Today is the first day of spring. That means warmer temperatures, longer days and free ice cream at Dairy Queen.
A spring tradition: Dairy Queen is giving away free ice cream today
Now in its fifth year, "Free Cone Day" has become an annual springtime sacrament from the Twin Cities-based ice cream chain.
By Austen Macalus
March 21, 2019 at 2:55AM
![Five-year old Regime Buie-Williams (right) grabbed a Dairy Queen cherry dipped ice cream cone from the window after six-year old Rayla Williams already started on hers. Lashanda Buie first brought the kids to the Maplewood Diary Queen, but the line was so long they came over to the Lexington Ave. location in Roseville instead. ] Shari L. Gross • shari.gross@startribune.com People lined up for free ice cream at the Dairy Queen on Lexington Ave. in Roseville, Minn. This location is the first Dairy](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/E65RY4ILPKWBT6X2BCJHMIJ2CA.jpg?&w=712)
To celebrate the end of winter, Dairy Queen on Wednesday is offering customers one free small vanilla soft-serve cone, topped with its signature curl, of course.
Now in its fifth year, "Free Cone Day" has become an annual springtime sacrament from the Edina-based ice cream chain.
"We love that our tradition of Free Cone Day has become synonymous with return of warmer weather and bringing people together," said Maria Hokanson, American Dairy Queen Corporation's executive vice president of marketing, in a news release.
The offer is available at participating non-mall locations and there's a limit of one cone per customer. You can find a location here.
The chain will continue to offer a sweet deal the rest of the month. From March 21-31, customers can get a small regular or dipped soft serve cone for 50 cents through the DQ mobile app.
Austen Macalus is a University of Minnesota student on assignment for the Star Tribune.
![Many Dairy Queen stores gave away free soft serve ice cream cones in honor of first day of spring. This is the St Louis Park Dairy Queen on Excelsior Blvd. ] GLEN STUBBE ¥ glen.stubbe@startribune.com Monday, March 20, 2017 Many Dairy Queen stores gave away free soft serve ice cream cones in honor of first day of spring.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/MEQC4EQOG2NQMV6SPALT5ILBRU.jpg?&w=712)
