Covent Garden’s ice cream festival - the Covent Garden Cool Down - will be bigger than ever this August Bank Holiday Weekend
Covent Garden will be London’s coolest destination this August Bank Holiday as the area transforms into an ice cream festival, for the second year. Running from Thursday 27th August to Monday 31st August, visitors to Covent Garden can enjoy a frozen treat from one of the areas much-loved eateries including Ladurée, Buns and Buns, The Frog by Adam Handling, Petersham Nurseries and more. The festival will be filled with new and adventurous ice cream flavours alongside traditional favourites, as well as an assortment of frozen cocktails, coffees and slushies being served across the estate.
The festival hub will be located in the rainbow al fresco seating area on the East Piazza with five brands popping up to serve delicious frozen treats for all the family. Mochi brand Little Moons will be offering seven mochi flavours including Alphonso Mango and Yuzu Lemon plus cookie dough ice cream bites, and everyone's favourite macaron house Ladurée will serve macaron ice cream sandwiches and spirulina sorbet from their Parisian ice cream cart. For frozen cocktails visitors can visit outdoor bars from Buns and Buns and Dirty Martini.
Elsewhere in Covent Garden, The Frog By Adam Handling will welcome visitors to its al fresco dining area, Toad on the Road, for frozen Espresso Martinis, Negronis or Elderflower Daiquiris and a very special meadowsweet parfait ice cream sandwich. Henrietta Bistro will be offering St. Germain slushy cocktails on their outdoor terrace and SUSHISAMBA will be offering limited edition Boozy Caipirinha Samba Pops. New to Covent Garden, cult favourite Bubblewrap will be serving up Instagram worthy waffle cones topped with ice cream and bespoke toppings – serving up an exclusive combo that pays homage to Covent Garden Market’s history, the Rose & Strawberry Blossom which includes rose infused Bubblewrap waffle, Alphonso mango sorbet, strawberry and dried rose petals.
Petersham Nurseries will be serving homemade gelato, sorbet and spritz cocktails from a pop up cart on King Street alongside a pop up flower cart, while Avobar will be offering their hugely popular Avo soft serve from their Henrietta Street home. Shoppers can venture to Sticks n Sushi for yuzu and lychee flavoured ice cream, or to Din Tai Fung for mochi balls and slushies. British wine cellar Crusting Pipe will be on the East Piazza, serving unique flavours including black coconut, blood orange sorbet and cherry clotted cream, as well as the unusual Pipe’s PX - made with Pedro Ximenez sweet Sherry poured over vanilla ice cream.
For caffeinated iced treats visitors can stop at the newly opened The Gentleman Barista pop-up in James Street offering coffee and chocolate floats and an exciting soft serve selection, or Floral Street Coffee House and Arabica for a frozen coffee pick me up. Those who prefer tea can head to Mariage Freres for tea-infused sorbets and ice creams.
For chocolate lovers, Hotel Chocolat will be serving cocoa infused iced cream with delicious sauces and Godiva will be selling their extra special soft serve dark chocolate cone for £1.99 with any purchase. Venchi will offer visitors a vegan gelato sorbet buy-one-get-one-free every day from 12-2pm if they say the magic password ‘Venchi Vegan Icedream’. Covent Garden’s famous ice cream parlours will also continue to treat customers, with Morelli’s offering over 20 flavours of ice cream and extra special Sundaes in custom-made glassware and Amorino offering their unique rose shaped scoops in 24 flavours.
Covent Garden’s restaurants and bars have now re-opened and are offering al fresco dining across newly pedestrianised streets, alongside the Eat Out To Help Out initiative. Covent Garden’s mix of the best of British and international fashion, beauty and lifestyle retailers have also reopened offering a unique open air shopping experience.
