National Ice Cream Day hotter than ever
Soaring temps, special deals welcome weekend holiday
Food
National Ice Cream Day has delicious timing.
The year’s coolest holiday arrives on Sunday with much of the U.S. sweltering. The National Weather Service has posted excessive weekend heat warnings across the Midwest and Northeast while nearly 100 million Americans brace for record temperatures. AccuWeather reports nearly a dozen major cities — from Kansas City to Boston — will flirt with triple-digit heat. Even overnight temperatures in many areas will top 80 degrees.
President Reagan had the right idea by declaring the first National Ice Cream Day back in 1984 — when the term “global warming” meant, well, not very much at all.
Ice cream means a lot to Americans. A recent National Today survey found that 40% of us have eaten an entire pint in one sitting. (Only 40%?) A third claim they would eat ice cream at every meal. (The obvious question: What’s stopping them?) And 22% use ice cream to help get over a breakup. (Wondering if rocky road is the breakup flavor of choice?)
The holiday takes place on the third Sunday in July. Luckily, Ice cream shops all across the country, no strangers to patriotism, plan money-saving celebrations. So whether it’s lost love or just sunburn, here’s where to find some relief.
National Ice Cream Day deals
My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream has joined forces with Japanese fashion brand UNIQLO for an in-store pop up. They’re offering free servings at nine UNIQLO stores including LA and NYC. My/Mo’s “poppable” ice cream wrapped in sweet rice mochi dough will be available for shoppers while they browse UNIQLO’s latest trends.
Dippin’ Dots plans to give away free mini cups at participating locations during a two-hour window. “We’re all about celebrating the little things in life,” says Chief Marketing & Sales Officer Michael Barrette. “In our minds, every day is National Ice Cream Day.”
Cold Stone Creamery will offer a Buy One, Get One (BOGO) promotion, but you’ll need to join My Cold Stone Club Rewards by Saturday. In addition, the chain will offer a special gift card promotion on National Ice Cream Day: Purchase $30 in gift cards online and receive a bonus $10 e-Card.
Think Amazon Prime Day’s over? Well, it is, sort of. Still, Prime members get 35% off all ice cream and novelties at Whole Foods Market between now and July 30.
Even dogs are cashing in on National Ice Cream Day. PetSmart’s offering a weekend of free, dog-friendly ice cream topped with dog biscuit treats at PetsHotel locations this weekend.
Dogs get a four-ounce, free serving of dog-safe ice cream and toppings during normal business hours at PetSmart stores with PetsHotel facilities. They’re typically an add-on treat for both overnight and Doggie Day Camp guests.
“We love seeing pet parents enjoying summertime with their dogs,” says PetSmart VP Debbie Beisswanger. “That’s why we’re excited to offer dog-safe ice cream treats for the fifth year in a row.”