THE 11TH ANNUAL AUSTIN ICE CREAM FESTIVAL MAKES FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE BIG DAY NEXT SATURDAY, AUG. 12
Celebrity judges announced for this year’s ‘Best of ATX Frozen Treat’ ice cream making contest and Elizabeth McQueen of KUTX announced as emcee; more than 7,500 attendees
are expected to scoop up frozen flavors at Fiesta Gardens for this family friendly event.
(AUSTIN, TEXAS – Aug. 2, 2017; source: Juice Consulting) – The 11th annual Austin Ice Cream Festival presented by H-E- B is just around the corner on Saturday, Aug. 12 and what a better way to cool down this summer than a day at the beautiful Fiesta Gardens along Lady Bird Lake. The family-friendly festival will start at 11 a.m. and end at 10 p.m. and feature various activities throughout the day for all ages, such as frozen treat sampling from local and national brands, savory local food trucks and adult beverages. Guests can participate in numerous contests and activities including ice cream eating and frozen treat making competitions, an inflatable obstacle course, lawn games, a dunk tank, rock wall, water gun station, a movie in the park (7:30-9:30 p.m.), canoe and paddleboard rentals and so much more.
This year’s festival will also include two live music stages for both adults and kids with music presented by KUTX. The lineup includes Suzanna Choffel, DJ Chorizo Funk, Adam and the Bull Shark and Interrobang, an eight-piece brass band based out of the University of Texas. Elizabeth McQueen from KUTX will emcee the event. The general public will also cast their vote for “Best of ATX Frozen Treat” ice cream making contest through the Austin Ice Cream Festival mobile app, powered by Vuevent. “Fan Favorite” voting starts Saturday, Aug. 5 and continues on-site throughout Aug. 12. Winners of the “Fan Favorite,” “Professional” category and “Homemade” category will be named “Best of ATX” and receive a commemorative Austin Ice Cream Festival trophy. Celebrity judges for the “Best of ATX Frozen Treat” “Professional” and “Homemade” categories will include Doug Lyon (Ice Cream Fest Founder), Stacy Franklin (Franklin Barbecue), Trevor Scott (Host of CBS “We Are Austin”), Eric Silverstein (The Peached Tortilla), Kathy Valentine (musician/songwriter and member of the iconic band the Go-Go’s), Brandon Watson (Austin Chronicle) and Dawn Weston (Edible Austin). As part of the “Best of ATX Frozen Treat” contest, event samplers will submit an entry to the contest to be evaluated by the judges. At-home ice cream makers, hobbyist chefs and crafters can also submit homemade frozen treats to participate in the “Homemade” category to be evaluated by the judges.
General admission tickets to the festival are $15 and include three sampling tickets to redeem at up to 18 frozen treat-sampling stations presented by local ice cream, popsicle, shaved ice and frozen treat vendors. Children eight and under receive free admission. Additional sampling tickets will be available for purchase. Early entry ZiP Fast Freeze tickets are $25 and will provide early event entry through a dedicated gate, access to an air-conditioned hospitality area and extra sampling tickets. More than 7,500 attendees are expected throughout the day, so festival-goers are advised to purchase their tickets asap! All ages are welcomed. This is a pet-friendly event. For more information or to purchase tickets, please see www.austinicecreamfestival.com.
The 11th annual Austin Ice Cream Festival ice cream samplers will include the following: H-E- B Creamy Creations, Central Market Small Batch Craft Ice Cream, Swoon by H-E- B, Amy’s Ice Cream, Austin Scoops, Thai Fresh, Dippin’ Dots, Moojo, NadaMoo! and Cold Cookie Company. Frozen treat samplers are Shaved Ice Island, Snow Monster, GoodPop, Steel City Pops, Casey’s New Orleans Snowballs and Odd Pop. The savory food vendors include The Evil Wiener, Burro Cheese Kitchen, DFG Noodles, Shake Shack and Shawarma Point.
Sponsors:
The Austin Ice Cream Festival is also thrilled to announce the official sponsors for this year’s event including H-E- B as title sponsor and sponsor of the Ice Cream Eating Contest, LCRA Parks sponsoring the Climbing Wall, So Delicious Dairy Free sponsoring the Bubble Station, Pecos Pete’s All Natural Tea & Soda Co. sponsoring the Water Gun Station, Frost and We Are Blood sponsoring Yard Games, water sponsor GAMA and Shipt sponsoring the Chill Zone. Additional sponsors include, Yeti, Renewal By Andersen, Bath Expo & Window Expo, Google Fiber, Springfree Trampoline, Inca Wasi Arts & Crafts, Kriser’s Natural Pet, Camp Gladiator, Texas Beer Bus Tours and State Farm. Media sponsors for this year’s festival include KUTX/KUT, Texas Monthly, Austin Monthly, Time Out Austin, The Austin Chronicle, EASTside Magazine, Do512/Do512 Family, Edible Austin, Tribeza and Free Fun in Austin.
“The Austin Ice Cream Festival is the ultimate family summer celebration,” said Austin Ice Cream Festival founder Doug Lyon. “This is a great chance to come together with friends and family to chill out and enjoy a unique Austin event. We are excited to feature new and interesting frozen treat flavors from some of Austin’s favorite makers and new ones just coming on the scene. Grab a spoon and join us.”
Contests:
This “Best of ATX Frozen Treat” contest will run alongside Austin Ice Cream Festival ice cream eating and popsicle stick sculpture contests. In addition to these competitions, there will also be an Ice Cream Eating Contest for attendees to put their taste buds to the test as they race to eat frozen treats. There will be multiple divisions for half-gallon, pints, half-pints for the kids, team challenges and more. Lastly, there will be a Popsicle Stick Sculpture Contest for contestants to create a sculpture made entirely out of popsicle sticks either at home or on-site at the fest and enter to win. A full schedule and additional Information on these contests can be found online at www.austinicecreamfestival.com.
ABOUT THE AUSTIN ICE CREAM FESTIVAL:
In 2007, our LOVE of ice cream led us to create the Austin Ice Cream Festival. Summer is the perfect time for cold ice cream and a celebration for Austin’s families, and so the Austin Ice Cream Festival was born. Every year the Austin Ice Cream Festival draws thousands of Austin families to Fiesta Gardens to eat delicious food, play games, participate in contests, listen to live music, interact with performers and did we mention … EAT LOTS of ICE CREAM! The Austin Ice Cream Festival has been revered throughout the country over the years. The 2016 Austin Ice Cream Festival was featured on the “Today” show as a “Top Festival in the Country.” The 2013 festival was named one of the Top 10 Summer Festivals by Fodor’s Travel Guide. In 2011, the Austin Ice Cream Festival welcomed MTV to film an episode of “Teen Mom.” In 2010, the festival welcomed Joey Chestnut, the World’s Eating Champion, who challenged everyone in the Ice Cream Eating Contest. He was crowned winner after eating an entire gallon of ice cream in under 30 seconds! Finally, in 2009, Food Network Canada host of “Glutton for Punishment,” Bob Blumer came to the third annual Austin Ice Cream Festival to win the Homemade Ice Cream Making Competition and take home coveted prize, The Spoon.
For more information on the festival, please see: www.austinicecreamfestival.com.
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MEDIA NOTE:
*For media credentials to the festival, or general press inquiries about The Austin Ice Cream Festival, please contact the team at Juice Consulting:
Heather Wagner Reed
713 208 3891
heather@juiceconsulting.com
Madison Snelling
210 213 8934
madison@juiceconsulting.com