--- title: All the Days During the Year When You Can Get Free Stuff description: We've gathered more than 40 freebie days throughout the year when free stuff--donuts, Slurpees, museum admission--is given away for free. authors: - name: Brad Tuttle role: Senior Editor url: https://money.com/author/brad-tuttle/ bio: Brad Tuttle is a former senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals. education: Columbia University School of Journalism, MS at_money_since: 2014 articles: 366 covers: - Lifestyle - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://twitter.com/bradrtuttle - https://linkedin.com/in/brad-tuttle-834b225 former_staff: true published: '2016-06-23T21:35:36.000Z' modified: '2024-05-16T11:21:11.000Z' section: Lifestyle tags: - burgers - deals - donuts - Fast Food - freebies - Holidays - marketing - slurpees word_count: 1944 canonical: https://money.com/free-stuff-calendar-freebie-days/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![floating images of food](https://img.money.com/2016/06/160623_em_freebiecalendar1.jpg) Many people find out about the days when donuts or 7-Eleven Slurpees are being given away only at the last minute, when word pops up in their social feeds. To truly take advantage of the full year's worth of fake marketing holidays and other days when freebies are there for the taking, we decided to gather all of the calendar's usual events featuring something given out for nothing and assemble them in one handy spot. There are an astounding 43 such events below, and we'll add to the list of freebie days when more catch our eyes. ### **JULY** **7-Eleven Day: July 11** It's become tradition for 7-Eleven convenience stores to give out free Slurpees every year on July 11, a.k.a. 7/11. The freebies sometimes extend beyond Slurpees, with weeklong giveaways of things like ice cream bars, Twinkies, and Big Gulps. **National Ice Cream Day: Third Sunday in July** Look for special ice cream deals and giveaways from stores like Friendly's and Baskin-Robbins on the third "Sundae" of July every year (July 17 in 2016). **National Hot Dog Day: Third Wednesday in July** The deals might include [hot dogs for free, $1, or even less,](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/national-hot-dog-day_us_55afad0de4b08f57d5d318cf) or promotions like buy-one, get-one-free from convenience stores and fast food chains. ### **AUGUST** **National Rootbeer Float Day: August 6** Naturally, [A&W](http://awrestaurants.com/rootbeerfloatday) is the place to be on Rootbeer Float Day, when each customer gets a free rootbeer float. ***Read Next:* [The Best Free Thing To Do in Each State (and DC)](https://money.com/free-attractions-states-travel/)** **National Bowling Day: Second Saturday in August** Bowling alleys all over the country offer free games of bowling as well as drink specials and other deals on the second Saturday of August—August 12 in 2016—celebrated annually as [National Bowling Day](http://www.nationalbowlingday.com/). **National Parks Birthday: August 25** Admission is generally free to all national parks on the park system's birthday, August 25. But because 2016 is 100th anniversary of America's national parks, admission is being waived for a few extra days: Entrance is free from August 25 to 28 this summer. ### **SEPTEMBER** **National Cheeseburger Day: September 18** Special discounts and straight-up [free cheeseburgers](https://money.com/national-cheeseburger-day-free-deals/) are on the menu at select restaurants on National Cheeseburger Day, celebrated every September 18. **Talk Like a Pirate Day: September 19** Few manufactured holidays make sense, but this one takes the cake—or rather, donuts, as [Krispy Kreme](http://www.krispykreme.com/Pirate) has made it tradition to give out a free donut to any customer who talks like a pirate on September 19. Anyone dressed up in a full pirate costume, meanwhile, has gotten a dozen free donuts in the past. The pirate-theme [Long John Silver's restaurant](http://www.ljsilvers.com/tlap) chain also been known to play along on Talk Like a Pirate Day, with good giveaways to customers who talk or dress like scallywag scurvy dogs. **Museum Day Live: Saturday in Late September** Smithsonian magazine sponsors a day of free admission for more than 1,000 museums all over the country every year on a Saturday late in the month—September 26 in 2015 and [September 24 in 2016](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/museumday/). To take advantage, you must register with a participating museum to order a pair of free tickets, which are available for immediate download. ***Read Next:* 6 Easy Ways to Get Free Museum Admission** **National Public Lands Day: Saturday in Late September** [National Public Lands Day](https://www.neefusa.org/public-lands-day), held on September 24 this year, is another day in which admission is free for all national parks, as well as national forests and many state parks. **National Coffee Day: September 29** Perk up with free or heavily discounted coffee at participating donut chains, convenience stores, and coffee shops every year on National Coffee Day—which is a Thursday in 2016. **OCTOBER** **Halloween: October 31** You know that candy is free, at least for kids going door-to-door in costumes. But Halloween has also become a day for scary good deals, with specials like [free kids' meals](https://money.com/halloween-freebies-food-deals/), deeply discounted "boo-ritos," and [free donuts](https://money.com/halloween-deals-free-food-donuts-burrito/), typically available only for customers wearing Halloween costumes. **NOVEMBER** **Veterans Day: November 11** Veterans and active members of the military are showered with a staggering number of [free food deals](https://money.com/veterans-day-free-deals-restaurants-2015/) annually on Veterans Day, plus assorted other deals like free haircuts and free oil changes