Encore! Celebrating 20 Years of Phish Food

Phish Food turned 20 this year! That’s right, it’s been two whole decades since we welcomed this rockin’ pint into our flavor family.

When Phish Food launched way back in 1997, we celebrated with a huge concert at the Flynn Theater in Burlington, Vermont featuring the flavor’s namesake jam band, Phish. Co-founders Ben and Jerry even took to the stage to introduce the band alongside their exciting new ice cream flavor.

Back to Our Roots

This year, we’re bringing Phish Food full circle, back to the Flynn Theater. In conjunction with an exhibit called Phish in the North Country, we’ll have on display the neatest items from the Phish Food archives. If you’ve always wondered how a quirky ice cream company and a rockin’ jam band joined forces to create your favorite ice cream flavor, now’s your chance to get the full scoop.

The exhibit runs from October 7th through December 31st at the Amy E. Tarrant Gallery at the Flynn Theater. After you take in the Phish Food archival gems, take a stroll through Phish in the North Country for an intimate reflection on Phish’s incredible 34-year history. Three dozen posters and flyers celebrate the band’s local and regional roots, starting in bars and nightclubs within blocks of the Flynn Theater, and spreading quickly throughout the northeast, and then throughout the world.

Dive Even Deeper

Join us at the Flynn for a very special event on Saturday, November 4th (11:00 am to 4:00 pm), featuring gallery talks led by Phish archivist Kevin Shapiro at 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm. A limited-edition Jim Pollock poster will be available to purchase, with proceeds to benefit WaterWheel Foundation. And, of course, plenty of free scoops of Phish Food.

The Waterwheel Foundation

This year also marks the 20^th anniversary of The WaterWheel Foundation, the band’s charitable organization that funds a variety of values-driven causes. Every time you dig into a pint of Phish Food, a portion of the proceeds goes right to WaterWheel. The foundation has found its niche in supporting the cleanup of Lake Champlain, Vermont’s most cherished natural resource.

WaterWheel is also supported by the generous community of Phish fans. Phish donates $1 per ticket sold to WaterWheel, with fans matching that amount in donations every year. The organization also sets up a table at every concert featuring local non-profits who then receive the donations from that show.

So when you dig into a pint of Phish Food or show up for a Phish show, you know you’re supporting a cause that is near and dear to the band, and to Vermonters.