General News
17 July, 2026
Free cones for Ice Cream Day
ICE Cream Taxi will give away 500 free regular ice cream cones in the Cairns CBD on Sunday to mark International Ice Cream Day.
The giveaway will run from 9.30 am to noon on Sunday 19 July, at Cairns Tyre Specialists, across the road from Cairns Central. The cones will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, with one cone per person while stocks last.
Chris Poppell from Ice Cream Taxi said the business wanted to bring the international celebration to Cairns.
"International Ice Cream Day is all about sharing a bit of joy, and we realised Cairns hadn't really had its own moment to celebrate," Mr Poppell said. "We thought we'd do our best to make up for that – 500 cones at a time."
Mr Poppell said there were only a few conditions attached to the giveaway.
"There are a couple of very simple terms and conditions, but there's really no catch. You just need to be able to say, 'Ice Cream Taxi' three times in two seconds, stick to one cone per person and bring your smile."
The business said the giveaway was also an opportunity for local event organisers, school P&Cs, sporting clubs looking for end-of-season celebration ideas, businesses and community groups to see the retro-style mobile ice cream service in action.
Ice Cream Taxi said its menu prices were often comparable to, and sometimes cheaper than, a cup of coffee, with bookings available for workplace functions, sporting events, festivals and community celebrations, including the festive season.
Mr Poppell said the decision to give away 500 cones had personal significance.
"I've loved living in Cairns and being part of this community," he said. "This is our way of giving something back. We want people to enjoy quality ice cream at a fair price, and if they haven't tried us before, here's a chance to see what we're all about."
The business said Mr Poppell had spent more than 20 years working in and around ice cream vans and had now called Cairns home for 500 weeks.
International Ice Cream Day is celebrated each year on the third Sunday in July. Following Sunday's giveaway, Ice Cream Taxi said at least one follower on its Facebook or Instagram pages would win free ice cream for the rest of the year.
For more information, check out the Ice Cream Taxi’s Facebook page: https://bit.ly/4wLC2eO.
