The makers of Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey, and Stephen Colbert’s Ameri-Cone Dream have around 600 scoop shops, and each one draws massive crowds for Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day, as every visitor gets a free cup or cone of their choice.
With Dairy Queen Free Cone Day (March 20) and Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day (April 8) in the books this year what can you expect in 2026? Here's a look at how you can score a free scoop on Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day in 2026, based on what we saw during the last event.
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Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day is an annual event that gives in-store customers a free scoop of ice cream.
Since 1979, Ben & Jerry’s has made it simple: Every person who comes to their shop on Free Cone Day can walk out with a free cup or cone of their ice cream. And it’s any of their ice cream flavors and varieties, including favorites like Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey, as well as non-dairy varieties.
KCL predicts the next Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day event will take place on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day has taken place on different days and dates in April over the last few years (they took a hiatus from 2020 - 2022 due to the pandemic). KCL predicts the next Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day in 2026 will happen on Tuesday, April 14.
To see how we make our prediction, here are the dates for Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day for the last few years:
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Monday, April 3, 2023
You get a free scoop of ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s — no questions asked.
Ben & Jerry’s has more than 600 scoop shops worldwide, and the vast majority of them participate in Free Cone Day between noon and 8 p.m. (Find your scoop shop at BenJerry.com by filtering locations by “Free Cone Day.”)
You don't need to be part of their loyalty program, have a coupon code, or anything like that. All you have to do is show up and get your free scoop of ice cream in a cone or a cup.
KCL TIP: Free Cone Day is for in-person visitors only; online orders don’t qualify.
Pick whatever flavor you want for Free Cone Day.
Want Stephen Colbert’s AmeriCone Dream or New York Super Fudge Chunk? No prob. Free Cone Day doesn’t limit you to just certain flavors on the menu.
Now, before you ask, the free scoop doesn't come with extras like toppings or one of the fancy waffle cones or dipped cones.
Ben & Jerry’s cash registers won’t be functioning on Free Cone Day — you can't make a purchase.
Ben & Jerry’s employees say they don't use their registers on free cone day since all they did was hand out free scoops. But unlike Frozen Yogurt Day, you can't get the free scoop and then pay for additional scoops. Everybody receives one scoop (although one Ben & Jerry’s employee I spoke to said that if you wanted another scoop, you just had to get back in line).
Look out for a front-of-the-line pass to benefit local charities.
On Free Cone Day, some Ben & Jerry’s locations raise money for environmental groups, food banks, community shelters, and other similar local charities by selling front-of-the-line passes. We can’t verify what the exact cost is to get to the front of the line at some shops.
Want more free or cheap Ben & Jerry’s? We’ve collected some coupons.
We’re constantly scooping up all the Ben & Jerry’s coupons so you can buy your favorite ice cream at the store for cheap — or sometimes, for free. And beyond that, you can look forward to all the freebies that follow Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day, like National Ice Cream Day in July.
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