I Scream, You Scream for Our Wildest Dreams

Music-fest food vendors are notorious for peddling overpriced turkey legs and $6 domestic drafts. Over the past few years, though, festivalgoers have gotten relief from exorbitant eats in the form of Ice Cream Man Matt Allen and his all-volunteer crew. The Ice Cream Man’s frozen confections are totally free, which, under the hot festival sun, makes his treats even sweeter.

Allen took the first step toward his longtime dream of becoming the world’s most famous ice cream man in summer 2004, when he purchased an ice-cream truck and set up his first giveaway in an Oregon park. The event was a huge success, with hundreds of people showing up. Since then, Allen has zig-zagged across the U.S., hitting the festival circuit and handing out ice cream. “If you named 20 festivals, we’ve probably been at 19 of them,” he says. “I’m hard pressed to believe that there’s anybody out there that actually goes to more festivals than I do.”

To date, Allen and Co. have given out about 200,000 frozen refreshments, made possible by sponsors who’ve contributed along the way. Allen says his goal is to reach the 500,000 mark in the next few years.

“The ice cream is just a vehicle—the bigger picture is meant to inspire, motivate and empower people, especially young people,” Allen says. “Everyone’s got these ideas brewing that they might want to try out, and I just recommend people to give it a shot. … You don’t have to drive around the country and give away ice cream, but if you’ve got something you’ve been thinking about for a long time, if you’ve got that dream, give it a shot.”