With midterm season upon us, sometimes even the free food starts to show its more academic side—by turning into freee coffee.

For those not in the loop, this Thursday, September 29, is National Coffee Day! To mark this wonderful holiday, 7-Eleven will be giving away free medium-sized coffees, cappuccinos, and lattes at all their locations, fittingly from 7 to 11 a.m. Be sure to stop by the 2617 P Street location to pick up a hot drink before you trek to Lau for the day.

It’s a poetry double-header this week, starting with the Late Night Poetry Slam. Hosted by What’s After Dark and Be Well Week 2011, the event will feature the skills of Advocate of Wordz, as well as a caricature artist, delicious free espresso beverages from Maui Wowi, and salsa lessons complete with a live salsa band. Be sure to head over to Bulldog Alley in the Leavey Center from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. this Saturday to enjoy the festivities.

If the poetry slam didn’t satisfy your cravings for literature, and those pesky hunger pangs are back, then perhaps the poetry reading with Fady Joudah and Khaled Mattawa is for you. The Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Justice will be hosting these poet/translators on Tuesday, October 4, at 8 p.m. in Copley Formal Lounge, with a reception to follow.

Photo from Flickr user mandydale under a Creative Commons license.

Well, it looks like the rain is back. Luckily, so is the free food!

If the thought of approaching midterms has got you down, then a night of dancing will be the perfect pick-me-up. This Saturday, the Hindu Students Association will be hosting their celebration of Navaratri Garba with dancing and delicious, free Indian food. Be sure to stop by the Copley Formal Lounge from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. to dance the night away and chow down.

For a chance to meet Rihanna, Martin Van Buren (pictured), those other 43 presidents, and more, all while indulging on free food and sipping on some free cocktails, why wouldn’t you head over to the Flip 2 Fresh party at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum? Hosted by 94.7 FRESH FM, the famous wax museum will host the after work party on Thursday, September 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. so be sure to stop by for food, drink, and prizes galore!

Ever thought kayaking and hanging out with chaplains could go hand in hand? Well on Wednesday, September 28, the Office of Campus Ministry and Outdoor Education will be hosting their Twilight Reflection evening, complete with kayaking the Potomac and cooking over a campfire. Head over to Jack’s Boathouse on K Street from 5 to 8 p.m. to grill out under the open sky and engage with some of campus’ religious leaders.

Photo from Madame Tussauds.

The school year is off and running, but with Leo’s starting to already get old, free food seems to be the only option for gastronomic survival.

If your palate for art is as refined as that for cuisine, then perhaps the opening reception for the two exhibitions of Chilean art at the Art Museum of the Americas is for you. Located by the reflecting pool on the National Mall, the AMA will host the reception September 14^th at 6:45 p.m., so be sure to head down to see the installation artwork of the Traveling Light exhibit, and the portraits of the dynamic between housekeepers and housewives in the Common Place exhibit. And grab some complimentary snacks, of course.

Fridays always make students think of relaxation and comfort. And what falls under comfort food (well, dessert) better than cookies? In celebration of Mexican Independence Day, the Bioethics Library will be hosting a Mexican-themed cookie Friday, featuring chocolate cherry cookies with a pinch of chili as well as chips and salsa. Be sure to stop by Healy 102 from 4 to 5 p.m. on Friday to chow down on some Mexican-themed munchies.

Want to crush some of the area’s other schools in an ecofriendly competition, but also starting to feel hunger pangs? Then look no further than the Capitol Car Free Campus Competition! Chat with the representatives from event sponsors like GUWellness and Yates Field House, take the pledge to go car free to add yourself to Georgetown’s total, and indulge in a free breakfast on Thursday, September 22, or Car Free Day, on Copley Lawn from 8 to 10 a.m.

Photo from Stony Brook Cookie Company.

With the rain here to stay, the burden of bringing cheer to campus falls on free food.

Let the games begin at the IRC’s Opening Ceremony, where the university’s largest international relations club will regale you with their plans for the upcoming year over a buffet of international food. Be sure to wear the colors of your favorite flag when you head over to the Village C Alumni Lounge this Thursday from 5 to 6:30 p.m.!

Continuing with the exotic flavor, perhaps a little salsa dancing will stave off the rain? The GU Ballroom Dance Team will be hosting their annual Salsa and Swing Night this Friday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the Harbin Patio, so be sure to stop by for the chance to learn a few steps and chow down on the free snacks.

Money worries mingling with hunger pains? Don’t fret, as the Common $ense series of seminars, hosted by GUASFCU and the Office of Student Financial Services,  begins anew on Wednesday the 14^th, combining practical personal finance advice for college students with a plentiful helping of Ledo’s pizza. September’s event is titled “Money, Money, Money,” and will feature Professor Michael Ryan of the McDonough School of Business, so be sure to stop by McShain Lounge at 6:15 p.m.

Photo from Ledopizza.com

With the student body fresh from summer, what better time is there to indulge in a little free food as a welcome back to campus?

If the desire to satisfy your hunger cravings is as great as your wanderlust, then head over to the Late Night World’s Fair for a culinary trip around the seven continents, in addition to carnival rides, games, and live music. The festivities, hosted by What’s After Dark, Georgetown Programming Board, and Welcome Week, will be held on Copley Lawn on Friday, September 2, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

If the start of classes isn’t intellectually stimulating enough to quell your constant hankering for pizza, then stop by Mind the Gap’s Brain Movie Night for the chance to watch Memento, a neurological thriller, and chow down on a few slices. Stop by White Gravenor 311 on Tuesday, September 6, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. to see the brain when it works, and when it doesn’t.

