Get Free 7-Eleven Slurpees on Wednesday

In a nod to its name and opening date, 7-Eleven convenience stores are giving away free Slurpees, the chain's signature frozen slushie, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday.

On the 85th anniversary of 7-Eleven, participating stores will hand out free 7.11-ounce frosty drinks for eight hours for 7-Eleven Day.

Two local 7-Eleven stores are passing out free Slurpees on Wednesday.

“7-Eleven Day, or free Slurpee Day, gets bigger and more popular every year,” said Joe DePinto, 7-Eleven president and chief executive officer in a statement.

This year the stores expect to give away 7 million slurpees, beating its last year's offer by 2 million, DePinto said.

In addition to its usual flavors, customers will get try out the stores' new Slurpee Lite, and seasonal Fanta Sugar-Free Strawberry Banana and Fanta Lemon Crème.

Other 7-Eleven Day promotions include:

• Six Flags admission for $7.11 after 7:11 p.m. to amusement park attendees with a 7-Eleven receipt dated 7/11/12. Guests will also receive a VIP wristband for “Exclusive 7-Eleven Coasters After Dark” that evening.

The chain has celebrated its birthday on July 11 for decades, but it wasn’t until its 75th birthday in 2002 that stores began distributing free Slurpee drinks to customers, according to the company.

7-Eleven, based in Dallas, TX, operates, franchises or licenses approximately 9,300 stores in North America. Globally, there are more than 46,800 7-Eleven stores in 16 countries.