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Where is the event happening?
This year’s event will be located at Balboa Park in the Inspiration Point Parking lot at Park Blvd & Presidents Way next to the Veteran’s Museum.
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A drive-thru festival?! How cool! How does this work?
We decided to do a drive-thru festival this year to ensure the safety of our attendees, vendors and volunteers. Festival goers will stay in their vehicles and be able to enjoy ice cream samples for the entirety of their time at the event. The event will be held in a large parking lot that cars can snake through in a single file lane. Vendors will be located in rows. As you drive by the vendor, you will have the option to stop by each participating vendor to pick up your pre-packaged sample for yourself and anyone else in your vehicle. We anticipate that picking up your samples and enjoying them in your car will take about an hour from start to finish. Once you near the end of the event, if you would like some space to sit and enjoy your ice cream treats, we recommend exploring some other areas in Balboa Park.
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What’s the best time to arrive?
This is a timed entry event. When you navigate to the link to buy your ticket, you will notice 7 one hour time slots that you can choose from (fewer time slots will be available if some sell out more quickly than others). Please plan to arrive at the start of your time slot. For example, if you purchase a ticket for 2-3pm, please arrive at 2 pm. Our goal is to make your experience as smooth as possible and prevent traffic jams, so please arrive at your designated time.
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Will you post the names of the ice cream shops in advance?
Yes! You can find the most up-to-date information about the shops at this year’s festival on our website.
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What time does the festival start and end?
First time slot is from 11 am-12 pm. Final time slot is from 5 pm-6pm.
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How big are the samples?
Due to COVID restrictions, all samples will be pre-packaged. Each sample will be about 1 oz. For reference, a scoop of ice cream from your favorite shop is about 4-5 oz.
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Wow, there are lots of ice cream shops! Will I be able to sample all of them?
You most definitely can! By purchasing a ticket, you and the other guests in your vehicle can receive one sample each from each participating shop. Your ticket includes ice cream samples for up to 4 people. This means up to 4 people in your vehicle will EACH get a 1 oz sample from each vendor. You can have more than 4 people in your car, but each ticket is for 4 samples MAX per vendor. Feel free to share your samples with everyone in your car. This may be a lot of ice cream (which is an amazing problem to have) so we also recommend bringing a cooler in case you want to take some home to enjoy later. IMPORTANT: Please note that samples will be available until supplies last!
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What will the weather be like at the festival?
Being that the event is in San Diego, chances are it will be quite nice! We expect it to be sunny and 70-75 degrees. So bring your appetite, sunglasses, and sunscreen!
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I have a dog. Can they come?
Yes! We love dogs and some of our vendors will be handing out samples made especially for them!
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I’m a member of the media. How do I make arrangements for a media pass?
Please visit the contact page on our website or send an email to scoopsandiegofest@gmail.com
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If I leave the event, can I get back in?
No re-entry allowed.
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I see you are partnering with Feeding San Diego! Will they be accepting donations at the event?
We are excited to be partnering with Feeding San Diego for this year’s festival. 100% of the net proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to this important organization. On the day of the event Feeding San Diego will have a booth where they will be accepting food donations (more details about this on our website).
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I cannot attend but want to help out in other ways. What can I do?
Scoop San Diego is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The funds raised through our events support underserved communities in San Diego. Monies raised this year will benefit Feeding San Diego. Please consider making a donation to us via our GoFundMe
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Do you need volunteers?
Yes! Please visit our website for information about volunteering at this year’s event. On our site you will also see a link to complete a form.
tickets
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Where can I buy tickets?
Tickets can be purchased at scoopsandiego.org or click here.
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How many tickets should I buy?
The concept behind our drive-thru festival is similar to a drive-in movie experience, meaning you purchase one ticket for the vehicle. For example, if you are a family of 4, you only need to purchase ONE ticket. Once again, you can have more than 4 people in your car, but each ticket is for 4 samples MAX per vendor.
