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When is National Ice Cream Cone Day?

National Ice Cream Cone Day celebrates the edible waffle or wafer cone that holds your scoop, and it falls every September 22.

Next

Wednesday, September 22, 2027

in 329 days

The one after

Friday, September 22, 2028

Every year

September 22 every year

Informal observance

National Ice Cream Cone Day is a day for the ice cream cone, the edible waffle or wafer cone that holds the scoop. It falls on September 22 every year.

It is informal. Day-calendar sites and trade groups list it, but no law or proclamation names it, so it is not a proclaimed holiday. That leaves you free to mark it however suits your kitchen, classroom or office.

Informal observance. An informal observance, listed by day-calendar sites and trade groups. It is not a proclaimed holiday.

Simple ways to mark the day

  • Use the Scoop Planner to work out how many pints, quarts or tubs to buy before you hand out cones to a class or office.
  • Check the ice cream scoop size chart and pick one disher size, so every cone gets about the same amount.
  • Set out classic cones and waffle cones side by side at home and let everyone choose their own.
  • Read the history of ice cream page together and talk about why no single person gets credit for inventing ice cream.

Where the day comes from

National Ice Cream Cone Day is an informal observance listed by day-calendar sites and trade groups, not a proclaimed holiday. No law or proclamation names it. National Day Calendar lists the day on September 22 and says it is still searching for where it came from. So nobody can say who started National Ice Cream Cone Day, or in what year.

The cone itself has a disputed story. The Library of Congress says that, by some accounts, Charles E. Menches came up with filling a pastry cone with ice cream at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. It adds that several other vendors at the fair made the same claim. That means no single name is settled as the inventor.

Cones still hold a big place in how people eat ice cream. IDFA reports that in its 2026 trends survey, the classic cone was the favorite format, at 40 percent, and the waffle cone was the favorite vessel, at 30 percent. If you are planning cones for a group, a mix of classic and waffle cones is an easy place to start.

Questions people ask

When is National Ice Cream Cone Day?

National Ice Cream Cone Day falls on September 22 every year, so the weekday changes from year to year. The page above shows the next two dates and how many days are left until the next one.

Is National Ice Cream Cone Day an official holiday?

No. It is an informal observance listed by day-calendar sites and trade groups. No law or proclamation names it, so it carries no official status. You can still mark it any way you like.

Who started National Ice Cream Cone Day?

Nobody knows. National Day Calendar lists the day on September 22 and says it is still searching for where it came from. We have not found a founder or a first year either.

Who invented the ice cream cone?

The story is disputed. The Library of Congress says that, by some accounts, Charles E. Menches first filled a pastry cone with ice cream at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, but several other vendors there made the same claim.

Sources

  1. National Ice Cream Cone Day (September 22) National Day Calendar
  2. Today in History: July 23 (ice cream history and the cone) Library of Congress
  3. Chocolate Returns to No. 1 and Butter Pecan Surpasses Vanilla Ahead of National Ice Cream Day (July 16, 2026) International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)

Every data source the site uses is on the Sources page.

More ice cream days

The full calendar, with a month view of July