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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY
National Ice Cream Day is a U.S. food holiday celebrated on the third Sunday of July, falling on July 19 in 2026. Created alongside National Ice Cream Month by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, it honors America’s favorite frozen treat, a dessert the average American eats about four gallons of each year. Whether you scream for ice cream, boozy ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, or ice cream cakes, here is everything you need to know to celebrate the day (and the whole month).
What Month is National Ice Cream Month in the United States?
July is National Ice Cream Month in the United States. Ice cream is so popular — ice cream makers churned out 1.30 billion gallons of ice cream last year — that there is a day devoted to it as well. National Ice Cream Day is observed on the third Sunday of July. In 2026, National Ice Cream Day is Sunday, July 19.
How to Observe Nation Ice Cream Day
There are many ways to celebrate National Ice Cream Day, from enjoying a simple scoop to hosting an ice cream party at home. When President Ronald Reagan created the holiday in 1984, he encouraged Americans to observe it with “appropriate ceremonies and activities,” which is really just an official excuse to eat more ice cream. Here are some of the best ways to celebrate:
- Enjoy a classic scoop: Grab a cup or cone of your favorite flavor, chase down the ice cream truck, or build an over-the-top sundae or milkshake.
- Try a DIY kit: Make your own frozen treats at home with an ice cream kit for some hands-on fun.
- Explore new styles: Branch out with frozen custard, gelato, or popsicles from across the country.
- Keep it lighter: If you are on a special diet, celebrate with sorbet or frozen fruit instead.
- Host an ice cream social: Set up a sundae bar, run a blindfolded flavor taste test, or hold a friendly ice cream eating contest with family and friends.
- Include your pets: Treat your dog to pup-friendly ice cream, now sold by many parlors and supermarkets.
However you celebrate, National Ice Cream Day is the perfect excuse for an extra scoop and all the toppings from America’s best ice cream shops.
Most Famous Ice Cream Shops
Caffè Panna Ice Cream
Since 2019, Hallie Meyer has been impressing New York City with her creamy ice cream. What started as a South Bronx pop-up has turned into a beloved Gramercy Park shop that typically has a long line out front.
Caffè Panna makes its ice cream fresh daily, sourcing ingredients locally and from Italy. Flavors include Vanilla made with Heilala Vanilla beans, Chocolate made with extra dark cocoa and a hint of Trapani sea salt, and Aud’s Dream, vanilla sweet cream with thick peanut butter swirls.
Graeter’s Ice Cream
More than 150 years since its founding in 1870, Cincinnati, Ohio’s Graeter’s Ice Cream still makes French-style ice cream the old school way. Home to the world’s only French Pot Freezer, Graeter’s churns custard-like ice cream just 2 gallons at a time — it’s the ultimate in small batch.
Each flavor begins with a French-style ice cream base made with 18% butterfat. Fanciful flavors include Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, peanut butter ice cream with milk chocolate chips, Oregon Strawberry with Willamette Valley strawberries, and Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip with brown sugar, cream, and dark chocolate chips.
Sloan’s Ice Cream
Sloan Kamenstein opened Sloan’s Ice Cream in 1999 in West Palm Beach, Florida and it’s been continuous fun for the past quarter century. The playful ice cream shop brings creativity to life in the form of small-batch ice cream.
Whimsical flavors include Almond Joy, coconut ice cream with fudge, chocolate covered almonds, and shredded coconut, Checker Boy’s Rum Raisin with golden raisins soaked in Myer’s dark rum, and Coffee & Doughnuts, coffee ice cream with Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts.
Read More: Frozen Yogurt vs Ice Cream
National Ice Cream Day FAQs
National Ice Cream Day 2026 is Sunday, July 19. It is always observed on the third Sunday of July, which also falls within National Ice Cream Month.
No. National Ice Cream Month spans all of July, while National Ice Cream Day is a single day within it, observed on the third Sunday of the month.
President Ronald Reagan established National Ice Cream Day and National Ice Cream Month in 1984, designating July as a month to celebrate the frozen treat and the third Sunday as its signature day.
You’ll melt for our ice cream. Get ready to scoop up the coolest ice cream from America’s best ice cream shops shipping nationwide on Goldbelly!
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