What to Know
- Rita's first day of spring water ice giveaway is back in 2023 with an old-school way to get in on the freebie.
- Water ice and custard lovers can just show up to any of Rita's hundreds of locations on March 20 to get a free frozen treat.
- "Our favorite flavor? FREE!" Rita's wrote on social media.
Nothing cures the Monday blues like free water ice. In steps one of the favorite spring traditions in the Philadelphia region and beyond.
Rita's Italian Ice's tasty first day of spring freebie favorite is back in 2023 with an old twist for water ice fans. All you have to do is line up at any of Rita's many locations to get a free water ice. Rita's confirmed as much in a tweet.
"PSA: No app needed for the First Day of Spring Free Ice Giveaway."
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For people willing to stay in multiple lines, it appears nothing will stop you from making more than one freebie stop during the 31st annual water ice giveaway.
“I really do believe that with our new product offering, some of the things that are happening, people are excited to come out," Rita's CEO Linda Chadwick told NBC10 newsgathering partner the Philadelphia Business Journal earlier this month. "We're going to see the lines, I think, on the first day of spring."
Every Rita's in the Philadelphia region and beyond will be participating, Rita's said in a news release.
No App Needed for 2023 Freebie, but the App Could Get You Free Water Ice All Year
The old/new again way of giving away frozen treats comes after Rita's pivoted in 2022 to a digital freebie for the first day of spring through the app.
Rita's, however, is still working to get people to download their app by giving away free water ice for an entire year. You read that right.
This is how it works:
"In addition to free Ice on the first day of spring, download the Rita's Ice mobile app before March 20th and enter promo code SPRING23 for a chance to win FREE ICE FOR A YEAR," the frozen treats company wrote on Facebook.
“We’re excited to continue our beloved Italian Ice giveaway tradition on the First Day of Spring as we take pride in lifting the spirits of many of our fans across the country as spring means warmer weather is on its way,” Chadwick said in a news release. “We hope to see everyone enjoying their free ice at Rita’s on March 20, and encourage entering to win free ice for a year on the Rita’s app.”
A New Flavor That Will Have You Feeling Like a Kid
Rita's is also unveiling something new on the first day of spring, saying "We can BEARLY contain our excitement..." on social media.
PBJ got the scoop on the new flavor -- it's Gummy Bears.
The water ice company that's based in Trevose, Pennsylvania, is sure to be busy Monday. In past years, Rita's said it expects to scoop up around 1 million cups of free water ice at its stores located in 31 states that are part of 550 locations worldwide.
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