A&W Is Giving Away Free Root Beer Floats for National Root Beer Float Day: Here’s How To Get Yours

This National Root Beer Float Day (August 6) you can snag a frosty mug of this creamy, carbonated drink for free! How? Pop into your nearest A&W fast food location where they'll be offering them free of charge to customers who are willing to show off their “float flex” (more on that later). What’s even better is that you can make a donation to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), a nonprofit that A&W has partnered with for this annual offering. Here's everything you need to know so you can enjoy a free root beer float on the drink's special holiday!

More on A&W's National Root Beer Float Day promotion

On August 6 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. local time, A&W locations will give away a free small root beer float to anyone who flaunts their best muscle-flexing pose. This is part of the restaurant's "Float Flex" campaign that encourages customers to prepare themselves to handle their famous root beer float, which weighs 3 pounds 5 ounces.

“A&W’s iconic Root Beer Float is without a doubt one of the heaviest drinks in the quick service restaurant industry,” Liz Bazner, vice president of marketing and innovation at A&W, says in a statement. “It’s so heavy that we worried we might be missing out on a whole untapped market of folks that simply can’t handle its hugeness. This National Root Beer Float Day, we wanted to get everyone pumped up and ready to enjoy their free float.”

Watch the video below for details on how to secure your free root beer float on National Root Beer Float Day. (Also, these chain exercises are a great way to stay in shape as they help tone muscles and rev metabolism for weight loss!)

What makes A&W's root beer float so special

This annual promotion shouldn't come as a surprise since the root beer float has long been a staple at the fast food chain. Made with A&W's own root beer and vanilla soft serve, the drink is served in a large frosty mug. This transforms the classic sip into a colossal treat that's full of sweet, creamy and licorice flavors. It's best to enjoy with a straw and spoon to sip and scoop the foamy ice cream drink!

Another way to show support during National Root Beer Float Day

Along with grabbing a root beer float, customers have the option of making a donation to DAV. This nonprofit provides free assistance to veterans and their families through a variety of resources. The fast food chain has partnered with DAV every National Root Beer Float Day since 2017, contributing a total of $1 million to the organization. “It is so important that we use a fun event like National Root Beer Float Day to also raise funds for DAV and to call attention to veterans’ issues,” Kevin Bazner, CEO, A&W All-American Restaurants, says.

Unable to visit an A&W location? Make your own root beer float

If you're spending National Root Beer Float Day at home, try this recipe from the treat makers in the First for Women test kitchen. It uses vanilla extract, maraschino cherry juice and ground nutmeg to infuse this drink with an extra sweet yet tart and spiced flavor. Perfect to satisfy your cravings for a delicious and refreshing sip!

Root Beer Float

A homemade root beer float as part of a story on National Root Beer Day
Bhofack2/Getty

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint of vanilla ice cream

  • 2 (12 fl oz.) cans root beer

  • ? cup maraschino cherry juice

  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

  • Ground nutmeg

  • Whipped cream

Directions:

  • Yield: 4 servings

  1. Divide vanilla ice cream evenly among 4 chilled glasses; sprinkle each with pinch of nutmeg.

  2. Drizzle maraschino cherry juice and vanilla extract into each glass. Tilt 1 glass and slowly pour ? can of root beer over ice cream mixture, being careful not to let it overflow (mixture will fizz up during pouring).

  3. Repeat with remaining glasses and soda. Top each with whipped cream. Serve and enjoy!

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