National Ice Cream Day – Jul. 19, 2026

Expected National Ice Cream Day Deals

While we await official 2027 promotions to drop, history shows that National Ice Cream Day brings a flurry of sweet deals from major brands. Expect Baskin-Robbins to offer discounts on scoops and sundaes, while Dairy Queen often features special pricing on Blizzards and cones. Cold Stone Creamery typically provides BOGO offers or price reductions on their signature creations. Look for McDonald’s and Burger King to have deals on their soft-serve cones, and local creameries like Salt & Straw or Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams to introduce limited-edition flavors or special collaborations. Many grocery stores, such as Kroger and Walmart, will also run sales on popular pint brands. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as July 18 approaches.

History of National Ice Cream Day

There’s no known inventor that can be credited with creating ice cream, unfortunately. But the history of ice cream is as rich as gelato. It’s been said that ice cream-like food was first consumed in China sometime between 618-97 AD. The first dish was made from flour, buffalo milk, and camphor, an organic compound commonly used in lotion. It’s also been noted that Alexander the Great adored ice and snow flavored with nectar and honey.

We’ve also identified that the Bible indicates that King Solomon enjoyed iced drinks during the harvest season. Speaking of homemade, during the Roman Empire, Caesar would send people to gather snow from the mountains, just to cover it in fruit and juices.

Close to a thousand years later in Italy, Marco Polo had returned from the Far East and bought back a recipe for what we now know as sherbet. It is assumed that this recipe developed into what we now know as ice cream which was once called ‘‘Cream Ice.’ It was in 1660 that the general public was presented with ice cream. An Italian man named Francesco Procopio Dei Coltelli decided to perfect a machine made by his fisherman grandfather which produced top-quality gelato in his café. The recipe blended milk, butter, eggs, and cream and was sold in Paris.

The first mention of ice cream in the United States derives from a letter written in Maryland in 1744 by Governor William Bladen’s guest. Then, the New York Gazette on May 12, 1777, printed the first advert for ice cream in the United States. Following the American Revolution, ice cream became super popular in the US.

Since then ice cream has exploded onto the desert scene with the creation of home machines, as well as the emergence of ice cream vans, ice cream floats, sundaes, and well-known brands like ‘‘Ben and Jerry’s’’ and ‘‘Haagen-Dazs’’ that we still consume to this day. The effect of ice cream on society is so great, that the brain of an ice cream lover has been likened to that of an addict. When the brain wants ice cream, it reacts like a passionate fanatic.

How Businesses Can Celebrate National Ice Cream Day