for folks with military ID. National parks admission is free for everybody on Veterans Day too. ***Read Next:* [60+ Restaurants and Stores That Give You Free Stuff on Your Birthday](https://money.com/birthday-freebies-free-food/)** **Black Friday: Friday after Thanksgiving** In addition to doorbuster deals, Black Friday is known for occasional [freebies like free coffee and donuts](https://money.com/black-friday-thanksgiving-2015-freebies-deals/), and even free pet adoption. For those who want to escape the mall crowds, lots of state parks have free admission on Black Friday. **DECEMBER** **Free Shipping Day: December 18** Though free shipping for online purchases isn't particularly hard to come by—L.L. Bean shoppers and Amazon Prime members get it year-round, and [Best Buy](https://money.com/best-buy-free-shipping/) and [Target](https://money.com/target-christmas-display-nyc/) had free delivery throughout the holidays last year—around 1,000 online retailers offer free, no-minimum-purchase-required shipping on Free Shipping Day, with delivery guaranteed by December 24. As a bonus, many stores host special sales and discounts timed to coincide with Free Shipping Day, so the deals can truly be worthwhile. **New Year's Eve: December 31** Stay safe on the roads and take advantage of services offering free coffee for drivers and free rides home for those who shouldn't be driving on New Year's Eve. **JANUARY** **Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Third Monday of January** National parks, as well as select cultural institutions and many museums—even the [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame](https://rockhall.com/event/MLK-2016/) in Cleveland—are free on the day honoring civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. **FEBRUARY** **National Bagel Day: February 9** Various [bagel sellers](https://money.com/national-bagel-day-freebies/) are known to give out free bagels annually on February 9, and the Bruegger's Bagels chain celebrates its anniversary around this time of year, typically with free bagel offers. **National Pizza Day: February 9** Yes, on the same day that free bagels available, there is also free pizza and other pizza deals and discounts to be had at select locations. **Valentine's Day: February 14** Special deals at a variety of restaurants, including buy-one, get-one free [coffees, chicken wing orders, burritos, and milkshakes](https://money.com/valentines-day-free-deals-restaurants-2016/), and the occasional promotion like free chips and free entrees, are available on the day dedicated to lovebirds. ***Read Next:* 22 Incredibly Useful Things Your Town Is Probably Giving Away for Free** **Leap Day: February 29** Every four years, there's a Leap Day, and when it comes around it's celebrated with [free food and deals](https://money.com/leap-day-freebies-deals-restaurants-food/) on everything from spaghetti to margaritas—with the very best freebies reserved only for people born on February 29. **MARCH** **IHOP National Pancake Day: Usually Early March** Though the date's been known to change—it was [February 5 in 2013](http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/02/05/national-pancake-day-vs-international-pancake-day-there-can-be-only-one/) and March 8 in 2016—IHOP's annual pancake giveaway day has remained basically the same. All customers are welcomed to a small short stack of buttermilk pancakes, with the provision that they're asked by IHOP to consider making a donation to charity. **Free Cone Day at Dairy Queen: Mid-March** On or around March 15, Dairy Queen generally hosts a Free Cone Day, with one free small vanilla cone awarded per customer. **First Day of Spring: March 20** Free Italian ices for everyone have become an annual tradition on the first day of spring at [Rita's](http://www.ritasice.com/). **APRIL** **Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's: Mid-April** Generally held on a Tuesday in mid-April, Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day is eagerly anticipated not just because of the quality of the ice cream, but also because customers are welcomed to have more than one serving free of charge. (Almost all freebie deals are limited to one per customer.) **Wawa Day: Mid-April** The convenience store chain celebrates is anniversary annually with free coffee for everyone. **Tax Day: April 15** On this grumpiest of days, when millions of Americans are absorbed in paperwork and bill-paying, businesses spread good cheer with [free cookies, free shaved ice](https://money.com/best-tax-day-deals-freebies/), and a wide variety of 15% to 50% off food deals. **Earth Day: April 22** Target has gotten in the tradition of offering [free samples of sustainable products](http://fortune.com/2016/04/22/earth-day-2016-deals-discounts/) each year on Earth Day, and retailers including H&M, Whole Foods, and Best Buy are known to run promotions with special discounts on earth-friendly purchases. **National Parks Week: Late April** Depending on the year, the national parks service will waive admissions fees either for the opening weekend of National Parks Week, or for the entire week like it did in 2016. **Free Cone Day at Carvel: Late April** Free Cone Day at Carvel usually takes place on a [Thursday](http://www.carvel.com/our-fresh-story/newsroom/carvel-celebrates-free-cone-day-april-30/) toward the end of the month, with freebies available from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. **National Pretzel Day: April 26** Customers get a great selection of free pretzels on National Pretzel Day, with the participants usually including Auntie Anne's, Pretzelmaker, and Wetzel's Pretzels, among others. ** Super Hero Day: April 28** It's best not to get caught up in why April 28 is celebrated as Super Hero Day, nor how it has anything to do with donuts. Just be happy that [Krispy Kreme](http://www.krispykreme.com/HeroDay) has