prove who has the best routine.

Three Orlando high school bands will be performing at the 2012 Florida Blue Battle of the Bands – Evans High School, Jones High School and Edgewater High School.

Additional high school bands battling it out are:

Osborne High School, Marietta, Ga.

Bahamas All Stars, Nassau, Bahamas

Burke High School, Charleston, S.C.

Westlake High School, Atlanta, Ga.

For more information please visit, www.floridaclassic.org.

The Florida Blue Florida Classic is the annual college football game between the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University and the Rattlers of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Each year, the Florida Classic Consortium hosts the Florida Blue Florida Classic as well as other ancillary events including the Florida Blue Battle of the Bands, Florida Blue Florida Classic Career Expo and Diversity Job Fair, Florida Blue Florida Classic FanFare and Florida Classic Consortium Kickoff Luncheon presented by Florida Blue. This on-field rivalry has taken place annually since 1978 and FAMU leads the series 21-11.