Free Ice Cream

Here’s When You Can Get Free Ice Cream at Ben & Jerry’s

The annual Free Cone Day promotion is back, and it's not just available at ice cream shops.

ADAM CAMPBELL-SCHMITT / FOODANDWINE.COM 

Regardless of whether the weather knows it yet or not, it's spring. The sun is (supposed to be) shining, the air is (supposed to be) warming up, and the blossoms of the season's bounty are (supposed to be) blooming. Well, despite the cold snaps crisscrossing the country and snow falling in April, Ben & Jerry's is still pushing forward with its annual celebration of frozen treats: Free Cone Day. The tradition began back in 1978 and continues year after year, with this year's event landing on April 10. Here's how to get your free ice cream (and you don't even need to go to a Ben & Jerry's shop to snag it!).


On Tuesday, April 10 head to a participating Ben & Jerry's location between the hours of noon and 8 p.m. where you'll be treated to a free scoop of ice cream with no other purchase necessary. Which shops are participating? You'll need to head on over to the Ben & Jerry's website which has a location finder to help you pinpoint the stores in your area that are offering the promotion.

But if you live in the Northeast, there's another way to get your free ice cream this year, and it doesn't involve going to an ice cream shop. Instead, it's as delightfully easy as a trip to the movies. Showcase Cinemas is joining in on the action for the second year in a row, offering movie-goers a free cone from its in-theater Ben & Jerry's counters on Tuesday during the same promotional hours. And sure, going to the movies isn't as cheap as it used to be, but luckily "Bargain Tuesday" is also Showcase Cinemas discount day, with tickets selling for just $8.50. So maybe planning an early-to-midweek movie night is worth it, especially when the refreshments are free.

Here are the Showcase Cinemas locations offering the promotion:

• Massachusetts: Dedham, Foxboro, Lowell, Randolph, Revere, Worcester, Blackstone Valley
• New Jersey: Edgewater
• New York: Brooklyn, Bronx, White Plains, Holtsville, Ridge Hill, Whitestone, Jamaica, Farmingdale

Oh, and while we're talking about it, if you missed Dairy Queen's free ice cream deal, don't forget to mark your calendars for May 8 when Häagen-Dazs has its own free cone day coming up. Yes, spring (whether or not it's warm) is truly a sweet time to be an ice cream lover.

This Story Originally Appeared On Food & Wine