With the D.C. heat still strong and present, sometimes the only thing to turn to is ice cream. Luckily enough, GU Pride is hosting an Ice Cream Social on Friday, September 9, in the Leavey Program Room, so be sure to stop by between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. and learn about one of Georgetown’s most active student groups!

Photo from Flickr user Indiani Soemardjan under a Creative Commons license.

With the dread of finals looming after today’s final classes, what’s a better distraction from studying than free food?

If the thought of summer makes you crave froyo and you’re a little sick of Sweetflow, then perhaps the opening of Pinkberry in Dupont will satisfy you. Head over to their new location at 1213 Connecticut Avenue this Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. to indulge yourself in free froyo.

If your method of coping with stress is regressing to childhood, then Leo’s has you covered—this Thursday from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m., Midnight Breakfast returns to our beloved dining hall. This semester’s theme is “Welcome to Seussville,” complete with green eggs and ham.

Finals start on Friday, and if you’re lucky enough to not have to endure an exam, then prepare yourself for the European Union Embassies Open House. From the United Kingdom’s whisky tasting and pub food to the French Embassy’s promise of wine and real hors d’œuvres, the day won’t disappoint. Don’t forget, most of the embassies are near Dupont and be sure to check the embassy websites for specific times.

Photo: Insidesocial.com

With a week of classes left before finals set in, it’s time to indulge in as much free food as possible!

In preparation for Georgetown Day, treat yourself to a night of massages, yoga, food, and (fitness) drinks. MINT Gym, just a few blocks from Dupont Circle at 1011 16^th Street, is hosting an open house this Thursday to showcase their brand new gym. Stop by from 6 to 9pm to pamper yourself and don’t forget to RSVP!

If straying from campus doesn’t sound appealing, then perhaps GU Nite: Saturday Night Fever is for you! Hosted by What’s After Dark and GPB, the event features a foam party, a roller skating rink, and free food galore. Head over to Red Square this Saturday from 10pm to 1am to indulge yourself in the festivities.

And don’t forget, in the midst of Georgetown Day the Bioethics Research Library in Healy will be hosting their Cookie Friday from 4 to 5pm.

Photo: Lululemon Athletica

With Easter break only a few short days away, Georgetown has turned into a free food desert. But when classes are done, there will be time to explore off-campus to your heart’s, and appetite’s, content.

Stop by to the Artisphere’s Spectrum Theater in Rosslyn this Thursday from 6 to 8 pm to see the Washington Shakespeare Company rehearse their upcoming production of Tennessee Continuum, a double-bill of lesser-known one-acts by Tennessee Williams, and to treat yourself to the free reception that starts off the evening.

For those of age, hop on the Metro this Friday and head over to 1600 King Street in Alexandria from 6 to 8 p.m. to indulge your inner wine lover at The Butcher’s Block with a complimentary “earth friendly” wine tasting in honor of Earth Day.

If a foodie lurks inside of you, then perhaps you’ll want to attend the cookbook signing and reception hosted by Chef Michael Schwartz at the Urbana Restaurant and Wine Bar on Wednesday. From 4 to 7 pm, spoil yourself with non-Leo’s cuisine taken straight from the pages of his new book!

Photo: Lee McCoy

Chocolate Seder

If you feel like now is the best time to admit your passionate love affair with chocolate, then never fear, for the Jewish Chaplaincy and the JSA are hosting a “Chocolate Seder”.

Akin to a traditional Passover meal, but with lots more chocolate, the celebration is open to all this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the Leavey Program Room.

Clothing Swap

If you’re tired of your winter wardrobe, and hope to bolster your summer attire with some new pieces. Head over to EcoAction’s annual clothing swap and trade in your old duds for some swanky new clothes. There will be free Georgetown Cupcakes.

The swap will be on the second floor corridor of Healy Hall between 12 and 5 p.m. this Friday. Don’t miss it.

In case you were unaware, it’s iWeek!

That’s right, it’s an entire week devoted to learning more and celebrating the different cultural identities that make up Georgetown, and it just so happens to bring with it a plethora of free food.

The week starts off with ballroom dancing on the Harbin patio (rain site: Hoya Court) on Monday from 7 to 9 p.m., hosted by the GU Ballroom Dance Team, and accompanied by the pleasant aromas of chips and salsa.

On Tuesday, head over to the showing of Pan’s Labyrinth, held by the Georgetown International Graduate Students Organization, from 7:15 to 10:15 p.m. in St. Mary’s 126 and scarf down some pizza while you’re at it.

Of course, if you have a taste for Thai over Italian, then perhaps the GU Thai Society’s showing of Beautiful Boxer on Tuesday from 8:15 to 10:15 in ICC 102, and complemented by Thai food, is more your style.

This Thursday, come mark the 63^rd anniversary of Israeli Independence Day on Copley Lawn (Rain Site: Sellinger Lounge) with the Georgetown Israel Alliance and enjoy the Middle Eastern food, music, and hookah.

To wrap up the free food of the week, on Friday the Taiwanese American Student Association will be hosting a cultural game night in the Village C Alumni Lounge from 5 to 7 p.m., head on over to play such games as Mah Jong and indulge yourself in authentic Taiwanese food.