The Big Hunt is a daylong adventure that you’ll remember forever and an experience a first-year Hoya must not miss. The Big Hunt combines the fun of a night out with your friends with the urgency of The Amazing Race.
Freshmen and transfer students compete in teams of four to six and arrive early in the morning on the White-Gravenor Hall patio, perhaps with heads aching from the night before. A breakfast of bagels and coffee is provided, and at check-in each participant receives his or her Big Hunt t-shirt. At the start, teams line up in front of Healy Hall to hear the coordinators shout, “Go!” After that, the Hunt begins, and it’s a chaotic rush.
As teams head into the city by bus, cab and metro — any of these modes of transportation is acceptable — volunteers wait to give the teams a chance for extra points by completing tasks such as proposing to strangers, singing the fight song at the top of a Metro shop in Chinatown or racing around the Reflecting Pool. The most enthusiastic teams get the most points.
When not around volunteers, teams must complete their booklets. iPhones won’t help you here, as the questions are designed with Google in mind. Many of the answers come from business signs that either change or have information that is different from what is posted online, so teams must visit these places in person. From Dupont Circle to Union Station to the monuments the booklet takes teams all around the city.
Teams must plan their routes carefully, and the best teams pack snacks so that they don’t have to stop during the day. There’s never enough time to complete the booklet alone by 3 p.m., when teams are required to return to Healy’s steps.
A few hours later, all teams gather for the awards ceremony. Prize packages include box seat tickets to a basketball game and gift certificates to Georgetown restaurants like Mie N Yu and 1789. All participants get discounts to local businesses no matter how they finish.
This year’s theme for the Hunt is time machine, so each team will pick an era to represent and should dress accordingly. Eras include, but are not limited to, caveman, the roaring 20s, the 80s and the tuture.
To register for The Big Hunt, chat with a representative outside of Leo’s 6-8 p.m. from Sept. 19 to 23 and 5-8 p.m. from Sept. 26 to 30. The Big Hunt will take place all day on Oct. 1, so clear your schedule. It’s a day at Georgetown you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
