It’s the most wonderful time of the year for us ice cream lovers – National Ice Cream Month is here! Each year, we raise a cone to celebrate our favorite treat in the entire world: ice cream!
Ice cream has always been about more than what’s in the cone—it’s about the moments shared around it. From post-game celebrations and family outings to first dates and catching up with friends, scoop shops have long been gathering places where memories are made one scoop at a time.
Americans consume an average of about 23 gallons of ice cream each year, and much of that enjoyment happens at local scoop shops during the peak of summer. That’s one reason July was officially designated National Ice Cream Month by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. And because one month of celebrating ice cream wasn’t enough, National Ice Cream Day is also celebrated each year on the third Sunday in July. This year, the sweetest day of the summer falls on July 19—making it the perfect opportunity for scoop shops to celebrate with their communities and share a little extra joy!
Ideas to Celebrate National Ice Cream Month
National Ice Cream Month is like Christmas in July at Perry’s Ice Cream and we want your scoop shop to join in on the fun! Discover a few ways your business can leverage this holiday below.
Social Media Contests
No matter their favorite flavor your customers all have one thing common: they love free stuff! Offering a giveaway on social media gets your customers engaging and coming back to your scoop shop even after National Ice Cream Month is over!
Fun On-site Promotions
Celebrate by hosting a fun activity that encourages your customers to stop in! One way to do so is through an event, like Charcoal Corral’s GIANT Sundae Celebration, where employees make a huge sundae and serve it to the crowd — in 2025 they served over 350 sundaes in 15 minutes!) You could also do something low key like offering an exciting premium with a purchase, like a free scoop upgrade! This promotes flavor discovery and increases perceived value without giving away a full free product. Either way, your customers will leave with a smile.
Offer Instagrammable Specialty Sundaes
If there’s ever a time to go all out, it’s National Ice Cream Month! Don’t be afraid to get creative with sundaes, milkshakes, and everything in between. Offering fun specials will get your customers excited to try something new they can’t get anywhere else – they may even share it to their story to make their followers jealous or strike up a craving which leads them to visit your shop!
Get social for even MORE National Ice Cream Month promotion!
Follow us @perrysicecream to stay in the know on all things Perry’s! Don’t forget to tag us in your National Ice Cream Month content for a chance to be featured on our official accounts!
Contributors: Mya Priester