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What’s the refund policy for this year?
We will accept refunds up until 48 hours before the event.
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I purchased a ticket for the 2-3 pm time slot, but would like to change it for a different time slot. Is this possible?
The ONLY way to modify your timeslot for the festival is to visit the app store on your phone to download the Simpletix Attendee app (can use the search function in the app store to locate it). You will need to create an account (will need to enter name, email address, and create a password) through the app. Once in the app, you will need to click on your electronic ticket and scroll down to find a button that states ‘Change Time”. After clicking,this will show you the available times. This ticket website DOES NOT allow us to make this change for you unfortunately. Therefore to avoid going through this process, please make sure you are purchasing your preferred time slot!
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Do I need some sort of voucher or tasting card during my time at the festival?
Nope! You will just present your printed ticket or e-ticket at our registration booth. After doing so you are free to drive through the festival to easily visit all of the shops.
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I purchased a ticket but cannot find the confirmation email. What should I do?
Please send an email to scoopsandiegofest@gmail.com with your full name so we can locate your ticket and send the confirmation email to you.
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Can I buy tickets at the event?
No tickets will be sold on the day of the event. Please plan ahead and purchase your tickets before they sell out!
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How can I receive updates about this year’s festival and anything else Scoop San Diego is doing?
Please visit our website for information. We will be updating this continuously. Also please consider signing up for our mailing list (also on our website).
travel and parking
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Will I be able to park in the event space?
No parking is allowed in the event space. You will be allowed to drive within the space in a single file lane to receive your samples from the shops, but will need to exit the space once you have reached the end of the festival.
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Will there be a space for me to sit and enjoy my ice cream?
Since no parking is allowed in the event space, we recommend that you explore beautiful Balboa Park! Balboa Park has many free parking lots/spaces for you to park in and plenty of green spaces for you to even have an ice cream picnic (make sure you social distance of course to keep safe!). Once again, this is why we strongly recommend bringing some sort of cooler in case you want to enjoy your ice cream at a later time.
what’s at the festival?
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Will I receive anything when I check-in?
Before you enter the event space you are required to check-in at our registration booth. Once you check-in you will receive a map of the space that indicates the location of the vendors and the flavor options available at each vendor (please note that this information is subject to change). Each vehicle will receive a goodie bag that contains spoons, napkins, a bag for trash, and more.
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Will there be dairy-free ice cream at the festival? Vegan?
Yes and Yes.
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What kind of ice cream and gelato flavors will be at the event?
When you check-in at our registration booth you will receive a menu that provides a list of flavors at each vendor (subject to change). We strive to make this event inclusive for all ice cream lovers (both young and old!), but please be aware that some funkier flavors may be on the menu that do not appeal to all.
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Will there be nuts in any of the samples?
Yes it is possible that some of the ice cream and gelato samples will contain nuts. If you have a nut allergy, please note that all samples may contain nuts through processing and packaging. It is possible for samples to be contaminated with peanuts or other nuts.
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Will there be restrooms?
Yes. There will be one accessible restroom available for everyone to use. There will be a separate area where you can park briefly to use the restroom. Our volunteers can help guide you to the proper area if needed.
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Will there be medical services on site?
Yes. There will be a registered nurse on site at the festival and first aid supplies.
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Where do I go if I have questions about the festival?
We will have volunteers walking around the event space that can answer your questions.
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Can I get water on site?
No water will be onsite for festival attendees. We ask that attendees bring their own water or other beverages with them to the event to enjoy in their vehicle.
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Will there be merch that I can buy?
Some shops will be selling merch at their booths!
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What should I do with my trash?
We care about the environment! Your ice cream and gelato samples will be packaged in compostable cups with lids. The spoons in the goodie bag you will get at registration are also compostable. We want to encourage you to take these home, wash them and compost them. We’ll also provide small trash bags in your goodie bag and there will be trash cans located throughout the event space for trash.
