Messina Will Give You a Free Scoop of Vanilla Slice-Inspired Gelato Today If You Have Snapchat on Your Phone

Every date on the calendar is now an occasion. On May 8, Mates Day is one of them. It's a time to check in with your pals — and, in 2024, it's also time to share a free scoop of a limited-edition Gelato Messina flavour with them. Yes, you do make friends with ice cream.

Messina is celebrating Mates Day with a new gelato variety that might get you thinking back to school lunches with your mates growing up. Called Oh Snap!, it's inspired by the tuckshop staple that is the vanilla slice, featuring vanilla custard gelato, passionfruit puree and caramelised puff pastry pieces.

The reason for the moniker: this giveaway, which runs from 12pm until stocks last today, Wednesday, May 8, is in conjunction with Snapchat. In fact, to claim your free scoop at any Gelato Messina store around the country, you'll need to show that you have the Snapchat app on your phone. (The only exception: for kids under 13, who can just get a free scoop anyway.)

Here's how it works: hit up your nearest Messina, join what's certain to be a line, hope that you get to the counter while there's still Oh Snap! gelato left, then make sure that Snapchat is on your device. That's all there is to it. Obviously, bringing your mates with you so that they can get free ice cream, too — there's only one scoop available per person — is recommended.

In Sydney, at Gelato Messina's Surry Hills store, you'll be scoring dessert from an outpost that's been given a yellow makeover — complete with experiences that might be of a pic, plus merchandise — also from midday. The Crown Street venue will also have more supplies of Oh Snap! than other shops, but it's still a while-stocks-last affair.

Messina currently has 19 stores in New South Wales, five in Victoria and three in Queensland, plus two in the Australian Capital Territory, and one apiece in South Australia and Western Australia.

Gelato Messina's Mate's Day Snapchat scoop giveaway runs from 12pm until stocks last on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at all of the chain's stores around Australia. Head to the brand's website for more details.