Dead week and finals are looming, but don’t forget to enjoy the start of the holiday season with Iowa State’s Winterfest.

Ryan Myers, student chair of the Winterfest planning committee and graduate student in accounting, said Winterfest is an opportunity for students to take a break from homework and relax.

“Winterfest gives a last campus celebration before the dreaded finals time starts. The grouping of events give students opportunities that are very rare in the Iowa State experience,” Myers said.

“Riding a horse-drawn carriage, touring the Campanile and many other events only come around once a year.”

Winterfest Events: Wednesday

AIDS Quilt Exhibit

9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Great Hall, Memorial Union

The Christian Petersen Art Museum in Morrill Hall will be hosting a section of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on exhibition for the public during regular open hours. Blocks will also be on display at the Memorial Union.

The quilt is a memorial for victims of AIDS. Each block of the quilt memorializes the life of a victim of AIDS, and a block consists of eight individual panels. More than 40,000 panels make up the quilt.

Admission is free, but the museum suggests a donation of $3 per visitor.

Campanile Tours

4:30-5 p.m. and 6-6:30 p.m.

The Student Alumni Leadership Council will be hosting tours through the Campanile. 

“This is an amazing experience for students and staff members alike to see the inside of an Iowa State landmark,” Myers said. “You will never look at the Campanile the same way once you have been to the top.”

Andy Albright Jingle Jog

4:30-5:30 p.m.

Cardinal Room, Memorial Union – registration is from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

5K Run/Walk benefits Freshmen Council Andy Albright Scholarship. Registration is $15. This fee includes a race T-shirt and forms can be found online at Freshmen Council’s Web site, fc.stuorg.iastate.edu.

Illumination Ceremony

Steps of Curtiss Hall

The Illumination Ceremony will take place on the steps of Curtiss Hall at 5:30 p.m. Along with the University Carillonneur Tin-Shi Tam and performance by a cappella group All in Moderation, there will be a welcoming speech and the illumination of the holiday tree.

“I feel the illumination ceremony is the most exciting event of the night because it allows us to welcome the Winter Season and also become mentally prepared for the extremely demanding final weeks that lay ahead in classes,” said Erica Ott, graduate assistant in educational leadership and policy studies. 

Central Campus Carriage Rides

6-8 p.m.

Horse-drawn carriages will take students around the central campus area. The route will pick students up on the north side of the Memorial Union, go around the south side of the Gerdin Business Building, past Kildee Hall, by Morill Hall and Beardshear Hall, and back to the Union. 

“For many, these carriage rides are a great way to enjoy the beauty of campus in a completely different perspective,” Myers said. 

Carriage rides are funded by GSB.

Winterfest Events: Friday

Knoll Holiday Open House

3-5 p.m.

Tour holiday decorations and enjoy hot chocolate

“The Knoll Open House … is important because when do we ever get a chance to step foot into Mr. and Mrs. Geoffroy’s House, and I hear their hot chocolate is amazing!” Ott said.