Midnight breakfast is a tradition on college campuses during finals week, offering free breakfast foods and entertainment to students as a means of relaxation and community building. Some schools offer the event monthly or weekly, with themes and costumes.
Midnight breakfast is served on most college campuses on the first day of finals week, when semester exams are held in each class. The meal takes place late in the evening, anywhere between 9.00pm and midnight. Breakfast foods, such as scrambled eggs, pancakes, and sausage are served, and many of these events also offer various types of entertainment or relaxation aids.
Traditionally, midnight breakfast is held in the school cafeteria, although other seats may be used if the cafeteria is too small. In many universities the meal is free for students. Schools provide the meal to encourage depressed students in their final exams, provide a means of relaxation in an otherwise hectic week, and help students stop for a bite to eat on their last night of study before exams start.
Another important aspect of a midnight breakfast is the feeling of community. It’s perhaps one of the few times each semester that the majority of the student body is gathered in one place. This serves to create a sense of community with both current students and alumni who have attended in the past.
Faculty and staff often serve food to students, and occasionally a mayor or other civic servant will also help serve. In some colleges the midnight meal is provided and served by the student union. Often, entertainment will be provided, usually by a disc jockey or live band. In addition, other means of relaxation are sometimes provided, such as games, massage, and aromatherapy.
Some colleges assign themes to their midnight breakfast celebrations, such as movies or cultural themes. Even during the busy study leading up to finals week, many students find time to make or buy a costume for these events. While a midnight breakfast is traditionally only offered once a semester, several universities offer them on a monthly or weekly basis. For example, a college in the United States offers breakfast food every Friday night. While breakfast foods remain the most popular offering, lunch and dinner foods are readily available at these events.
Some college dining facilities remain open 24 hours a day. Although they do serve breakfast foods at midnight, these are not considered midnight breakfasts unless the school arranges for a specific night. So the cafeteria will have a lot more customers than normal for that time of night.
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