11 Slurpee Facts for Free Slurpee Day 2025

This year’s National Slurpee Day marks the 98th anniversary of 7-Eleven

Every year on July 11, 7-Eleven fans celebrate National 7-Eleven Day. The one-day event marks 7-Eleven’s annual birthday tradition, and this year the world’s largest convenience retailer is turning 98 years old. National 7-Eleven Day also earned the nickname of “Free Slurpee Day” because every year, participating 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes locations across the country give out free 12-ounce Slurpees in the flavor of your choice—all you have to do is ask. You can stop by any time of day, because many locations are open 24 hours.

Want to double the fun? All you have to do is sign up for a free 7-Eleven loyalty membership, because members who scan their rewards information on Slurpee Day automatically receive a coupon for another free 12-ounce Slurpee valid through July 31.

The Slurpee was invented by accident

In 1958, Omar S. Knedlik discovered that the soda fountain at his Dairy Queen franchise was not in working order. In a pinch, he stashed some soda pop in the restaurant’s freezer, but when customers ordered a soda, he had no choice but to pour it half-frozen. Much to his surprise, his customers loved his accidental creation! In fact, they even started asking for it.

It didn’t take long for Knedlik to realize that he was on to something. Using repurposed automobile parts, he constructed a simple, all-in-one machine that could make frozen soda. He named the drink “ICEE” and established The ICEE Company, which would be the first distributor of what would later become the Slurpee.

Slurpee wasn’t the frozen drink’s original name

In 1965, 7-Eleven was looking for opportunities to introduce more original products to its stores. That same year, the company began a licensing deal with The ICEE Company, but 7-Eleven had two non-negotiable conditions: First, 7-Eleven needed to have an original name for the product, and second, the drink had to be served at 7-Eleven stores exclusively. During a brainstorming session with 7-Eleven’s ad agency, director Bob Sanford noticed that the drink made a slurping sound as he drank it through a straw. And with that, the Slurpee was born. By the 1970s, there was a Slurpee machine in every 7-Eleven in the country.

There have been over 300 Slurpee flavors

Since the Slurpee was invented in 1959, there have been over 300 flavors sold all around the world, including in Canada, Australia and Japan. The most popular flavors in the United States are Coca-Cola and Wild Cherry, but Slurpee is known for its inventive and often odd flavor names. Some of the strangest include Fulla Bulla, Blue Blunder and AWA AWA Ukulele. The majority of Slurpee flavors are offered only for a limited time, like Major Melon, a collaboration that combined Mountain Dew and watermelon. Vitaminwater also had a Slurpee flavor called Squeezed.

But you don’t have to limit yourself to the official Slurpee flavors. You can also create your own Slurpee drink by mixing flavors together, such as Lemonade and Blue Raspberry. There’s even an extreme version, where you mix a little of every flavor together to make a monster Slurpee! Maybe something to think about on Free Slurpee Day?

There’s a Slurpee soundtrack

In 1970, 7-Eleven released a vinyl record with two tracks written just for the Slurpee. The first, “Dance the Slurp,” is a catchy and danceable tune that was later sampled by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist for their 1999 album Brainfreeze. The second is a short comedy skit on the B-side of the record. The 45 vinyl record was given away with purchases, and copies now fetch as much as $50 on eBay.

Slurpee revolutionized the straw

If you’ve ever tried to drink a milkshake through a regular straw, you know how challenging it can be. Slurpees, with their thick, icy chunks, pose even more of a problem. In 1968, MIT mechanical engineering grad Arthur A. Aykanian invented the spoon straw: a straw with a little spoon on the end so you can sip and spoon with just one utensil.

Over the years, 7-Eleven has had various novelty straws, including edible candy straws, straws with animals on them and tongue- and mustache-shaped straws, and the company has even experimented with biodegradable paper straws. In the end, it doesn’t really matter how you slurp, all that matters is that you’re slurping in the first place.

Slurpee has kosher flavors

Those who keep kosher and enjoy a soda most likely already know that brands such as Dr. Pepper, Sunkist and Canada Dry are kosher-certified—and so are their Slurpee versions. In fact, more than 34 Slurpee flavors are certified kosher by the OU Kosher Certification Agency. These include old favorites, such as Fanta Grape and Coca-Cola, but also exciting modern flavors, including Master Chill Cherry Limeade and Fanta Kiwi Strawberry.

The Slurpee Capital of the World may surprise you

When you think of drinking a Slurpee, chances are you think about cooling down on a hot day. So it may come as a surprise that the Slurpee capital of the world is located in America’s chilly northern neighbor. The city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, holds the title of Slurpee Capital of the World. Slurpees are a popular fixture in Winnipeg, at summer weddings, winter football games, as gifts to new mothers and even for breakfast all year round. And the Canadian province of Manitoba sells more Slurpees per capita than anywhere else in the world! Believe it or not, they are so popular that when you arrive at the airport in Winnipeg, your friends and family might just greet you with a Slurpee.

Billions of Slurpees have been sold worldwide

Since the Slurpee originally debuted in 7-Eleven stores, more than 7 billion of them have been sold around the world. To put that into perspective, that’s almost enough to give one Slurpee to each person currently living on the planet. One of the many reasons Slurpees are so popular is the price point. They’re affordable, with each costing just a few dollars. The budget-friendly treat is consumed in more than a dozen countries around the world, though Canada drinks the most Slurpees.

Slurpee cups provide highly sought-after advertising space

During the 1970s, as Slurpees were gaining popularity, the marketing team a 7-Eleven realized they could capitalize on that success. So they sold advertising space right on the cups, resulting in a variety of sponsored artwork, with subjects ranging from rock bands to sports teams to comic book characters. As the years went by, limited edition cups replaced the traditional 7-Eleven logo, as they were created to advertise big blockbuster films. Those cups would go on to become collector’s items, some of which sell for several times their original price on eBay.

The first Free Slurpee Day was in 2002

The very first Free Slurpee Day was held in 2002 to celebrate the 75th birthday of 7-Eleven. Since then, the convenience store chain has celebrated National Slurpee Day every year on July 11. In the early days of the event, in most stores around the world, the first 1,000 people through the door would receive a free 7.11-ounce Slurpee. Today, everyone who visits 7-Eleven on Free Slurpee Day gets a free small Slurpee (12 ounces).

Believe it or not, giving away so many free Slurpees has been great for business. Slurpee sales go up by roughly 38% every year during National Slurpee Day—and once customers get a taste, they simply have to go back for more!

Additional reporting by Chloë Nannestad and Sierra Rinaldi.

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Sources:

• 7-Eleven: “About Us”
• 7-Eleven: “Slurpee Day 2022”
• MOMA.org: “Spoon Straw”
• OUKosher.org: “Kosher Slurpee List”
• MentalFloss.com: “How Winnipeg, Canada Became the Slurpee Capital of the World”