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8th Annual Scoop San Diego Ice Cream Festival: Sunday, June 28, 2026 in North Park

Dorthy Routt Millsap·Jun 12, 2026·5 min.

The 8th Annual Scoop San Diego Ice Cream Festival hits North Park Sunday June 28 from 12-4 PM. 30+ ice cream and gelato vendors, 10 samples per ticket, supporting Feeding San Diego.

Overview

The 8th Annual Scoop San Diego Ice Cream Festival returns to North Park on Sunday, June 28, 2026 from 12:00 to 4:00 PM — Southern California's only ice cream festival, with 30+ local ice cream, gelato, and paleta makers taking over 30th Street and North Park Way for one sweet afternoon. Presented by Hollandia Dairy, the event is structured around a simple, beautiful concept: eat ice cream, give back. 100% of net proceeds benefit Feeding San Diego, the regional nonprofit fighting food insecurity across the county.

If you've ever wanted to taste your way through San Diego's best ice cream shops in a single afternoon, this is the move.

What You Actually Need to Know

  • Date: Sunday, June 28, 2026
  • Hours: 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
  • Where: 30th Street & North Park Way, North Park, San Diego, CA 92104
  • Cost: General Admission ticket required for ice cream samples (the festival atmosphere itself is free — no ticket = no samples)
  • Includes: 10 two-ounce samples per ticket (~3.5 scoops worth)
  • Beneficiary: 100% of net proceeds → Feeding San Diego
  • Presented by: Hollandia Dairy

How the Festival Works

Each General Admission ticket gets you 10 two-ounce samples — roughly 3.5 scoops of ice cream total. You'll move through the festival sampling whatever catches your eye from the 30+ vendors, and your samples are shareable — so you can let a friend or kid try a bite without using extra tickets.

Important to know: This is not a fenced or gated event. Anyone can walk through the festival area for free to enjoy the atmosphere, live music, and family activities. But you need a ticket to receive any samples from vendors. So if you want the actual ice cream experience, get the ticket.

What to Expect

The 8th annual edition will feature 30+ ice cream, gelato, and paleta makers from across San Diego. Past and current vendors include:

  • Wynston's Ice Cream (2026 vendor spotlight)
  • Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
  • Little Fox Cups and Cones
  • Snoice
  • Tocumbo Ice Cream
  • Holy Paleta
  • Plus 20+ more local shops, gelaterias, and paleterias

Each vendor brings one-day-only exclusive creations you won't find at their shops — plus their signature flavors and seasonal specials.

Beyond the ice cream:

  • Live entertainment throughout the afternoon
  • Family-friendly activities
  • Dedicated Family Chill Zone — a relaxing space to recharge between scoops
  • Local vendor pop-ups and shopping opportunities along the festival route

Why This Festival Matters

A few things make Scoop San Diego stand out from any other San Diego food event:

1. It's the only one in Southern California. No other ice cream-specific festival exists in SoCal — making this the only place where you can experience the whole regional ice cream scene in one afternoon.

2. 100% of net proceeds go to Feeding San Diego. Feeding San Diego is the regional food bank network that distributes food to people experiencing food insecurity across the county. Your ticket directly funds meals — meaning indulging in ice cream genuinely helps your community.

3. The vendors are San Diego's actual best. This isn't a generic vendor row — Scoop San Diego curates the city's top ice cream and gelato shops, the kind of shops that consistently win local "best of" awards. You're not getting commercial brands; you're getting handcrafted, small-batch frozen treats.

4. It's grown to 35+ vendors and thousands of attendees. The festival started as a personal outreach to local shops and has become a major North Park tradition.

When and Where

Sunday, June 28, 2026 from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Location: 30th Street & North Park Way, North Park, San Diego, CA 92104

The festival takes over the heart of North Park's commercial corridor — the same area as the North Park Music Fest, making it a familiar layout for repeat attendees.

Who It's For

  • Ice cream and gelato fans — obviously
  • Families with kids — the 3.5-scoops-worth of samples are perfect for sharing across a family
  • Foodies looking for a low-pressure tasting event — sample sizes are small enough to actually try a lot of things
  • People supporting Feeding San Diego — 100% of proceeds matter
  • North Park regulars — your neighborhood, your festival
  • Anyone in town for the weekend — easy add-on to Sunday plans

What to Bring

  • Your ticket (digital, via Eventbrite)
  • A water bottle — between samples, hydration matters
  • Sunscreen and a hat — outdoor afternoon event
  • Napkins — ice cream + dripping = inevitable
  • Cash and cards — for non-sample vendor purchases and tipping
  • A friend — sharing samples doubles your experience without using more tickets
  • Comfortable shoes — you'll cover a few blocks

Pricing and Tickets

Tickets are sold through Eventbrite and typically tier-priced (early-bird rates are lower than day-of pricing). Watch the Scoop San Diego Eventbrite page for current rates.

Buy tickets at Eventbrite →

Getting to North Park

North Park is in central San Diego and well-connected to the rest of the city:

  • MTS Bus 7 and 11 stop along University Avenue and 30th Street, near the festival area
  • Rideshare: Standard pickup/drop-off zones — expect crowds during peak hours (1-3 PM)
  • Driving: Limited paid parking and street parking nearby; expect to walk several blocks from your spot
  • Bike — North Park has bike lanes; rack your bike near the festival entrance

Good to Know

  • All ages welcome
  • Pets — leashed dogs welcome, but the heat and crowds can be overwhelming
  • The festival is not gated — you can walk through for free, but no samples without a ticket
  • Pair with North Park's Saturday-night Music Fest if you want a North Park weekend doubleheader
  • Pair with Art in the Village in Carlsbad earlier in the day if you want to make a whole day of arts and ice cream
  • Pair with the Oceanside Independence Parade on Saturday morning for a perfect weekend
  • Follow @scoopsandiego on Instagram for vendor announcements, exclusive flavor reveals, and ticket release updates

For more events happening in San Diego this June, check out our full June events calendar or browse our North Park neighborhood guide.

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