Kathleen Geoffroy, wife of ISU President Gregory Geoffroy, will begin handing out cups of hot chocolate to students starting at 3 p.m. Friday to kick off the annual WinterFest event.

Activities will be going on all afternoon until 1 a.m. This year the committee wanted to make sure WinterFest will appeal to all students, faculty and community members with a large variety of activities.

Marybeth Konkowski, junior in communication studies, said the WinterFest committee is expecting around 1,000 people in and out of the Memorial Union participating in events.

“This is one reason why we have so many different activities going on. People can go to one area, and if there is a wait, move on to the next and then return later,” Konkowski said. “And everything we have going on is designed for people to stop, enjoy and then move on to the next fun event.”

Almost all of the events are free for ISU students. The only two events where there will be a small fee are The Empty Bowl Project and Art Mart.

The Empty Bowl Project consists of participants choosing and keeping a handmade ceramic bowl they can then fill with chili or vegetable soup. These proceeds will go to Oxfam America.

Art Mart will be held in the Maintenance Shop from noon to 7 p.m. Here people can come in and buy jewelry, glass, pottery, prints and more. Proceeds will be given to sponsoring organizations and local artists.

A new addition to WinterFest is the aqua massage beds, funded by the Government of the Student Body, so students can come in and enjoy a relaxing massage before finals week.

“Even if you aren’t interested in any of the specific events, pause from studying for a few minutes, walk through, around the [Memorial] Union and take in the moment,” Konkowski said. “It’s such a magical night for everyone to enjoy. For me these winter festivals have always been so special. What better way to ring in the holiday season?”

A full list of the activities and times can be found here.