On 8 May 2025, the Hungarian Ice Cream Day will be celebrated again, when confectioners and ice cream shops across the country will offer scoops at half price. Organised by the Experience and Expertise Hungary Foundation (Élmény és Szakértelem Magyarország Alapítvány), the aim is to raise awareness of quality Hungarian ice cream, make ice cream a community experience and showcase the values of the Hungarian confectionery industry. It is estimated that at least 10,000 scoops will be sold on the day. A list of places to join is available on the organisation's website.

<8', or 8 May - the red letter holiday for ice-cream lovers. The Roman numeral for the fifth month, 'V', resembles an ice-cream cone, and the number eight looks like two scoops stacked on top of each other. So it's no coincidence that it's the official date of Hungarian Ice Cream Day - and in 2025 the event will be celebrated again in a very special way.

Confectioners and ice cream shops from all over the country are invited to join the initiative. Participating sites pledge to offer at least four types of ice cream at half price on 8 May - for one day, across the country.

"This promotion is specifically designed to be family-friendly. It's a great opportunity for people to go out for ice cream, to discover local confectioneries - even ones they've never been to before. At the same time, they support the Hungarian ice cream culture, traditions and innovation," said Vanda Nebehaj, founder and communications manager of the Experience and Expertise Hungary Foundation.

At least 10 thousand scoops of ice cream in one day

The Foundation's goal is to get at least 100-200 ice cream shops across the country to join the initiative this year, and to find at least 10,000 discounted ice cream balls on Hungarian Ice Cream Day.

The initiative aims to build community and encourage families to discover their local ice cream shops together. But the deeper aim of the Foundation is to preserve Hungarian traditions and values, to support confectionery innovation and to nurture and retain young Hungarian talent.

According to Vanda Nebehaj, the Hungarian confectionery industry has a huge value, commitment and innovation, which is a real national treasure, and it is therefore important to preserve it and make it internationally recognised.

How does it work? How can you have an ice cream for half the price?

Those who pledge to offer at least four types of ice cream at half price on 8 May will be put on the national map and list.

The ice-cream parlours and confectioners across the country that have joined the event will be published on the website of the Experience and Expertise Hungary Foundation, where a map will help people find the nearest discount ice-cream parlour.  

The organisers encourage everyone to visit the website, find the nearest participating ice cream parlours and enjoy a day of ice cream together!

Photo: Pixabay / Élmény és Szakértelem Magyarország Alapítvány