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When is National Ice Cream Soda Day?

National Ice Cream Soda Day celebrates ice cream in a glass of soda water or soft drink, and it falls every June 20.

Next

Sunday, June 20, 2027

in 235 days

The one after

Tuesday, June 20, 2028

Every year

June 20 every year

Informal observance

National Ice Cream Soda Day celebrates the ice cream soda: a scoop of ice cream in a glass of soda water or soft drink. It falls on June 20 every year.

The day 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 you like.

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

Simple ways to mark it

  • Make ice cream sodas at home by dropping a scoop of vanilla into a tall glass and topping it slowly with soda water or a soft drink.
  • For a class or office party, use the Scoop Planner to work out how many pints, quarts or tubs of ice cream to buy.
  • Check the ice cream scoop size chart so every glass gets the same size scoop and nobody's soda overflows.
  • Share a quick story with your group from the history of ice cream page while everyone sips their sodas.

Where the day comes from

National Ice Cream Soda 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 June 20 and says it is researching its origin. For now, nobody knows who started it or when.

The treat itself has more of a story. IDFA’s history of ice cream dates the ice cream soda to 1874 and says the American soda fountain, and the job of soda jerk, came along with it. National Day Calendar reports more than one claim to the first ice cream soda, including one for Robert McCay Green in Philadelphia in 1874. Since the claims compete, we treat the first soda as an open question rather than a settled one.

The idea is simple enough to repeat in any kitchen: ice cream in a glass of soda water or soft drink. A tall glass, a scoop and something fizzy are all you need to join in on June 20. That makes the day easy to mark with a class, an office or a family at home.

Questions people ask

When is National Ice Cream Soda Day?

National Ice Cream Soda Day falls on June 20 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 Soda 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 is not a proclaimed holiday. You can still mark it with a treat at home, at school or at work.

Who invented the ice cream soda?

There is no single agreed answer. National Day Calendar reports more than one claim to the first ice cream soda, including Robert McCay Green in Philadelphia in 1874. IDFA's history of ice cream also dates the treat to 1874.

Who started National Ice Cream Soda Day?

Its origin is not known. National Day Calendar lists the day on June 20 and says it is researching the origin. Until that research turns up an answer, there is no known founder to credit.

Sources

  1. National Ice Cream Soda Day (June 20) National Day Calendar
  2. The History of Ice Cream 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