gotten in the habit of hosting this special holiday and gives away a dozen free donuts with the purchase of a dozen, so that we can honor the everyday heroes in our lives. **MAY** **Free Comic Book Day: First Saturday in May** Hundreds of comic book shops around the country give out a selection of free comic books every year on the first Saturday of May. **National Public Gardens Day: Friday before Mother's Day** Plenty of [public gardens](https://publicgardens.org/about-public-gardens/gardens) waive admission on National Public Gardens Day, or sometimes for the entire Mother's Day weekend, and some give away free seeds to visitors as well. ***Read Next:* 12 Offensive Political Items for Sale That Show Hate Is All the Rage** **Mother's Day: Second Sunday of May** Moms are regularly treated to [free food](https://money.com/mothers-day-deals-free-food-gift-cards/) at more than dozen major restaurant chains on Mother's Day. **Free Cone Day at Haagen-Dazs: Early May** Haagen-Dazs generally does its annual ice cream giveaway sometime around [May 8](http://business.time.com/2012/05/08/free-cone-day-today-at-haagen-dazs/) to May 13 or so. **National Burger Day: May 28** To celebrate National Burger Day, many restaurants host [burger deals](http://www.retailmenot.com/blog/national-burger-day-freebies-and-deals-2016.html) that sometimes include freebies. **Memorial Day: Last Monday of May** Like Veterans Day, Memorial Day is filled with deals and freebies for retired and active members of the military. In addition to free food at restaurants, those with military ID can expect free admission for their entire families at many zoos, museums, and theme parks. **JUNE** **National Donut Day: First Friday in June** Perhaps the most beloved freebie day of the year, National Donut Day is an epic day for free treats from the likes of Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' Donuts, and Entenmann's. **Free Fishing Days: First Weekend of June** Many states offer [free fishing days](https://www.takemefishing.org/how-to-fish/how-to-catch-fish/free-fishing-days-2016/) periodically throughout the year, but the most popular day to allow people to fish in public bodies of water without a permit or fee is the first weekend of June. **National Iced Tea Day: June 10** Timed to take place just as the weather heats up and a refreshing iced beverage would really hit the spot, National Iced Tea Day is full of iced tea giveaways from chains like Starbucks and Wendy's. **Father's Day: Second Sunday in June** Just as moms score tons of freebies on their day in May, dads are thanked for all they do with free food at restaurants and free admission at museums, aquariums, and such on Father's Day. **National Flip Flop Day: Third Friday of June** Flip Flop Day has come to be a very special day at [Tropical Smoothie Cafe](https://www.tropicalsmoothie.com/funraising), where locations give away free smoothies to all customers wearing flip flops. The smoothie chain also collects donations throughout the day to support [Camp Sunshine](https://www.campsunshine.org/), which welcomes children with serious illnesses to vacation with their families. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/free-stuff-calendar-freebie-days/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Lifestyle", "item": "https://money.com/lifestyle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Places to Travel", "item": "https://money.com/places-to-travel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All the Days During the Year When You Can Get Free Stuff" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/free-stuff-calendar-freebie-days/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/free-stuff-calendar-freebie-days/", "name": "All the Days During the Year When You Can Get Free Stuff", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2016-06-23T21:35:36.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/free-stuff-calendar-freebie-days/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/free-stuff-calendar-freebie-days/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-05-16T11:21:11.000Z" }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "All the Days During the Year When You Can Get Free Stuff", "articleSection": "Lifestyle", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2016/06/160623_em_freebiecalendar1.jpg", "width": 2100, "height": 1400, "caption": "160623_EM_FreebieCalendar" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brad Tuttle", "url": "https://money.com/author/brad-tuttle/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/brad-tuttle/#author", "description": "Brad Tuttle is a former senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals.\r\n\r\n", "image": "https://img.money.com/2014/01/Brad-Tuttle.png?w=226&h=247&crop=1", "alumniOf": "Columbia University School of Journalism, MS", "sameAs": [ "https://twitter.com/bradrtuttle", "https://linkedin.com/in/brad-tuttle-834b225" ] } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2016-06-23T21:35:36.000Z", "description": "We've gathered more than 40 freebie days throughout the year when free stuff--donuts, Slurpees, museum admission--is given away for free.", "abstract": "We've gathered more than 40 freebie days throughout the year when free stuff--donuts, Slurpees, museum admission--is given away for free.", "@id": "https://money.com/free-stuff-calendar-freebie-days/", "inLanguage": "en-US", "dateModified": "2024-05-16T11:21:11.000Z", "wordCount": 1944, "keywords": [ "burgers", "deals", "donuts", "Fast Food", "freebies", "Holidays", "marketing", "slurpees" ], "about": [ { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Lifestyle", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifestyle" ] }, { "@type": "Thing", "name": "World Tourism rankings", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_rankings" ] } ] } ] } ```