- Categories:
- Food & Beverage
- Tags:
- AmericanDessertIce Cream
- Where:
- United States
- Date change rule:
- Every August 6
- Holiday emoji:
- 🍦
National Root Beer Float Day arrives every August 6, inviting everyone to indulge in the delightful combination of root beer and vanilla ice cream. This beloved treat offers a perfect blend of creamy sweetness and effervescent fizz. Grab a tall glass, a scoop (or two!), and create your own perfect float, or seek out a local soda shop for a classic rendition.
Want to sponsor National Root Beer Float Day? Learn how
Expected National Root Beer Float Day Deals
While we await official 2027 promotions to drop, history shows that National Root Beer Float Day brings sweet deals from many chains. In past years, expect to find special offers from establishments like A&W Restaurants, famous for their classic root beer, often offering free floats or BOGO deals. Dairy Queen might feature discounts on their float variations, while local ice cream parlors and diners like Sonic Drive-In frequently join in with their own unique promotions. Even grocery stores such as Kroger and Walmart may offer discounts on root beer and ice cream ingredients for DIY floats. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as August 6 approaches.
Platform Guide for National Root Beer Float Day
Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #RootBeerFloatDay. Share mouth-watering photos and videos of your ultimate root beer float creations, from classic to gourmet.
TikTok
Tag @www.nationaltoday.com and use #RootBeerFloatDay. Film a quick tutorial on making the perfect float, or a fun challenge for who can drink one the fastest.
Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #RootBeerFloatDay. Ask your friends to share their favorite root beer brands or ice cream flavors for floats.
National Root Beer Float Day Hero
Frank J. Wisner
History of National Root Beer Float Day
The unique fusion of ice cream with root beer is unlike anything else. This summertime delicacy has a history as rich as its texture and flavor!
Frank J. Wisner, the owner of Colorado’s Cripple Creek Brewing, is the person to thank for creating the root beer float on August 19, 1893. The idea behind this extraordinary innovation came to Wisner when he was looking at the snowy peaks of Colorado’s Cow Mountain that gave the illusion of ice cream floating on a beverage. While staring out of the window of the Cripple Creek Cow Mountain Gold Mining Company, Wisner thought the glow of the full moon made the snow-capped mountains resemble ice cream.
The following day, Wisner got to work combining vanilla ice cream with root beer and calling the result the ‘Black Cow Mountain.’ The soda he had used was Myers Avenue Red Root Beer. The root beer float was served to his guests the very next day and became an instant hit. Children shortened the word to ‘Black Cow,’ and today it is simply known as root beer float.
National Root Beer Float Day timeline
Pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires debuts a commercial version of root beer at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.
Ray Allen opens a root beer stand in Lodi, California, which would eventually become the A&W restaurant chain.
The popularity of non-alcoholic root beer explodes during Prohibition.
The FDA bans safrole, the aromatic oil that initially gave root beer its distinctive flavor. The ingredient caused liver damage during animal testing.
A&W Restaurants throw a party by filling small frosty mugs with their classic mix of vanilla soft serve and root beer — and giving them away free!
How Businesses Can Celebrate National Root Beer Float Day
Local ice cream shops, diners, and restaurants can celebrate National Root Beer Float Day by offering special promotions or limited-time float flavors. Consider creating a ‘build-your-own-float’ bar with various root beer brands and ice cream flavors. Cafes could host a ‘Float Happy Hour’ with discounted prices. Breweries might even craft a unique root beer specifically for the occasion, encouraging customers to enjoy a classic treat while supporting local businesses. Promote these specials on social media with #RootBeerFloatDay to attract customers.
Traditions
Since its creation, countless root beer floats have been enjoyed throughout the world. The tradition of the day is to enjoy refreshing root beer floats. The original recipe has evolved into many variations, each with their own unique flavor, while retaining the original root beer float texture.
Popular root beer floats that have become traditional favorites include the Coke Float, Boston Cooler, Purple Cow, and the Harry Potter-inspired Butterbeer.
National Root Beer Float Day By The Numbers
1876 – the year when root beer was invented
16 – the number of roots and herbs that root beer is made of.
3% – the percentage that root beer makes up in America’s soft drink market.
1960 – the year when a key ingredient of root beer, the sassafras root, was banned by the FDA.
#1 – the ranking of A&W as the leading root beer brand in America.
National Root Beer Float Day FAQs
When is National Root Beer Float Day?
National Root Beer Float Day 2026 falls on Thursday, August 6. It’s a perfect mid-week treat to cool down and enjoy a classic dessert.
Who invented the root beer float?
The root beer float was invented by Frank J. Wisner, owner of the Cripple Creek Brewing Company in Colorado, in 1893. He was inspired by the snow-capped Cow Mountain, envisioning ice cream ‘floating’ in root beer.
How many root beer floats are consumed annually?
While exact figures are hard to pinpoint, millions of root beer floats are enjoyed annually, especially during warmer months. The treat remains a nostalgic favorite across generations.
What is the best type of ice cream for a root beer float?
Classic vanilla ice cream is traditionally considered the best choice for a root beer float, as its creamy texture and mild flavor perfectly complement the root beer without overpowering it.
National Root Beer Float Day Activities
Whip up your own root beer float
There's no better way to celebrate National Root Beer Float Day than by concocting your own root beer float. Grab a bottle of your favorite brand of root beer, pour into a chilled glass and top off with a fresh scoop of vanilla ice cream. Nice!
Conduct some root beer research
Now, this is the kind of research you can appreciate! The Root Beer Store sells more than 100 brands and flavors of root beer. You can check out customer reviews of all the root beers for sale and even order mix-and-match bottles. Your local specialty liquor store may also have a pretty good selection, so drink up!
Throw a root beer party for adults
Hard root beer is blowing up! Clever brewers have come up with root beers that include varying levels of alcohol. Invite the neighbors over for a dessert party and imbibe on some root beer floats. But be careful, while the root beer goes down fast and smooth, it'll eventually catch up with you.
5 Reasons We Need A Root Beer Float, Like Right Now
Root root
Jeni's ice cream shops can double your pleasure with root beer floats made with root beer ice cream and Boylan root beer.
The Philly float
The Franklin Fountain in Philadelphia creates authentic root beer floats made with their own brand of root beer syrup and ice cream.
The custard float is a definite thing
Scooter's Frozen Custard in Chicago offers a root beer float made with vanilla custard, a refreshing twist on the standard float.
Why float when you can freeze?
Instead of floating the ice cream on top of a glass of root beer, blend the two together to make a root beer freeze.
The root beer float with a kick
SpringHouse restaurant in Alexander City, Alabama, serves up a bourbon float made with Buffalo Trace bourbon, bourbon ice cream and a house-made root beer syrup.
Why We Love National Root Beer Float Day
It's a perfect combination
It seems like such a simple recipe — root beer in a tall, iced glass and two scoops of vanilla ice cream. But if you're trying to get beyond the ordinary, then use extraordinary ingredients. Select a frothy root beer with a high sarsparilla content and loads of sweetness. Add rich, vanilla bean ice cream and get creative with your toppings.
Floats come in many varieties
The Boston Cooler was invented in Detroit, of all places, and is made with Vernor's ginger ale and vanilla ice cream. In many Asian eateries you can order a Snow White, which is composed of vanilla ice cream and 7-Up or Sprite. In Mexico, you can grab a Holado flotante, a combination of cola and lemon sherbet.
It generates donations for a good charity
On National Root Beer Float Day, A&W Restaurants collects donations for Disabled American Veterans, a charity that fights for better health care benefits for America's injured heroes. What a sweet idea!
Social Media Tips for National Root Beer Float Day
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