7th Annual Scoop San Diego Ice Cream Festival

Southern California's original and only ice cream festival, , is back for its 7th year to kick off the summer of 2025! Sample the best ice cream, gelato and paletas in San Diego while supporting a good cause. 100% of net proceeds from this year's event will be donated to , a non-profit committed to reducing food waste and hunger while building community by gleaning excess produce from orchards, backyards, farms, Farmers Markets and grocers and delivering it to the food insecure of San Diego County.

Elevate your Scoop San Diego experience with an all-new VIP Experience, a festival within the festival! VIP ticket holders will enjoy:

🍦Exclusive VIP Hour (11 AM - 12 PM) – Be the first to explore and indulge in ice cream from all vendors before general admission opens. No lines, just pure ice cream bliss!

🚀 Scoop SD Fast Lane – Skip the wait! VIPs get a dedicated express lane at ice cream vendor booths throughout the festival for a faster, smoother sampling experience. Select vendors will offer exclusive flavors only available in the VIP lanes. (More details coming soon!)

🌟 A Block Full of VIP-Only Experiences – Step into a shaded oasis featuring:
✨ Lounge spaces to chill and recharge
✨ One-of-a-kind activations and interactive experiences
✨ Specialty churned ice cream by Letha Marie Gimble, made with gleaned fruit from ProduceGood
✨ Custom items and surprise treats
✨ Refreshments featuring gleaned fruit from ProduceGood
✨ Savory Bites to pair with your frozen favorites including Little Sisters Pizza!

🎁 Complimentary Swag Bag – Take home a limited-edition VIP goodie bag filled with treats and surprises.

📸 Photo Opportunities – Capture the sweetest moments in our VIP experience area.

💙 Giving Back – 100% of net proceeds support , a nonprofit dedicated to reducing food waste and hunger by gleaning excess produce and delivering it to food-insecure communities in San Diego County.

General Admission Ticket includes:

• Access to the event from 12pm - 4pm.
• A total of 10, 1 oz samples from participating vendors. Only 1 sample per vendor allowed.
• Photo opportunities
• Proceeds donated to ProduceGood

We’re thrilled to partner with as our community charity partner for the 7th Annual Scoop San Diego Ice Cream Festival!

ProduceGood is on a mission to reduce food waste and fight hunger across San Diego County by gleaning surplus fruits and vegetables from local farms, orchards, and backyards. Their incredible work redistributes this fresh produce to 90+ feeding partners, supporting over 90,000 people in need.

By attending the festival on Sunday, June 22, you’ll be supporting their efforts to build a sustainable food system and provide fresh, healthy food to those who need it most.

We’re bringing extra star power to this year’s Scoop San Diego Ice Cream Festival with our first-ever Celebrity Chef Judging Panel!

Three celebrity chef judges, Claudia Sandoval, Sam the Cooking Guy and Zuliya Khawaja, will take on the ultimate tasting challenge, sampling the most creative, delicious, and unique flavors from our incredible vendors to determine Scoop San Diego’s Best Flavor Award!

🍦 Exclusive Flavor Entries – Participating vendors submit their flavor for consideration.
🍦 Top 10 Selection – Before the festival, our judges vote on the top 10 flavors they’re most excited to try.
🍦 Live Taste Test – On festival day, our judges visit these top vendors, sampling each flavor live!
🍦 And the Winner Is… – One flavor will be crowned “Scoop San Diego’s Best Flavor Award” and announced onsite and on Scoop San Diego’s Instagram!

Winner of MasterChef U.S. Season 6, Chef Claudia Sandoval is a powerhouse in the culinary world. A proud San Diego native with Mazatlán, Sinaloa roots, she has built a career as a celebrated chef, author, TV judge, and food entrepreneur. From publishing her bestselling cookbook Claudia’s Cocina: A Taste of Mexico to judging on MasterChef Latino, Chopped, and Taste of the Border, Chef Claudia continues to elevate and celebrate Mexican cuisine on a global stage.

Learn more about Chef Claudia

An Emmy-winning food personality, Sam the Cooking Guy is known for his big flavors with small effort approach to cooking. What started as a career in biotech turned into a wildly successful culinary journey, with Sam sharing easy, delicious recipes through his TV show, YouTube channel, and cookbooks. His straightforward, no-fuss style has made him a household name, proving that anyone can cook great food.

Learn more about Sam the Cooking Guy

A self-taught vegan chef, recipe developer, and food stylist, Zuliya “Zuzu” Khawaja left behind a six-figure corporate career to pursue her passion for plant-based cooking and wellness. Originally from Uzbekistan, she immigrated to the U.S. as a political refugee and later earned a plant-based nutrition degree from eCornell. In 2020, she competed on Top Chef Amateurs and won the title of Top Chef on national TV. Today, Zuzu continues to inspire with her vibrant, nourishing recipes featured in top publications like Women’s Health Magazine and VegOut Magazine.

Learn more about Chef Zuliya “Zuzu” Khawaja

Info: VIP ticket holders will be the first to explore and indulge in ice cream from all vendors before general admission opens. No lines, just pure ice cream bliss!

Info: General admission opens at 12pm.

Also check out other Food & Drink events in San Diego, Festivals in San Diego, Nonprofit events in San Diego.