Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day 2026: Date, Times & UK Locations

Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day 2026: Get a Free Scoop on 14th April

What Is Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day?

Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops will celebrate Free Cone Day on 14th April 2026. On this day, Ben & Jerry's staff will be handing out a free scoop of ice cream or a free cone of your choice to all ice cream lovers, which is about as sweet a deal as it gets.

You can grab either a free cone or a scoop in a cup, then rejoin the queue and get another if you want; it's basically unlimited free ice cream. Yep, give yourself a pinch. This isn't just a wonderful dream, it's for real!

How Does Free Cone Day Work?

The only stipulation is that you have to visit a participating Scoop Shop in person between midday and 8pm. The offer is not available in grocery or convenience stores, nor through delivery services.

When Is Free Cone Day 2026 in the UK?

This isn't a new thing, and it's not the first year you've been able to grab some of Ben & Jerry's homemade ice cream for free. This annual event started in 1979, when Vermont-based cofounders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield began giving out free cones to customers at a gas station in Vermont.

It's now an annual fan appreciation event for the brand to say thank you to its loyal customers and local community, typically held onOVID the first day of spring in the US, though UK dates can vary. This year, the UK date is 14th April 2026.

The History Behind Free Cone Day

The founders are no longer at the helm; Ben & Jerry's is now a subsidiary of Unilever, but the beloved tradition of Free Cone Day has been kept going, some 47 years after it began, with the exception of a brief pause during the Covid pandemic.

The fan appreciation day hasn't gone unnoticed by competitors, particularly in the US, where other ice cream brands run their own free cone events around the same time. It's not unheard of for people to hop between shops and stack up the freebies.

Which Flavours Are Available on Free Cone Day?

There's a wide variety of flavours on offer for your free scoop, including non-dairy options, so everyone is welcome.

Personally, I'm still inconsolable that Ben & Jerry's discontinued New York Super Fudge Chunk in the UK (Chocolate Ice Cream with White & Dark Fudge Chunks, Pecans, Walnuts & Fudge-Covered Almonds), so I briefly considered a protest boycott. Nah, who am I kidding? There are plenty of new flavours to try, and I missed it last year, so I'm not making that mistake again. I'm heading straight for the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

Where Can I Get a Free Scoop? UK Participating Shops

For 2026, the UK participating Scoop Shops are: Soho (London), Windsor (Berkshire), Peterborough (Cambridgeshire), Brighton (East Sussex), and Edinburgh (Scotland).

You can find your nearest one and confirm it's taking part via the Ben & Jerry's website here.