Scenes from Wawa Hoagie Day, when hundreds lined Independence Mall for free sandwiches, swag, and Tastykakes

Tired: Buying a six-inch hoagie inside a nice, air-conditioned Wawa.

Wired: Lining up in the heat for hours to receive a free Wawa Shortie because — well — it’s Philly.

Hundreds of hungry tourists, patient Philadelphians, and passersby hoping for a free lunch lined up on Arch Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets Thursday morning for Wawa Hoagie Day, or when the beloved local convenience store chain hands out thousands of free hoagies on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The tradition dates back to 1992 when then-Mayor Ed Rendell declared Wawa Hoagie Day a city holiday. This year, the chain donated food to several veteran centers and the Philabundance food bank. Participants got to munch on their sandwiches while listening to stylings of Voices of Service, a military quartet that recently competed on America’s Got Talent.

» READ MORE: From 2018: How the giant free hoagie from Wawa Hoagie Day gets made

Hundreds of Wawa employees headed to the National Constitution Center at 4:30 a.m. Thursday to hand assemble 25,000 Shorties — or around 7 tons of sandwich — Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens told the crowd while flanked by a hoagie mascot with a big smile and kind, sewn-on eyes.

Charles McGee, of Somerdale, N.J., was the first person to receive a sandwich, swag bag, and Tastykake when the handouts started at noon. A retiree and longtime volunteer with Philabundance, McGee lined up at 10 a.m. after finishing a shift with the food bank. To pass the time, McGee said he doled out life advice to the people who waited beside him, whom he now considered friends.

McGee’s go-to order: An Italian hoagie with lettuce, tomato, and absolutely no oil. Here’s to hoping that’s what he got.

See photos of Wawa Hoagie Day, from how the sandwiches get made to the first bite.